Kael pushed past the circle of students, his breath a bit shallow, chest heaving as though something monstrous still clawed inside him.
The scorched earth beneath his boots cracked and smoked, but he didn’t care. Not about the whispers behind him. Not about the terrified faces. Not even about Nira's tear-filled eyes watching him disappear into the trees.
“Kael!” she called again, voice desperate. “Come back!”
"No! Let him go. He needs to decide if he wants this for himself."
But he didn’t look back. He couldn’t.
Not after that. Not after what he’d just felt.
As he walked to the only place he felt peace with, his mind went back to his fight with Zeuxis and Master Rael. Kael knew there was no way he could have best Master Rael.
His Hakana must have been building it self up for the pa
