🔥 Chapter 20 — Ember Ascendant
The northern highlands shook violently as Kael and the Harrowed King faced each other in the heart of the shattered battlefield. Fire and shadow clashed in brilliant arcs, each strike sending tremors through the mountains. Kael's Ember pulsed violently, now fully alive, a storm coiling along his arms and spine.
Rhyne shouted from the edge of the battlefield, deflecting waves of dark energy with his sigil blade. "Kael! This is it! Push everything you've learned!"
Kael's eyes burned bright blue, flames spiraling like living serpents around him. He had felt the Ember's true potential in Chapter 19, and now it was time to unleash it fully. No hesitation, no restraint—he became a conduit for the fire's intelligence, flowing with it, shaping it, bending it around the King's attacks.
The Harrowed King struck with dark energy, tendrils of shadow lashing out with impossible speed. Kael twisted midair, Ember forming blades that sliced through the tendrils, redirected attacks to strike the King's armor from all angles. For the first time, the King faltered, recoiling from the coordinated assault.
"Rhyne… it's working," Kael shouted, fire surging in synchronization with his heartbeat. "I can control it… not just strike with it!"
Rhyne nodded, eyes wide, as he cleared shadows from Kael's path. "Then finish it! Don't let him recover!"
Kael gathered every ounce of Ember's power, forming a massive vortex of fire and light around himself. He focused on the King's pulsing dark core, spiraling the Ember into a concentrated spear of unimaginable energy. With a single, explosive leap, Kael hurled the Ember at the Harrowed King, flames and light carving through shadow like a blazing comet.
The King screamed, darkness fracturing violently. The pulse from the crack above faltered, the northern highlands trembling as shards of shadow exploded into the sky. The Ember struck true, and for a brief, shining instant, Kael felt the power of the King's essence diminish.
Rhyne landed beside him, breathing hard but alive. "You did it… Kael. You've pierced him!"
Kael's Ember slowly dimmed, coiling gently along his arm. The King's form retreated into shadow, weakened but not gone.
Kael looked toward the horizon, fire flickering in his eyes. "This isn't over. But… we've changed the battlefield. And now, the war truly begins."
The northern highlands were scarred, but hope burned brighter than ever.