The village burned.
The scent of ash filled the air, thick and choking. Screams echoed in the distance. But Kael heard none of it. His focus was locked onto the man standing before him—Veyrith, his golden sigil pulsing with eerie rhythm, his eyes alive with malice.
"You again," Kael muttered, stepping forward, his right hand flickering with a faint glow of Lumen energy.
Veyrith grinned. "I didn't come for you, boy. But now that you're here… consider this a bonus."
Without warning, Burn Sigil soldiers lunged at Kael from both sides—raw, explosive power in their fists. He ducked the first, deflecting the second with a pulse of telekinetic force. His movements were clean now—sharpened by battles, pain, and purpose.
He swept his hand across the air, warping time for just a moment. Everything around him slowed—the wind, the crackle of fire, the enemies' fists mid-swing. With a twist of his hand, he rewound the moment, stepping behind them before they could react and striking with a downward blast of light.
They fell. Hard.
But Veyrith didn't move.
"Impressive," he said calmly, "But you're still out of your depth."
From the shadows, a second figure emerged. A young man with icy blue hair and a serpentine grin. His sigil flared across his arm—a Glow Sigil.
Kael's breath caught. Two Glow Sigils?
"Meet Dreskan," Veyrith said. "He's not as chatty as me. But he's just as deadly."
Dreskan didn't speak. He raised his hand and the ground beneath Kael trembled—pillars of obsidian burst forth, forcing Kael to leap back. The moment his feet touched the ground, Veyrith was already there, fist glowing with blaze energy.
Kael raised his arm in time to block—but the force sent him skidding across the dirt.
He grit his teeth. "Alright… let's go."
He surged forward, warping time around Dreskan and landing a hit to the gut—but the man barely flinched, retaliating with a whip of shadow flame that coiled around Kael's leg. Kael countered with a pulse of Lumen energy, snapping the whip in half.
But Veyrith was already moving.
A direct punch collided with Kael's ribs—then another. And another.
Kael gasped, falling to one knee, his vision spinning.
He raised his right hand, letting out a ragged breath. Time slowed, just enough for him to activate his healing. Light rippled across his body, mending broken tissue.
But it wasn't enough.
Dreskan's blade cut across his back. Veyrith kicked him again. Kael hit the ground hard.
"You're not ready," Veyrith sneered, walking forward, fire dancing in his palm.
But before he could strike, a streak of red lightning shot past his cheek. Yuna appeared, blades spinning in hand, fury in her eyes.
"You don't touch him!" she snapped.
She moved like a Phantom—vanishing, then reappearing beside Dreskan, slashing at him with burning speed. He staggered. But only for a second.
Yuna fought hard—blades clashing with shadow, feet dancing across rubble. She parried blow after blow, protecting Kael's fallen form. But two Glow Sigils were too much.
Together, Veyrith and Dreskan overwhelmed her.
A blast of combined fire and void sent them both crashing into a crumbled wall, coughing and bloodied.
Kael looked up at her, barely conscious. "Yuna… I'm sorry…"
She winced. "Don't… apologize…"
Veyrith stood over them, his hand glowing once again. "Tell your gods goodbye."
The world tilted.
Then everything went dark.