Ashes of the Fallen
689 Words
The light faded slowly, leaving behind a battlefield of broken stone and drifting ash. The once-mighty chamber was barely standing, cracked from end to end, as if it could collapse at any moment.
For a long second—
Nothing moved.
Then—
A faint cough.
Kael.
He lay on the ground, his body scorched, his sword dim beside him. The crimson flames were gone… reduced to faint embers.
He forced his eyes open.
“…Did… we win…?”
Pain shot through him as he tried to move.
Everything hurt.
“Kael!”
Lyra’s voice broke the silence as she rushed to him, dropping to her knees. Her hands trembled as she helped him up.
“You’re alive…” she whispered, relief flooding her voice.
Kael gave a weak smile. “…I told you… I’m hard to kill…”
But his eyes quickly searched around.
“…The others?”
Seraphine stood a few steps away, breathing heavily, her ice shattered around her. Small cuts marked her arms, but she remained standing.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
Mira was nearby, kneeling in shallow water, her control weakened but intact. Her eyes were locked ahead.
“…It’s not over.”
Kael followed her gaze.
His heart sank.
The gate.
It was still there.
Broken.
But not gone.
And in front of it—
A figure stood.
Kim.
“Kim?” Kael tried to stand, but Lyra held him.
“Wait—something’s wrong…”
Kim’s head was lowered.
Her body trembled slightly.
The pendant around her neck no longer glowed blue.
It glowed dark.
Faint.
Unnatural.
“Kim…” Kael called softly.
She slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes—
Were not the same.
A dark glow flickered within them.
Mira’s voice dropped. “…No…”
Seraphine’s expression hardened. “The blast… it must have weakened the seal further.”
Kael’s chest tightened. “What are you saying?”
Mira didn’t look away.
“…Something passed through.”
Kim spoke.
But the voice—
Was not entirely hers.
“…So fragile…” it echoed softly.
Lyra stepped back slightly. “That’s not Kim…”
Kael shook his head. “No… no, she’s still there…”
He forced himself forward despite the pain.
“Kim, fight it!”
For a moment—
Her body trembled.
Her hand clenched.
And her real voice broke through—
“Kael… run…”
Then—
Her head snapped up.
The darkness surged.
A wave of energy exploded outward, forcing everyone back.
Kael hit the ground hard.
“Kim!!”
She stood there—
Unmoving.
Unrecognizable.
The air around her twisted, bending under the pressure of something far beyond her.
The broken gate behind her pulsed faintly.
As if…
Connected.
The voice spoke again—
Clearer now.
Stronger.
“The vessel is weak…”
Kim’s body shook violently.
“…but it will suffice.”
Lyra’s hands ignited instantly. “We have to stop this!”
Seraphine stepped forward, ice forming again despite her exhaustion. “If that thing fully takes over—”
Mira finished quietly.
“…She won’t come back.”
Kael froze.
Those words hit harder than anything.
“No…” he whispered.
His hand tightened around his sword.
The faint embers reignited.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Kim’s eyes flickered again.
For a split second—
Tears fell.
“…Help me…” she whispered.
Then the darkness consumed her again.
Kael stood up.
Shaking.
Broken.
But determined.
“I’m not losing her,” he said.
Lyra stepped beside him.
“Then we save her.”
Seraphine nodded. “No matter what it takes.”
Mira raised her hand, water gathering once more.
“…This time, we fight carefully.”
Kim lifted her head.
The dark power around her surged violently.
And then—
She disappeared.
Gone.
The chamber fell silent again.
Kael’s eyes widened.
“…Where did she go?”
Mira’s voice was cold.
“…Not far.”
She looked toward the broken gate.
“…She’s being pulled deeper.”
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
Flames slowly rising again.
“We’re going after her.”
Behind the shattered gate—
Darkness waited.
Watching.
Smiling.
- Writer
