CHAPTER EIGHT: WHEN MONSTERS COME CALLING
1385 Words
The horn didn’t stop.
It echoed across the Citadel, sharp and relentless, like the world itself was being torn open.
Lina’s chest tightened.
Not from her power this time.
From instinct.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
“Stay here.”
Kael’s voice cut through the noise.
Lina turned to him immediately.
“Absolutely not.”
He didn’t even look surprised.
“You will only get in the way.”
“And you think I’m just going to sit here while—what? Something attacks your city?” Lina shot back.
“Yes.”
“No.”
The ground trembled.
Not violently.
But enough.
Enough to make Lina’s stomach drop.
That wasn’t normal.
Even for this place.
“What is out there?” she asked.
Kael’s gaze shifted toward the outer walls.
For the first time—
There was no calm curiosity in his expression.
Only calculation.
“Predators,” he said.
Another horn blast.
Closer.
Shouts followed.
Screams.
Lina’s heart skipped.
“That doesn’t sound like your people are handling it,” she said.
“They are not meant to handle this alone.”
That answer told her everything she needed to know.
“This is because of me, isn’t it?” she asked quietly.
Kael didn’t answer.
Which was answer enough.
“Move,” he said suddenly.
Lina blinked.
“…You just told me to stay.”
“I changed my mind.”
That was fast.
“Why?”
“Because if they are here for you,” he said, his voice dropping slightly,
“then keeping you out of sight will not keep you safe.”
Great.
Fantastic.
Love that for her.
They moved.
Fast.
Through the Citadel corridors that were no longer calm.
People were running now.
Guards rushing past them, weapons drawn.
The air felt heavier.
Tense.
Charged with something dark and rising.
Lina kept up, barely.
“What are the Lizard Clans?” she asked.
Kael didn’t slow.
“Ancient enemies.”
“Of yours?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
A pause.
Then—
“Because they cannot control what they fear.”
That wasn’t comforting.
At all.
They reached the outer wall.
And everything changed.
The gates were open.
Not broken.
Forced.
Like something had torn its way through.
Guards were scattered across the ground.
Some moving.
Some not.
Lina’s breath caught.
“Oh…”
No one had prepared her for this.
Not really.
Training was one thing.
This—
This was real.
Then she saw them.
At first, they looked human.
Tall. Broad. Moving with unnatural precision.
But then—
They turned.
And Lina understood.
Their eyes glowed a sickly green.
Their skin—
Scaled.
Not fully.
But enough.
Enough to make it clear they weren’t human.
Could never be human.
“What are those?” she whispered.
“Lizardkin,” Kael said coldly.
“They’ve evolved since the last war.”
That was not reassuring.
One of them lunged at a guard.
Fast.
Too fast.
The guard didn’t even have time to react before he was thrown aside like he weighed nothing.
Lina flinched.
“That’s not normal.”
“No,” Kael agreed. “It isn’t.”
One of them noticed them.
Of course it did.
Its head snapped toward Lina.
Not Kael.
Her.
That was worse.
Its lips curled back, revealing sharp, jagged teeth.
And then—
It smiled.
Cold.
Knowing.
“Oh, that’s disturbing,” Lina muttered.
“Stay behind me,” Kael said.
Lina didn’t argue this time.
Growth.
The creature moved.
Fast.
Faster than anything Lina had seen.
But Kael—
Didn’t move.
Until the last second.
Then—
He did.
The air cracked.
That was the only way Lina could describe it.
One moment he was standing still.
The next—
He was in front of the creature.
His hand caught its throat mid-lunge.
Effortless.
Like stopping a falling leaf.
The creature struggled.
Snarling.
Clawing at his arm.
It didn’t matter.
Kael’s grip tightened slightly.
And just like that—
The creature went still.
Not unconscious.
Dead.
Lina stared.
“…Okay.”
That was all she had.
Because what else do you say to that?
Kael dropped the body like it meant nothing.
Because to him—
It didn’t.
“They’re stronger than before,” he said.
Lina swallowed.
