🔥 Chapter 26 — Crystal Backlash
The inner chamber hummed with suppressed magical energy. The dark crystal at the center radiated a constant, pulsing corruption, sending ripples through the surrounding pedestals. Kael's Ember flared around him, coils of fire and light stretching outward as he approached the crystal cautiously.
Rhyne whispered, eyes scanning for traps. "Kael, one wrong move and this crystal will trigger defenses we can't handle. Be careful."
Kael nodded, focusing. "I know. The Ember can interact with the energy—it can probe, disrupt, and redirect. But it's delicate work. Too much force and we risk a catastrophic backlash."
He extended the Ember toward the crystal, letting threads of flame snake along its surface. Sparks of green energy erupted where the Ember touched, testing its defenses. The crystal shuddered, and suddenly, violent arcs of energy lashed out, striking the chamber walls and sending debris flying.
Rhyne leapt to block a shard with his sigil blade. "It's fighting back! Kael, it's not passive!"
Kael's eyes narrowed, flames coiling tighter around him. "It's alive with energy—reactive. The Ember and I need to flow with it, not against it."
He twisted the Ember, threads of fire spiraling in precise patterns, intercepting the crystal's backlash and redirecting the energy toward the chamber floor, where it harmlessly dissipated. The crystal pulsed faster, green veins of energy glowing brighter as if testing their persistence.
Rhyne called out, "It's wearing itself down! Keep at it!"
Kael gritted his teeth, focusing all of the Ember's energy into synchronized pulses, carefully destabilizing the crystal's flow. Sparks flew in blinding arcs, but the Ember acted as both shield and conductor, absorbing and redirecting the violent energy.
Finally, the crystal trembled violently and cracked, its corruption flaring briefly before collapsing into a dull, inert glow. The chamber shook, stones rattling, but the pulse of danger was gone.
Kael exhaled, Ember coiling softly around him. "It's done. The eastern hub's crystal is destabilized. The King's forces will be weaker now, but we've only delayed the inevitable. He will retaliate."
Rhyne sheathed his blade, nodding. "Then we need to be ready. The war isn't over yet, but this is another victory."
Outside, the eastern borderlands lay quiet, a fragile calm following the storm of magical backlash.