The masked captain stepped forward, his guards fallen around him like broken toys. His silver mask glinted in the firelight. "Useless," he sneered, voice cold and sharp. "I will kill you myself."
With a swift motion, he drew his sword. It was unlike any Kael had ever seen—a great blade black as midnight, etched with crimson runes that pulsed like living veins. Sparks of red energy seemed to crawl along its edge. The heat from it alone made the air shimmer.
Kael froze for a heartbeat, eyes widening. Can I really fight him? He's too strong… The thought struck him like a knife.
The captain didn't hesitate. With a roar, he lunged forward, sword slicing through the hall with deadly precision. Kael leapt aside, barely dodging, blocking strikes with Ember Guard where he could. The hall echoed with the clash of steel and the crackle of Kael's crimson sparks.
The captain paused, stepping back just enough to study him. "You… you are this strong at seven years old? Imagine what you will become as you age. You… must be killed."
Before Kael could answer, the knight unleashed a named attack: "Crimson Fang." The blade slashed in a sweeping arc of red light, throwing Kael into the air. He crashed against a tree, splintering wood beneath him, blood flowing from his mouth.
Maverick's golden eyes flared with anger. The small cat's tail twitched furiously as Kael struggled to rise.
He coughed, spitting blood, gripping his fists, and stood straight, eyes glowing bright red. "You killed my mother," he growled, voice trembling with fury. "I… will not leave you. I will kill you, your family, your whole bloodline… and the one who sent you!"
The words cut through the air like a blade. Even the masked captain's voice faltered slightly, a shiver running through him. Maverick's fur bristled. Both boy and cat froze, sensing something unnatural in the air.
"What… is this? Why am I… shivering?" the captain whispered, unease creeping into his tone. "He… is dangerous."
Without pause, the knight attacked again, this time with a second named strike: "Blood Moon Descent." The sword glowed like a bleeding moon, swinging down with crushing force.
Then, suddenly, time stopped. Dust hung in the air. Sparks froze mid-flight. Only Kael could move, and Maverick, perched before him, eyes glinting.
"Do you want to kill him, boy?" Maverick asked, voice calm, dangerous.
Kael's hands clenched. "Yes."
Maverick's tail swished, and a strange circle appeared beneath them, drawn in faint red lines glowing faintly in the frozen air. "Form a blood pact with me," he said.
Kael stared. "A blood pact? What is that?"
"You need to drop drops of your blood into this circle," Maverick explained. "It will bind your power… but not just yours."
Kael pricked his finger and let a few drops fall into the circle. As the blood touched the glowing lines, it surged outward like rivers, rising from the circle, forming a crimson pillar that shot toward the sky. The power hummed, thick and alive, and the mountain itself seemed to shiver.
Maverick's golden eyes gleamed, intense and unreadable. He stepped closer, his form solid and commanding—but nothing more was revealed.
Kael stepped back, awe and fear gripping him. "What… what is happening? What could it be?"
The red blood pillar trembled, pulsing with life. The forest, the mountains, even the frozen air seemed to lean in.
And in that silence, with the world suspended, Kael realized only one thing: everything had just changed