The clash of blades echoed through the chasm like the roar of gods at war.
Kael's Ashen blade locked with Riven's jagged edge, sparks flying as their auras screamed against each other—one forged through pain and purpose, the other through madness and ruin. The force of their collision shattered the ground beneath them, sending cracks snaking across the cursed stone.
"You're not like me," Kael growled, pushing forward with a surge of heat and light.
"No," Riven grinned. "I'm what you're meant to be."
With a sudden twist, Riven shattered their lock and drove a knee into Kael's chest, flinging him back. He spun midair and landed hard, aura cushioning the blow. Pain shot through his ribs, but Kael forced himself up, breathing hard.
Riven stalked forward, mask gleaming.
"You've stolen pieces, Kael Arclight. Beast Flame. Celestial Light. Mist and Abyss. You devour aura like a starving god… but you lack conviction."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "And what do you have?"
"Freedom." Riven's aura flared—a chaotic, twisted fusion of ash, abyss, and blood. "I killed my tether. Burned my past. There is no humanity left to weigh me down."
Kael's grip tightened around his blade. "Then I'll show you what a burden is worth."
He surged forward, his body blazing with synced aura—Ashen, Beast Flame, and Celestial Light weaving into a burning tempest. The wind howled in his wake as he unleashed a furious assault, each strike faster than the last, each movement refined by the echoes of a hundred battles.
Riven matched every blow, but with every clash, Kael's aura evolved—adapting to his opponent, studying his rhythm.
Drayke, still recovering, watched from the rubble, bloodied but grinning. "Now that's a fight."
Zera stood beside him, her Wraith Bell glowing faintly. "It's more than a fight. It's a reflection."
Lyra raised her hands, channeling support light toward Kael. "He can win this—but not if he loses himself."
Kael's aura pulsed violently. The Ashen was awakening something new—a fusion beyond anything he'd reached before. His soul, frayed but unbroken, reached into the chaos.
New Skill Unlocked: Revenant Echo
Revenant Echo (Active): Creates a phantasmal clone from absorbed enemy aura traits. Mimics attacks at 80% power. Duration: 15 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Kael whispered through gritted teeth, "Let's see how you handle your own shadow."
He activated the skill.
Behind Riven, a spectral copy of him materialized—same blade, same stance, same bloodthirst.
Riven's eyes widened for the first time. "What—?"
The clone struck from behind, forcing Riven to spin defensively—just long enough for Kael to land a crushing blow to his mask, cracking the bone down the center.
Riven roared and staggered, blood trickling from the fracture.
"You're not the only one who adapts," Kael said, stepping forward, aura surging brighter than ever. "You were born of ruin. I was forged in it."
Riven screamed and unleashed a final desperate aura storm, black-red lightning tearing across the battlefield. It swallowed everything.
And from within it—Kael walked, steady, his blade burning white-hot.
"Stay down," he said.
Then he struck.
A slash that split the air, the ground, and Riven's aura in half.
Riven collapsed to one knee, coughing blood. The cracked half of his mask fell to the dirt.
"You… were supposed to fall," Riven rasped. "You were meant to break."
Kael stood over him. "I did. That's why I'm stronger."
And then he walked away.
Later, as the team regrouped among the ruins, Zera stood over Riven's unconscious form.
"He's still breathing," she said.
Kael looked down at him, silent.
"What do we do with him?" Lyra asked.
"Keep him alive," Kael said. "He has answers. Maybe even redemption."
Drayke scoffed. "You think monsters like that change?"
Kael glanced at him. "I did."
No one argued.
That night, the second sigil burned into the ruins of Lirael's Divide.
Kael placed his palm over it, his aura pressing into the ancient glyph.
Visions filled his mind—Eternals walking among the mortal plane, shadows rising, cities burning. And a voice:
"Three have awakened. Four remain."
He pulled back, breathing hard.
"We're running out of time," he said.
Zera looked at him, eyes unreadable. "Then let's take the war to them."