The forest swallowed them.
Ancient trees loomed like silent guardians, their gnarled branches clawing at the starless sky. Kael, Rynn, and Serah moved through the undergrowth, swift and silent, the urgency of their flight driving them deeper into the wilderness.
Every crack of a twig or flutter of wings made Kael's grip tighten on Veyrion. The blood inside him churned, restless and potent, whispering promises of strength—and destruction.
"We need to move east," Serah whispered, glancing back the way they had come. "There's an old road that leads toward Stormreach. It's hidden, but—"
A low rumble cut her off.
Kael spun, blade at the ready.
From the darkness came figures cloaked in tattered black, their faces obscured by bone masks. At their center strode a towering man, cloaked in grey and bearing the unmistakable aura of power.
"Veilborn," he rasped, his voice like gravel. "You will come with us."
Kael raised Veyrion.
"Over my dead body," he growled.
The man smiled, cold and cruel. "As you wish."
Battle Beneath the Boughs
They clashed with brutal suddenness.
Kael moved through the enemy like a storm, Veyrion cutting arcs of molten gold through the air. Each blow unleashed flashes of draconic fire, incinerating shadows that tried to close around him.
Rynn fought at his side, daggers flashing, spells weaving intricate nets of lightning and frost. She moved with deadly grace, her hair a crimson banner in the dark.
Serah loosed arrows enchanted with raw mana, each one finding its mark with deadly precision.
But their foes were relentless—and more than human.
One of the masked figures tore away his hood, revealing skin etched with writhing runes. His mouth stretched in an inhuman snarl as he hurled a black spear of shadow toward Kael.
Kael barely dodged. The spear grazed his side, sending a pulse of agony through him.
The blood reacted instantly.
Kael felt his bones shift, his muscles surge. His senses sharpened until he could hear every heartbeat, every rustle of the leaves.
With a roar, he unleashed a blast of golden flame that shattered the enemy ranks, sending burning bodies sprawling into the brush.
The grey-cloaked leader cursed and vanished into the night, his forces crumbling behind him.
Aftermath
Kael staggered, gasping for breath.
Rynn caught him, her hands gentle but firm. "Kael! Are you—"
"I'm fine," he said, though the pain throbbed through him.
Serah approached cautiously, her eyes wide.
"What was that?" she whispered.
Kael didn't know how to answer.
A new fear stirred in him—not of the enemy, but of himself.
The Path Forward
They rested briefly, tending their wounds with what little supplies they carried.
Serah produced an old map from her satchel. "There's a hunter's trail," she said, tracing a line with her finger. "It leads to a village called Red Hollow. If we reach it, we can resupply—maybe find information."
Kael nodded. "Lead the way."
They traveled through the dawn, exhaustion pulling at their limbs.
By noon, the trees thinned, revealing a battered road. In the distance, smoke curled lazily into the sky—Red Hollow.
But something was wrong.
As they approached, they saw it: the village was in ruins. Homes were smoldering husks. Bodies lay strewn in the streets.
Rynn knelt beside a fallen villager, her face pale.
"Who did this?" she whispered.
Kael clenched his fists. He already knew.
The grey-cloaked man had beaten them here.
The Survivors
From the rubble, a handful of villagers emerged, battered and terrified.
One, an old woman with sharp eyes, approached them.
"You're the ones they're hunting," she said bluntly. "The ones with the blood."
Kael stiffened. "How do you know that?"
She lifted her sleeve, revealing a mark—a dragon's eye, inked in blue.
"Because we are, too," she said.
A flicker of hope sparked in Kael's chest.
The villagers were descendants of the Dragon King's bloodline, scattered and hidden for centuries. And now, they were being hunted to extinction.
"We'll protect you," Kael said, his voice fierce.
The old woman smiled sadly. "Or die with us."
A Plan of Fire and Fury
That night, Kael, Rynn, and Serah met with the survivors in the ruins of the town hall.
They needed to strike back—to send a message.
Kael stood before them, feeling the weight of their hopes and fears pressing down on him.
"We leave at dawn," he said. "We'll take the fight to them."
The villagers—farmers, hunters, smiths—nodded grimly.
They were not soldiers.
But they had something greater: a cause.
And Kael's blood burned with purpose.
The Next Morning
They set out with the rising sun, an army of the broken and the brave.
Ahead lay Stormreach—and with it, the secrets of the blood.
But first, they would avenge Red Hollow.
The storm was coming.
And Kael would stand at its heart.