The battlefield was scorched, still trembling from the colossal clash between Jackeal and the demonic Beast. Darkness seeped into the air, thick and oppressive, as though the world itself recoiled from the creature's presence. Jackeal stood firm, his celestial blade humming with latent power, his breath steady despite the storm raging within him.
Veyra wiped blood from her face, her twin blades gleaming with dark ichor. Behind them, their surviving warriors gathered, bruised and battered but resolute. The beast before them was unlike any they had ever faced—ancient, relentless, and cunning. Its obsidian horns crackled with infernal energy, and its molten eyes burned with hate.
"Fall back!" Jackeal ordered, his voice cutting through the chaotic din. "This fight's mine."
The warriors hesitated but obeyed, retreating to a defensive perimeter. Only Veyra remained, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"You'll die alone."
"I won't." Jackeal's voice softened. "But I need you to keep the others safe."
Reluctantly, she nodded and withdrew, leaving him alone against the towering monstrosity.
The Beast Unleashed
The Beast's maw twisted into a cruel grin. "You are brave… or foolish." Its voice was a deep rumble that seemed to come from the earth itself.
"I've fought worse."
The Beast roared and charged, its massive claws cleaving through the ground like molten blades. Jackeal surged forward, his sword meeting the Beast's claws in a violent clash that sent shockwaves across the plains. Sparks ignited where divine energy met demonic fire.
Jackeal twisted, spinning his blade in a downward arc, but the Beast sidestepped with monstrous speed and struck with a backhand that sent him crashing into a shattered boulder. Dust and debris erupted around him.
Groaning, he forced himself to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. The Beast was on him in an instant, driving him backward with relentless strikes. Each blow was a calculated attempt to break him—not just physically, but spiritually.
But Jackeal's will refused to break.
A Glimpse of the Past
As their battle raged, Jackeal's mind flashed back to another time—years before the Beasts' arrival, before he knew what he was destined to become. He saw himself as a wanderer, lost and searching for meaning.
The mysterious voice he had heard then echoed faintly in his memory. "Your path will be forged in fire and sorrow… but from it, you will rise."
He clenched his fists, pushing aside the memory. There was no room for doubt. Not now.
Awakening the Divine
Summoning every ounce of strength, Jackeal roared and unleashed a surge of radiant energy, forcing the Beast back for the first time. His blade burned brighter, its celestial runes flaring to life as he called upon the power he had only barely begun to understand.
The Beast staggered, momentarily stunned. But then its expression twisted with recognition—and fear.
"You… you are not meant to wield that power yet!" it hissed.
Jackeal advanced, striking with newfound speed and precision. His blade tore through the Beast's defenses, each slash weakening its dark armor.
But as victory seemed within reach, the ground erupted beneath them, releasing a torrent of shadowy tendrils. They lashed out, ensnaring Jackeal and pulling him toward the monolith at the crater's center.
The Abyss Calls
The cursed monolith pulsed with dark energy, its twisted runes glowing brighter as Jackeal struggled against the inky tendrils. He could feel his strength draining, his connection to the divine flickering like a dying flame.
Desperate, he reached deep within himself, seeking the source of his power. The mysterious voice returned, calm and steady: "You were chosen… not to fight alone."
Suddenly, a surge of mana erupted from within the battlefield. Veyra and the surviving warriors launched a desperate counterattack, breaking through the Beast's remaining minions. Their combined will and courage resonated with Jackeal's power, reigniting his celestial flame.
With a final roar of defiance, he shattered the dark tendrils and surged toward the monolith. His blade gleamed brighter than ever as he plunged it deep into the cursed stone.
The resulting explosion of light and shadow consumed the battlefield in a blinding flash. The demonic Beast howled in agony as its connection to the monolith was severed. Its monstrous form fractured, its body crumbling into ash and smoke.
A Fateful Revelation
When the light faded, Jackeal knelt in the shattered remains of the monolith's core, gasping for breath. The battlefield was silent, save for the distant crackle of dissipating dark energy.
Veyra rushed to his side, her expression equal parts relief and disbelief. "You… you did it."
But Jackeal's gaze remained fixed on the ground where the monolith once stood. There, among the smoldering debris, lay a strange obsidian shard, pulsing faintly with dark energy. He reached out but hesitated, sensing its unnatural pull.
Before he could decide, a faint, mocking voice whispered from the shard:
"This is far from over… you are already marked."
Jackeal clenched his fists, his jaw tightening with grim resolve. Whatever destiny awaited him, he would face it—not as a pawn, but as humanity's last hope.
End of Chapter 6