The road to Ardentis wound through the Vale of Cinders — a wasteland of gray stone and whispering winds.
Once, it had been a battlefield. Now, only broken weapons and half-buried banners remained, swallowed by time.
Kael and Lira walked in silence. The forest had ended hours ago, replaced by open plains that stretched beneath a dim sky.
Every so often, Kael's palm flickered faintly — the crimson sigil pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Lira glanced at him. "Does it hurt?"
> "No," he said. "It's like… the world is listening."
She frowned. "Then don't speak too loudly."
They continued until dusk, when the sun melted into the horizon and the first stars appeared. They set camp near the ruins of an old watchtower. Lira lit a wardfire — blue flames that burned cold but chased away spirits.
As she stirred the pot of herbs, Kael watched the light dance on her face.
She caught him looking. "What?"
> "You seem calm," he said. "Even after… whatever I did back there."
"Fear is useless in front of the Loom," she said simply. "It listens to emotions. Panic, doubt — they twist your magic. Besides…" she glanced up, smiling faintly, "…you saved my life."
Kael didn't know how to respond to that. His chest ached in a way that felt unfamiliar — like warmth and sorrow tangled together.
Before he could speak, a distant rustle cut through the night.
Lira stiffened. "Did you hear that?"
Kael had already drawn his blade. "Three… no, four."
> "You can sense them?"
"No," he said quietly. "I can hear their intent."
Figures emerged from the shadows — armored men with crude weapons and dark insignias stitched into their cloaks. The symbol of a broken loom.
> "Bandits," Lira muttered.
"Not just bandits," Kael said. "They bear the mark of the Obsidian Division."
The tallest one stepped forward, grinning. "Hand over the boy," he said. "We only need him. The Academy can keep its little prodigy."
Lira raised her staff. "You're trespassing on Academy soil. Leave now."
The man laughed. "Oh, we will — once we've collected our prize."
The first bolt of magic struck without warning — a spiral of black flame that hissed like poison. Lira countered with a barrier, but the impact shattered it like glass. She stumbled, coughing from the smoke.
Kael moved before he thought.
His blade cut through the air, tracing crimson arcs that glowed in the dark. Each swing hummed with power — not from mana, but from something deeper. The ground cracked beneath his feet, the air itself rippling as his strikes tore through the attackers.
To Lira, it looked less like fighting and more like remembering.
Every movement carried impossible precision — a dance older than language, every strike echoing the will of a thousand forgotten warriors.
Within seconds, the Obsidian mercenaries fell — their weapons shattered, their bodies thrown aside by invisible force.
When silence returned, Kael stood motionless, eyes glowing faintly red. His blade hummed, whispering with echoes of battle.
Lira approached cautiously. "Kael…"
He didn't respond.
The sigil on his hand burned brighter, the mark spreading up his arm like liquid light. For an instant, the world around him flickered — the Loom itself bending under his presence.
Lira placed her hand on his shoulder. "Enough. It's over."
Her voice was soft, but steady.
The glow dimmed. Kael blinked, as if waking from a trance. The blade dissolved into dust, fading back into his soul.
He looked down at his trembling hands. "I could feel it," he murmured. "Their fear. Their hatred. And… I wanted more."
Lira's expression softened, though her eyes carried something unreadable. "That wasn't weaving," she said. "That was instinct."
> "Then what am I, Lira?" he asked quietly.
She hesitated, then answered, "Something the world forgot."
Above them, thunder rolled across the distant mountains — not natural thunder, but the deep resonance of the Loom shifting.
And far away, within the towers of Ardentis, ancient wards flared awake again.
The academy's seers turned toward the east, whispering the same name that had not been spoken in a thousand years.
> "Kael Varion… The Spirit of War has awakened."