🔥 Chapter 6 — The Village in Shadows
Kael and Rhyne hurried back toward Ardentreach, the forest growing darker with every step. Clouds thickened overhead, swirling around the crack like storm water down a drain. A low hum—almost a vibration—ran through the air.
Kael's skin crawled. "The sky wasn't like this earlier."
"It's reacting," Rhyne said, eyes narrowed. "Your vision… whatever you saw… it may have accelerated the instability."
"Just by seeing it?" Kael asked.
Rhyne didn't answer, and that silence frightened Kael more than the monsters.
When the village finally came into view, Kael felt his stomach drop.
Smoke curled from shattered rooftops. Fences were torn apart. Livestock scattered. And villagers huddled together near the old well, guarded by makeshift barricades.
Kael broke into a run. "Mother! Father!"
A few villagers looked up, relief washing over their faces. Kael's parents rushed forward, embracing him tightly.
"Oh, thank the heavens," his mother breathed. "We thought—"
"What happened?" Kael interrupted, pulling back.
"Shadows," his father said grimly. "Not beasts—just shadows. They moved like smoke, slipping through walls, stealing heat from whatever they touched."
Rhyne's expression hardened. "Phantoms. They're scouts."
The villagers murmured in fear.
Kael clenched his fists. "Scouts for what?"
Rhyne hesitated before answering. "For what's preparing to cross."
Before Kael could ask more, the air around the village rippled. Lantern flames guttered. A cold wind swept through the square, carrying a faint whisper—almost human, almost not.
The shadows along the ground began to stretch unnaturally long.
Rhyne drew his blade. "Get everyone inside. Barricade doors. Keep light burning."
The villagers scattered in a panic.
Kael felt his Ember respond, glowing brighter beneath his skin. The shadows thickened, swirling like living ink.
Then a shape rose from them—humanoid but twisted, its form dripping darkness like tar. Two hollow eyes fixated on Kael.
Rhyne's voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "A Shadeborn."
Kael stepped forward on instinct. "I can take it."
"Not alone!" Rhyne snapped.
But the Shadeborn lunged—faster than anything they had faced yet.
Kael raised his arm, blue fire igniting in a blazing arc.
The battle for Ardentreach had begun.