Shadows Awakened
The world seemed to shift around them as the creature charged, its form a blur of smoke and fire. Kael reacted first, drawing his blade with a flash of steel, the sound ringing through the forest like a bell. He met the creature’s claws head-on, the impact reverberating through the ground. Sparks flew as metal clashed with shadow, but Kael held his ground, his muscles straining with the effort.
Zahra didn’t hesitate. The amulet at her neck pulsed with warmth, and she felt the familiar thrum of ancient magic responding to her will. She raised her hands, whispering a chant passed down through her bloodline, words that had once been lost to time but now surfaced in her memory like long-buried bones.
The air shimmered. Light burst from her palms in a wave of silvery fire, s
