The Gate's pulsing light dimmed as the Trial concluded.
Brent stood at the heart of the crater where the Gate had torn through reality, breath ragged, the warmth of Rae's hand grounding him. Around them, the last vestiges of corrupted flame faded into the wind.
But not all was silent.
Not yet.
A scream—sharp and cracking—tore through the smoldering battlefield.
Kalen.
Kalen's Disintegration
Kalen stood at the Gate's edge, hunched over, eyes bloodshot. His body pulsed with unstable energy, veins glowing a furious violet-red as the Shadow Root Protocol backfired.
"No... No, this isn't how it ends," he muttered, clutching his chest.
System Warning: Core Fragmentation – User Kalen Elaris
"Access revoked…" he whispered. "I was supposed to be the one…"
His skin began to crack and flake like burnt paper, the energy within him surging outward, tethering itself to the Gate as if reclaiming what it once lent him.
"I gave you everything!" he roared at the Gate. "I was your hand, your chisel, your damn key!"
But the Gate offered no reply.
It only pulled.
Kalen let out one final scream—raw, broken, defiant—and then—
He vanished, sucked into the Gate's heart in a flurry of ash and light.
"KALEN!!"
The voice was thunderous, anguished, and filled with fury.
From the fractured archway, Vaelrick Elaris, his cloak torn and dark energy billowing around him, stormed into the battlefield—just in time to see the last embers of his son vanish.
His crimson gaze locked onto Brent.
"You," he snarled.
Brent's hand tightened around his sword, his body screaming from the earlier trial.
"I didn't—"
"You killed my son."
The Battle – Vaelrick Elaris vs. Brent Emeris
Vaelrick struck with the force of a collapsing mountain, shadows swirling like blades. Brent met the blow with his Twilight Core Flame, the merged resonance flaring around him.
The clash of light and shadow painted the battlefield in violent flashes.
Echo of Her – Trait Activated
You cannot be corrupted.
You cannot be bent by dominion.
You can reflect the pain of the divine.
Brent gasped as a ripple of strange light extended from him. Vaelrick's next strike faltered—his shadows slowed, distorted.
But not for long.
Vaelrick snarled. "You think a scrap of Her makes you worthy to fight me?!"
He lashed out again, this time faster, meaner, more surgical. Brent's shield shattered. His bones screamed.
Brent coughed blood, knees buckling.
His Echo trait tried to shield him, redirecting portions of the damage—but he was outmatched, still raw from the Trial.
Vaelrick hurled him through a pillar of stone, stalking forward like a demon unleashed.
"I will burn your family," he spat. "I will erase your name."
Brent's eyes flared, but his strength gave way—
Until Rae stood in front of him, her blade raised, flames weak but burning.
"You'll have to go through both of us."
The Escape
The Echo trait surged again, flaring between them like a shield of memory.
System Surge Detected: Emergency Anchor – Family Imprint Triggered
Activating Recall Gate: Home Sigil – Emeris Household
Teleportation Sequence Engaged
Light swallowed them whole.
Vaelrick's strike carved through nothing but air as Brent and Rae vanished in a flare of gold and white.
Back Home – The Return
They landed hard in the dirt outside Brent's family cottage.
The smell of earth. The distant bleating of goats. The faint flicker of his mother's lantern in the window.
He was home.
Barely breathing.
His arm broken. His soul burned.
But he was alive.
And Rae never let go of his hand.
System Notification
Trial Survived. Adversary: Vaelrick Elaris –
System Level 14-15
Flame Resonance: Mastered
Shadow Resonance: 1%
Core Sync: 94%
Title Unlocked: Keeper of the Forgotten
Trait Updated: Echo of Her → Echoborne Sentinel
Passive: Reflects dominion-based attacks when shielding others
Active: Triggered by mortal protection—unlocked full potential under duress
[Active Threat]
New Objective: Protect the Flame Lineage
Brent leaned back against the old cottage wall, staring up at the night sky. Ugh
The Gate hadn't claimed him.
But it had taken everything else.
And this war was far from over.