The sun refused to rise.
Instead, a heavy mist rolled in from the east, darker than before, thicker. It clung to Kael's skin like sweat before a battle.
He and Lirien stood at the edge of the Fangs of Ulari—a cluster of jagged stone islands said to be cursed. The place reeked of old magic, and something else...
Fear.
"You're to meet your next guide here," Lirien said. "He'll help you awaken the next phase of your Flame."
Kael eyed her. "Why not you?"
She turned. "Because I wouldn't have mercy on your mistakes."
Before he could speak, she vanished into mist.
---
🧍 A New Ally – Or Not?
Hours passed. Then he came.
Tall. Hooded. Eyes like storm clouds. A blade too sharp to be ceremonial.
"Name's Varyn," he said, extending a hand. "The sea speaks of you."
Kael didn't take the hand. "And what does it say?"
Varyn smiled. "That you're angry. Good. Anger's useful."
---
Over the next two days, Varyn trained Kael—not with philosophy or trials, but with blood.
He taught him to strike from the shadows, to silence his breath, to break bone without breaking silence.
Kael learned quickly. Too quickly.
The Tideborn Flame reacted to this new method—growing colder, sharper.
He began to feel nothing while striking.
No guilt. No pause.
---
🌘 The Turn
On the third night, Kael awoke to voices.
Varyn stood by the cliff, speaking to a crystal orb that pulsed red.
"He's ready. Naïve, but his Flame is ripe. The Ocean Warlord will want him alive. For now."
Kael stepped forward, slowly. Silent.
Blade in hand.
---
"I thought I could trust you," Kael said.
Varyn turned, unfazed. "Trust is for men who can afford to lose."
"And you just lost."
In a flash, Kael attacked.
Varyn was good—very good.
But Kael wasn't the same boy from the ship.
He moved like a ghost in the tide—precise, emotionless, devastating.
Varyn bled.
And begged.
But Kael didn't stop.
---
❄️ New Skill Unlocked: "Stillwater Execution"
A technique that ends combat in one silent strike if the enemy shows hesitation or fear.
---
Kael stood over the corpse, chest rising slowly.
He felt nothing.
No rage. No satisfaction.
Just... control.
---
Lirien appeared from the shadows. "You didn't hesitate."
Kael looked at her. "He would have sold me."
She nodded. "Good. You're learning."
Kael turned back to the sea.
The mist didn't feel cold anymore.
It felt like home.
---
🩸 End of Chapter Seven
A hero doesn't always fall by choice.
Sometimes, the world *drags* him down.
And sometimes... he likes the depth.