Chapter 6: Fractured Loyalties
The air around the Asahi district was thick with tension. Dorian stood firm, every fiber of his body taut with anticipation, as Mathias Wolfram sneered at him. The embers of their previous confrontation still simmered between them.
"Ready to grovel yet, commoner?" Mathias spat, venom dripping from every word as he assumed a fighting stance. His fists crackled with the power of Kha, his energy sharp and violent.
Dorian clenched his fists, feeling the familiar hum of Kyo flowing through him, steadying his breath. "Not today," he replied, eyes locked with Mathias's. This wasn't just a fight for survival anymore—it was a fight for his place in the world.
**The Clash of Kha**
With a roar, Mathias charged, his body a blur of motion. Dorian barely had time to react as Mathias's fist cut through the air, aimed squarely at his chest. Dorian sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow, but the sheer force of the punch sent a shockwave through the ground, cracking the stone beneath their feet.
"Too slow!" Mathias barked, following up with a brutal kick aimed at Dorian's midsection. Dorian managed to block, though the impact sent him skidding backward, dust kicking up around him.
*He's stronger than before,* Dorian realized, wiping a thin stream of blood from his mouth. But Dorian wasn't the same either. He had Kyo now, and he wasn't about to back down. Focusing his energy, Dorian let his Kha flow through his muscles, enhancing his strength and speed.
"You won't break me, Mathias," Dorian growled, charging back into the fray.
Their fists clashed, a flurry of blows exchanged with deadly precision. Each punch was met with a block, each kick dodged by a hair's breadth. The sound of their battle echoed through the estate as the two combatants pushed each other to their limits.
"You're nothing, Dorian!" Mathias snarled, his voice tinged with frustration. "A worm pretending to be a warrior!"
Dorian countered with a swift uppercut, catching Mathias off guard and sending him staggering back. "I'm more than that. You'll see."
**Lucian and the Others**
Meanwhile, Kael, Clara, and Lucian were further back, watching the battle unfold. Clara's face was pale, her eyes wide with worry. "Dorian's holding his own, but for how long?" she whispered, gripping the edge of her cloak tightly.
"We need to go," Lucian said, urgency creeping into his voice. "We can't stay here. If more guards arrive, we're done for."
"But we can't just leave him!" Clara protested, her gaze flickering between Dorian and the exit.
Kael clenched his fists, torn. "He wouldn't leave us behind," he muttered. "We have to find a way to help him."
**The Battle Continues**
Dorian and Mathias were still locked in combat, their bodies moving in a deadly dance of strikes and counters. Dorian's Kha flared as he ducked under a wild swing from Mathias, countering with a sharp knee to the nobleman's ribs.
Mathias grunted in pain, stumbling back. His eyes blazed with fury, his pride wounded. "You'll pay for that, you wretch!" he roared, unleashing a wave of Kha energy that slammed into Dorian like a freight train, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing to the ground.
Gasping for breath, Dorian struggled to get back on his feet. *I can't lose... not now...*
But just as Mathias was about to land a final blow, something unexpected happened.
**The Unseen Intervention**
Out of nowhere, Mathias's body jerked violently, as if he had been struck by an invisible force. His Kha flickered and died, and his eyes went wide in confusion. He stumbled back, clutching his head, his expression twisted in agony.
Dorian, still recovering, stared at Mathias, bewildered. "What...?"
Mathias collapsed to his knees, disoriented, as if he had been yanked out of reality itself. The other combatants and onlookers froze in place, equally unsure of what had just transpired. For a moment, it was as if the world held its breath.
"Get up, Mathias!" came the furious voice of Thaddeus Wellingham-St. Clair, who had awoken from the illusion cast by Zen. His body still trembling from the remnants of the mental attack, Thaddeus couldn't comprehend what had happened. His eyes burned with disdain as he took in the scene—the noble Mathias brought low by a commoner.
*How is this possible?* Thaddeus's mind reeled. *A commoner? Using Zen?* He ground his teeth in frustration, anger swelling inside him like a tidal wave. He had known about the existence of Kyo, but it was a guarded secret, something only those of noble birth were supposed to even be aware of—let alone wield. *How dare a lowborn wretch like him touch the power that's rightfully ours?*
His hands clenched into fists as he stood up, his vision narrowing on Dorian. *I'll kill him myself if I have to.*
But before Thaddeus could take another step, Dorian, still unaware of what had saved him, took the opportunity to escape.
"Dorian! Now!" Kael shouted from the side, waving his arms frantically.
Without hesitation, Dorian dashed toward his friends, his legs heavy with exhaustion but his spirit ignited. The group fled, slipping through the back of the estate and disappearing into the night as chaos erupted behind them.
**By the Lake at Sena**
The group collapsed near the quiet waters of the lake behind Sena, panting and bruised, but alive. The reflection of the moon shimmered on the surface, casting a soft glow over the exhausted group.
"Everyone... okay?" Kael asked between gasps for air, his hands resting on his knees.
Clara nodded, wiping sweat from her brow. "That was too close. What happened back there? Dorian, how did you—"
"I don't know," Dorian admitted, still catching his breath. "One moment, Mathias was about to end me, and the next... it was like something hit him. Something I couldn't see."
The group exchanged confused glances, none of them knowing what to make of the strange event.
It was then that Giri appeared, his presence almost unnoticed until he stepped out of the shadows. "You all did well to survive."
Lucian narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here, Giri? And what happened to Mathias back there?"
Giri exhaled, his expression serious. "That... was my intervention."
The group fell silent, stunned.
"You?" Dorian asked, incredulous. "How?"
Giri's gaze hardened. "I told you before that you're part of something much bigger than yourselves. Mathias was too dangerous for you to handle, so I interfered. But don't mistake this as me saving you. This is about something far more important than any of your individual lives."
He paused, looking each of them in the eye. "War is coming. A war unlike anything this world has ever seen. And I need you to be ready."
"War?" Kael repeated, his face paling. "With who?"
"Not with who," Giri corrected, "but with what. The Verenthian Empire is plotting to summon an ancient evil, a force that will bring destruction to all realms—both the physical and the metaphysical. The King of the Farther will manifest, and when he does, nothing will be left standing."
Clara shuddered at the mention of the Farther realm, and even Lucian's confident expression wavered.
"Then what do we do?" Dorian asked quietly, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at his chest.
Giri looked at them with a solemn intensity. "You must go to the great nations and warn them. You need to rally support before it's too late."
Lucian's eyes widened. "Which nations?"
Giri stepped closer, his voice low but filled with urgency. "The first is the Khairth Sultanate. Then you must travel to the Solari Sand Empire, the Kingdom of Thalassia, the Ishvan Citadel, and finally, the Empire of Qi."
The mention of Verenthia sent a ripple of unease through the group, but Giri continued. "You don't have much time. We have three years at best."
The weight of his words pressed down on them like a heavy stone. Three years to cross the vast lands, to unite the nations against an impossible enemy. It seemed like a task beyond their reach.
But Dorian squared his shoulders, determination hardening in his gaze. "Then we'd better get moving."
And so, with the moon reflecting their resolve in the still waters of the lake, their path was set—one filled with danger, uncertainty, and the looming shadow of war.
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