The forest erupted into chaos as the Keepers lunged from the portal. Their movements were alien—both fluid and abrupt, like shadows cast in flickering light. Kael dashed forward, his spear gleaming with the fragment's energy, while Rhea and Adrin scrambled back, weapons drawn.
The first strike came fast, a Keeper's elongated arm slicing through the air with an otherworldly hum. Kael parried it with his spear, the impact reverberating through his arms. Sparks of energy flew where the Keeper's attack met the fragment's glow, and Kael realized their power wasn't entirely dissimilar to his own.
"They're after the fragment!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Don't let them split us up!"
Adrin responded with a volley of arrows, each one infused with the faint magic he'd been training to channel. The arrows found their marks, piercing one Keeper's form, but instead of falling, it dissolved into a smoky wisp and reformed behind him. Adrin stumbled back, his face pale.
"They're not solid!" he shouted. "What are they?"
"Focus!" Kael barked, spinning to deflect another blow.
Rhea darted to his side, her twin blades gleaming. "They're not invincible," she said. "They're tethered to the portal. We close it, they fall."
Kael nodded, assessing the glowing rift. The Keepers poured from its depths like an endless tide, and the symbols on the trees pulsed with every new arrival. The portal wasn't just a doorway—it was anchored by the symbols themselves.
"Cover me," he commanded. "I'll sever the connection."
Rhea moved without hesitation, leaping into the fray with a ferocity Kael hadn't seen before. Her blades danced, slicing through the Keepers' forms and forcing them to retreat momentarily. Adrin joined her, providing cover with well-placed arrows.
Kael dashed toward the nearest symbol, the fragment's energy flaring in his chest. He thrust his spear into the glowing mark, and the air around him rippled like water. The symbol shattered, its light extinguished, and the portal dimmed slightly.
"It's working!" Rhea called out. "Keep going!"
The Keepers roared, their movements growing more frantic as they realized what Kael was doing. They converged on him, their forms blurring as they moved faster than before. Kael barely dodged an attack, the fragment's power surging to shield him. He gritted his teeth and focused, shattering another symbol.
Two down. Four to go.
But the Keepers weren't giving up. One of them broke past Rhea and Adrin's defenses, its claws grazing Kael's side. Pain flared, but he didn't falter. He spun, his spear slicing through the Keeper, and it dissolved into mist.
Rhea and Adrin regrouped, fighting desperately to keep the Keepers at bay. "Hurry, Kael!" Adrin shouted, his voice strained.
Kael didn't respond. He lunged for the next symbol, driving his spear into it with all his strength. The symbol exploded in a burst of light, and the portal flickered violently.
Three down. Halfway there.
The remaining Keepers seemed to sense their impending defeat. They pressed harder, their attacks more coordinated and vicious. Rhea cried out as a Keeper's claw slashed her arm, but she didn't retreat. Adrin, too, was struggling, his quiver nearly empty.
Kael knew he had to move faster. The fragment pulsed, filling him with energy, and he sprinted to the next symbol. He struck it down, then another, until only one remained.
The portal was barely holding, its glow weak and erratic. The Keepers shrieked, their forms flickering as they lost cohesion. But they weren't done yet. The largest of them stepped forward, its form solidifying into something monstrous—twice Kael's size, with jagged limbs and a face twisted in fury.
"You defy the balance," it growled, its voice resonating like thunder. "The Heart is not yours to command."
Kael gripped his spear, determination burning in his eyes. "The Heart belongs to the Earth," he said. "And I'll see it whole again."
The Keeper lunged, its claws ripping through the ground. Kael met its attack head-on, their clash shaking the forest. The fragment's power surged, and Kael drove the spear deep into the Keeper's chest. It howled, its form unraveling, but not before it struck Kael with a final, desperate blow.
Kael stumbled, blood dripping from a deep gash in his side. But he pushed forward, reaching the last symbol. With a roar, he plunged his spear into it, shattering the mark and severing the portal's connection.
The rift collapsed in on itself, and the remaining Keepers dissolved into nothingness. The forest fell silent once more.
Kael dropped to one knee, his breathing labored. Rhea and Adrin rushed to his side, their faces etched with concern.
"You did it," Rhea said, her voice soft. "The portal's gone."
Kael nodded, wincing as he pressed a hand to his wound. "For now," he said. "But the Keepers won't stop. They know what I'm after. And they'll do anything to stop me."
Rhea helped him to his feet, her grip steady. "Then we'll be ready for them."
Kael looked at his companions, their resolve mirroring his own. The journey ahead was only growing more dangerous, but they weren't backing down. Together, they would face whatever came next.
The wilds had chosen Kael, and he wouldn't let them down.