Chapter Four
400 Words
The first clash came quickly. The Oathbound knight, his face still hidden beneath the hood, swung his warhammer with deadly precision, the impact shaking the ground beneath Kael’s feet. Kael parried with his sword, the force of the blow sending him stumbling backward.
“You’re not ready for this,” the Oathbound knight sneered, advancing with unrelenting force.
Lyra darted to Kael’s side, her daggers flashing in the dim light. She ducked beneath the knight’s next swing, striking at his exposed side. But her blow didn’t seem to faze him. The knight’s armor was too thick, his movements too precise.
“You’ve become a pawn, Kael,” the knight taunted. “You cannot escape the curse that binds you.”
Kael’s thoughts were a whirlwind. He could feel the pull of the crown, urging him to unleash its power, but something inside him resisted. He had seen the horrors that had come before him—those who had worn the crown and fallen under its influence. The crown offered power, but it demanded much in return.
Lyra’s voice snapped him back to reality. “Kael, move! The dragon!”
Kael turned just in time to see the dragon launch itself into the sky, its massive form circling overhead. Its eyes locked onto the Oathbound knight as it dove toward him, claws outstretched.
The knight barely had time to react before the dragon struck, its talons raking across his chest. The Oathbound knight was sent sprawling to the ground, his warhammer clattering away.
The woman in dark robes stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in fury. “Enough of this!” she shouted, raising her hands in the air. A torrent of magic spiraled around her, dark tendrils of energy crackling through the air.
Kael’s heart pounded. This woman, whoever she was, wielded power unlike anything he had ever seen. And she wasn’t backing down.
“You cannot control the crown, Kael,” she spat. “It will consume you, just as it consumed them all.”
Kael took a deep breath, his grip tightening around his sword. “I won’t let it.”
He turned toward the dragon, its wings beating with a thunderous roar. The connection was undeniable now. The crown had made him its king. And Kael would use its power, but on his terms.
The battle raged on, and Kael knew that the true test was just beginning.
- Writer