“That one looked pretty strong already.”
“There will be worse.”
Of course there would.
More of them emerged.
From the broken gates.
From the shadows beyond.
Not one.
Not two.
Dozens.
Lina’s pulse spiked.
“That’s a lot.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
She waited.
He didn’t elaborate.
“…You’re the plan, aren’t you?” she said.
A pause.
Then—
“In part.”
The creatures spread out.
Surrounding them.
Not rushing in.
Watching.
Waiting.
That was worse.
Much worse.
“They’re not attacking,” Lina whispered.
“They’re thinking,” Kael said.
“Great. Intelligent monsters. Exactly what I needed today.”
One stepped forward.
Larger than the rest.
Its gaze locked onto Lina.
“You are far from your world, Flamebearer,” it hissed.
Lina froze.
“You can talk?” she said.
Of course it could.
Why wouldn’t it?
Kael stepped slightly in front of her.
Subtle.
Protective.
Unintentional.
“Leave,” he said.
The creature laughed.
A low, grating sound.
“We have waited too long for this moment, Dragon King.”
Lina’s stomach twisted.
“This is definitely about me,” she muttered.
“Yes,” Kael said.
“No pressure.”
The creature’s gaze sharpened.
“She is the key,” it said. “Without her… you fall.”
Lina blinked.
“Wow. That’s a lot of responsibility for someone who just got here.”
The creature lunged.
And everything broke.
Chaos exploded.
Guards clashed with Lizardkin.
Steel met claw.
Shouts filled the air.
Lina stumbled back as one creature rushed past her, tackling a guard to the ground.
Her heart pounded.
Too fast.
Too loud.
This was real.
This was happening.
“Lina!”
Kael’s voice cut through everything.
She turned—
Just in time to see another creature rushing straight at her.
Fast.
Too fast.
Her body froze.
Instinct failed.
Fear hit.
Hard.
The mark flared.
Violently.
Heat exploded through her chest.
Stronger than before.
Uncontrolled.
Dangerous.
The creature got closer.
Closer—
Then—
Fire answered.
It didn’t flicker this time.
It roared.
A burst of flames erupted from Lina’s body, slamming into the creature mid-attack.
It screamed—
A horrible, inhuman sound—
As it was thrown back, its body burning.
Lina staggered.
“What—”
The flames didn’t stop.
They spread.
Outward.
Wild.
Hungry.
“Lina—control it!” Kael snapped.
“I’m trying!”
She wasn’t.
Not really.
She was panicking.
And the fire knew it.
It surged higher.
Stronger.
Out of control.
Kael moved instantly.
Closing the distance between them.
His hands caught her shoulders.
Firm.
Grounding.
“Look at me.”
“I can’t—”
“Look at me.”
She did.
Because something in his voice—
Didn’t allow refusal.
His eyes held hers.
Steady.
Unshaken.
“Breathe,” he said.
The fire hesitated.
Just for a second.
“Again.”
She inhaled sharply.
The flames flickered.
“Again.”
She exhaled slowly.
The fire pulled inward.
And then—
It stopped.
Silence.
Lina stood there.
Shaking.
Breathing hard.
The battlefield around her blurred.
All she could feel—
Was him.
His hands still on her.
The only thing keeping everything from falling apart again.
“…I almost lost it,” she whispered.
“You did,” Kael said.
Honest.
As always.
A pause.
Then—
“But you stopped.”
Lina swallowed.
Her chest still tight.
Her body still trembling.
“…This isn’t training anymore.”
Kael’s gaze didn’t soften.
“No.”
Behind them—
More Lizardkin emerged.
Stronger.
Faster.
More dangerous.
Lina looked at them.
Then back at him.
“…We’re not winning this easily, are we?”
Kael released her.
Turning back toward the battlefield.
Power gathering around him.
Cold.
Massive.
Terrifying.
“No,” he said.
And for the first time—
Lina realized something that sent a chill down her spine.
He hadn’t been fighting seriously before.
Now?
He was about to.
- Writer
