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Chapter 7 - Chapter 6: The March of Shadows

The winds howled across the desolate plains as Kael Draven stood at the head of his army, a dark sea of soldiers, mercenaries, and undead thralls behind him. His once-loyal captains now watched him with wary eyes, unsure of the man they had once revered. But Kael paid them no mind. His thoughts were only of the looming confrontation with Aeron, the man who had once been like a brother to him.The rebellion had grown stronger, far stronger than Kael had anticipated. Aeron had not only rallied soldiers from the provinces but also former members of Kael's empire—men and women who had once served under him but had defected. The betrayal stung, but Kael knew there was no room for sentimentality in war. He would destroy them all if he had to.Ahead, the rebel forces were gathering on the horizon. Their banners snapped in the wind, a defiant symbol of their resistance. Aeron stood at the center, his presence unmistakable even from this distance. His black cloak billowed around him, and his silver staff glinted in the twilight.Kael's heart pounded as he studied the rebel leader. Aeron had always been the embodiment of everything Kael had tried to leave behind—morality, restraint, compassion. Traits that had no place in the world Kael was trying to build.Beside Kael, Seraphine, bruised and limping from their last confrontation, stood in silence. He had spared her, but only because he needed her magic for the coming battle. Trust between them was gone. She was now a tool, like the rest, to be used until she was no longer useful. And yet, even as Kael told himself this, he could feel a strange weight pressing down on his chest when he looked at her—an echo of the man he used to be, trying desperately to make himself heard."You should rest before the battle," Seraphine said, her voice carefully neutral.Kael shook his head. "I don't need rest. I need victory."Seraphine's eyes flickered with something he couldn't quite place—was it pity? Or something else? "We need to be prepared, Kael. This fight… it's not just against Aeron."Kael's patience snapped. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't see what's happening? There's something dark rising, something that feeds off this war. I can feel it, and I know Aeron can feel it too."Seraphine held his gaze, her voice soft but firm. "It's not too late to stop this. Call off the battle. Talk to Aeron."Kael's laugh was bitter. "Talk? Aeron didn't come here to talk. He came here to tear me down. He came to take everything I've built and leave me with nothing.""Maybe he came to stop you from destroying yourself."Kael turned to her sharply, his eyes glowing faintly with the magic that now coursed through him like blood. "Enough."Seraphine flinched but said nothing more. She could see the battle raging inside him as clearly as the one that was about to begin. Kael had changed, but there was still a part of him that remembered what it was like to be human. The question was, would that part survive the coming storm?