When Control Breaks
The air cracked. Not from lightning. Not from impact. But from power. Kael’s flames erupted violently, spiraling around him like a storm breaking free from chains. The ground beneath his feet scorched instantly, heat distorting the air as the fire climbed higher, wilder, no longer obeying him. The shadow creature didn’t move. It watched. Interested. “…Yes,” it whispered again. “That’s it.” “Kael! Stop!” Kim shouted. But he couldn’t hear her. Or maybe… he did. And just couldn’t respond. Inside him, everything felt like it was tearing apart. The fear. The anger. The humiliation from years of weakness. The confusion. All of it poured into the flames. And the flames answered. Not gently. Not safely. But completely. Kael’s vision shifted. The world around him dimmed. Vo
- Writer
