Pain was the first thing Kael registered—raw and all-consuming. His limbs felt leaden, his chest heavy with every breath. Darkness pressed in from all sides, thick and suffocating. But beneath the agony, the Heart's power pulsed faintly, a flicker of warmth against the cold.
"Get up, Kael."
The voice echoed again, soft but insistent. It wasn't Liora's—this voice was deeper, with an edge of authority that brooked no refusal. Kael's eyes fluttered open, vision swimming, and he forced himself to move. Stone scraped against his palms as he struggled to his knees, breaths coming in ragged gasps.
The Temple was a ruin around him. Pillars lay shattered, debris strewn across the floor, the walls scorched with dark energy. In the midst of the devastation stood the cloaked figure, watching with eyes that glinted like molten gold.
Beside it, Liora was on her knees, arms bound by dark tendrils of energy, her face pale and blood streaked. Her gaze found Kael's, a mix of relief and horror.
"Kael—don't!" she choked out, struggling against the bonds. "It's a trap!"
The figure's chuckle was low and cruel. "So persistent," it mused. "But this ends now."
With a flick of its wrist, the tendrils tightened, and Liora cried out, pain lancing through her voice. Fury surged through Kael, hot and blinding, drowning out the pain. His sword trembled in his grasp, the Heart's energy igniting along the blade with a searing glow.
"Let her go," he growled, every word a struggle.
The figure's head tilted, almost in amusement. "Or what? You're barely standing. Face it, Kael—you've lost."
"Like hell I have," Kael spat, forcing himself upright. The power of the Heart roared through him, unstable and hungry, demanding release. But he held it back, teeth gritted, eyes fixed on Liora's agonized gaze.
He had to think. Charging in blind would only get them both killed. But every second he hesitated, the dark energy constricted tighter around Liora, her struggles weakening.
"Ah, I see." The figure's eyes glinted. "You're trying to buy time. Admirable, but futile." It raised a hand, dark energy coiling, and Kael's breath caught as the shadows lunged—
A flash of silver cut through the darkness, and the tendrils snapped with a hiss. Liora gasped, collapsing forward, and the figure's eyes narrowed in irritation.
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward—cloak tattered, eyes sharp with defiance. His sword gleamed with silver light, and his smirk was both weary and mocking.
"Am I late to the party?" Alaric drawled, twirling his blade with a nonchalance that belied the tension in his eyes.
Kael's breath left him in a disbelieving rush. "You're—alive?"
Alaric shot him a crooked grin. "Not for lack of trying on their part," he quipped, jerking his head towards the cloaked figure. "Thought you could use a hand."
The figure's eyes narrowed, annoyance bleeding into its tone. "Another insect to crush," it sneered. "Very well."
Shadows erupted, surging forward with a deafening roar. Alaric met them head-on, blade singing, light flaring with each strike. Kael didn't hesitate—he lunged forward, sword igniting with the Heart's power, every swing a clash of light against darkness.
"Get Liora out of here!" Alaric barked over the chaos, parrying a strike that sent sparks flying. "I'll hold this bastard off!"
Kael's jaw clenched, every instinct screaming to stay and fight, but Liora's ragged breaths cut through the noise, grounding him. He reached her side, one arm slipping around her shoulders, half-carrying her as they staggered back.
"Kael—no," Liora gasped, eyes wide with panic. "We can't just—Alaric—"
"He can handle himself," Kael bit out, though the lie tasted bitter. "We need to regroup. Trust me."
She didn't resist, though her eyes glistened with guilt and fear. Together, they stumbled through the fractured archway, shadows snapping at their heels, the clash of blades and dark energy echoing behind them.
---
The corridors were a maze of rubble and darkness, every turn an exercise in desperation. Kael's wounds throbbed, each step sending fresh agony through his limbs, but he gritted his teeth, pressing on. The Heart's power flared erratically, responding to his fear and pain, tendrils of light sparking along his skin.
They finally collapsed into a side chamber, half-buried in debris, the doors hanging off their hinges. Kael eased Liora to the ground, sinking against the wall with a ragged breath.
For a moment, neither spoke, their breaths harsh in the silence.
"You… you shouldn't have come back," Liora whispered, her voice fractured. "He's too strong. We can't—"
Kael's hand found hers, squeezing with a gentleness that belied the fury burning in his veins. "We'll find a way," he promised, voice hoarse but steady. "I won't let him win. Not again."
Liora's eyes glistened, her fingers clutching his with a desperation that mirrored his own. "I just… don't want to lose you," she admitted, voice cracking.
The words hit harder than any blow, and Kael's breath caught. For a heartbeat, the darkness seemed to recede, warmth breaking through the cold.
But the respite was brief.
The ground trembled violently, dust and stone cascading from above. The oppressive chill surged back, suffocating and unrelenting. In the distance, the clash of battle had quieted, replaced by the ominous thrum of dark energy—steady and slow, like a heartbeat.
Kael's eyes darkened, hand tightening around his sword. "We can't stay here," he muttered, forcing himself upright despite the protests of his wounds. "If that bastard's still alive—"
A soft laugh cut through the silence, cold and echoing. Shadows pooled at the entrance, and Kael's blood ran cold as the cloaked figure emerged, its robes unmarred, eyes glowing with contemptuous amusement.
"Leaving so soon?" it taunted, voice smooth as silk. "How disappointing."
Kael's grip on his sword tightened, every muscle tensing. The Heart's power roared within him, a maelstrom of fury and desperation.
The figure's eyes narrowed, its smirk widening. "Come now, Kael," it purred. "Let me show you what true despair feels like."
Dark energy coiled, the temperature plummeting, and Kael's pulse thundered in his ears. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. His eyes met Liora's—wide and terrified—and he made his choice.
"Stay behind me," he commanded, voice raw, and lunged forward into the dark.