Chapter 32 – A Summit of Shadows and Light
The wind howled as it swept across the war-torn lands, carrying the scent of dust, fire, and something heavier—uncertainty.
Kael stood near the edge of the small ridge overlooking the eastern border of the Forest of Life. Green Wolf was sharpening his blade quietly beside him while Lira watched the horizon with narrowed eyes.
A messenger hawk descended from the skies, its wings black as midnight. It landed on Kael's arm, a crimson ribbon tied to its leg. Kael untied the note, his eyes scanning the message.
"Come to David's fortress. We must talk. —Alex."
Lira frowned. "You think it's a trap?"
Kael shook his head. "No. It's an apology."
Just hours later, the group found themselves face-to-face with Alex—his once proud, battle-hardened face now softened with exhaustion and guilt. The sun was beginning to fall, casting long shadows across the trail as the former commander of the Flame Guard dismounted.
"I came to apologize," Alex said without hesitation. His voice was hoarse, but the sincerity in it cut deeper than any blade. "Kael… Green Wolf… I acted like a fool."
Green Wolf crossed his arms. "That's generous of you to admit."
"I let old hatred cloud my judgment. I was angry… not just at Andreas, but everything connected to him. Including Andrew. Including Kael. But I saw something the night Andrew appeared. Something that shattered what I believed."
Kael stepped forward. "You saw him?"
Alex nodded. "He came to me when I was alone. Like a shadow stepping out of the night. His aura… it wasn't human anymore. It was immortal, raw, and filled with a storm I can't describe. He looked at me like I was a child who had disobeyed. And then he asked me… 'What were my orders?'"
Lira gasped, her hand tightening around Kael's arm.
"I answered him. I had no choice. And then he reminded me of who he was… not the friend I once followed, but the grand immortal swordmaster that could erase a man from the world in the blink of an eye. He let me live. But only after he said this war—this mess—was never mine to start or finish."
Alex looked toward the west, where the sun now burned the sky with streaks of orange.
"That's why I asked for all of you. David is calling a council. Not just for peace… but to decide the fate of this continent. We must face Andrew together. But to do that—we must understand him first."
They traveled in silence for the rest of the day, Kael riding alongside Alex while Lira and Green Wolf followed close. The group was no longer fractured—they were now bound by the same thread of fear and curiosity.
When David's fortress finally appeared beyond the rocky hills, its towering obsidian walls glowing under the moonlight, Kael clenched his fist.
He could feel it.
The path ahead was no longer just about answers—it was about survival. Because Andrew's return wasn't just the rise of a shadow. It was the beginning of a storm that would test the very soul of every living being on the continent.
And Kael, whether he was ready or not, would be at the heart of it.