The night after the battle was suffocatingly still. Not even the wind dared to breathe. The air over the ravine hung heavy with the scent of burned ash and the lingering echo of dark magic. Kael sat at the edge of a fallen pillar, his silver aura still faintly flickering, as if his body hadn't decided whether to rest or ignite again.
Lira knelt beside him, wrapping a bandage around his arm. "You burned through too much energy," she murmured. "You're lucky you didn't collapse completely."
Kael stared into the darkness below. "It wasn't luck," he said. "He wanted me to fight."
Sareth stood a few paces away, silent, staff pressed against the earth. His eyes were half-closed, as though listening to something only he could hear.
Finally, he spoke. "The Envoy was not meant to win. He was meant to test your restraint."
Kael looked up sharply. "Test me? He nearly killed us."
Sareth's tone was grim. "To the Ruler, death is just another question. The right answer is survival."
Before Kael could reply, the sky cracked.
A thunderclap without lightning rolled through the valley—deep, slow, and ancient. The ground trembled beneath their feet. The air thickened until it felt like breathing through smoke.
Lira's hands froze mid-motion. "That sound—what is it?"
Sareth's eyes widened, his face paling for the first time since Kael had met him. "It's not a sound," he whispered. "It's a voice."
The wind surged around them, and suddenly every shadow stretched long and sharp. The earth itself seemed to whisper, vibrating with dark intent.
"Kael of Silver Blood."
The voice came from everywhere—inside their heads, through the air, in the pulse of the ground. It was smooth, deep, almost calm, but carrying a weight that pressed on the soul.
"You break my chains with mortal hands, yet you do not know what you free."
Kael staggered to his feet, fists clenched. "Show yourself!"
"I have no need. You walk in my shadow now. Every breath you take burns in my flame."
Sareth took a cautious step forward. "The Demon King," he murmured. "He's not speaking across distance—he's speaking through Kael's blood."
Kael felt it too. The silver fire within him pulsed violently, like it was fighting something unseen. "Get out of my head!"
"Your fire was mine, long before you learned to wield it," the voice said, almost amused. "Your ancestor stole what belonged to the dark. You are the debt he left behind."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then I'll pay it back—with your defeat."
The air grew colder. Lira cried out, clutching her head as the voice turned sharper, cutting through her thoughts.
"Do you believe she will save you, Silver Flame? She will watch you burn before this is done. They always do."
Kael's eyes flared gold. "Leave her out of this!"
A harsh, mocking laugh rippled through the world.
"You cannot silence me, boy. I am not in this world—I am this world."
Then, as suddenly as it began, the voice stopped. The weight lifted. The mist cleared. Silence fell.
Lira took a shuddering breath. "He… he was inside me too. Like he was searching for something."
Sareth's face was grave. "He was. He wanted to see how deep the dragon's power has awakened—and how easily he can twist it."
Kael turned his gaze to the horizon, where a storm brewed in the east. "Then he got what he wanted."
Sareth looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "He's afraid."
Lira frowned. "Afraid? He sounded unstoppable."
Kael's golden eyes glowed faintly as he looked toward the storm. "Only the weak talk that much."
He rose, the last silver embers drifting off his skin. "If he's inside my blood, then I'll take the fight there. To his own realm."
Sareth's expression darkened. "You're not ready. Crossing into the demon realm means surrendering part of your soul."
Kael's voice was steady. "Then I'll just have to make sure I get it back."
The wind picked up again, this time carrying the faint echo of the Demon King's laughter, fading into the distance.
"Come, little dragon. The gates of sorrow are waiting."
And as the first drops of black rain began to fall from the sky, Kael whispered back, almost smiling— "Then open them.