The forest was quiet, almost too quiet. The soft rustling of leaves in the wind was the only sound that broke the stillness of the night. But for Kael Darnis, the silence was deafening. He had seen too many times how quickly the quiet could turn into chaos.
The rift was already starting to tear at the fabric of this world. It had always been like this, a constant cycle. A cycle that Kael had no control over. He had learned, long ago, that he could never stop it — no matter how hard he fought.
The path ahead was long, filled with uncertainty and death, but Kael could feel the magic pulsing in the air, warning him. It was coming. The beasts. The rift.
He knew what he had to do.
The forest stretched on for miles, its dense foliage barely letting any moonlight filter through. Kael's sharp eyes cut through the darkness, his mind already shifting into the mindset of a hunter. The time for thinking had passed. Now, he had to act.
As he moved deeper into the woods, memories of the past crept into his mind. He had been here before — in this very place — standing at the edge of a precipice he could not avoid. The first time the rift had appeared, it had been a blur of blood and violence. The first time he had been sent back, he had been nothing more than a boy, unaware of the horrors that would unfold. Now, years later, he was a man forged by the pain and suffering of a world that had been lost to the madness.
But the worst part wasn't the beasts or the rift. It was the regression. The constant feeling of losing everything.
Kael stopped in his tracks, the sudden weight of the memories almost too much to bear. He remembered the first time it had happened — the first time he had watched everything burn, his friends, his family, his city, all consumed by the darkness. And then he had woken up. Back to the start, back to the moment before it all began. The rift was like a cruel joke, one that twisted time and space and left Kael stranded in a never-ending loop of pain.
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. He could feel it now, the flickering of the rift, a faint pulse in the air. The beasts were coming.
Without warning, a low growl echoed through the trees, and Kael's eyes narrowed. He could smell it now, the acrid scent of blood and fear. Something was close.
No time to hesitate, he thought, drawing his sword with a fluid motion. The blade gleamed in the moonlight, the runes along its edge glowing faintly as they responded to his touch.
The growl grew louder, followed by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps crashing through the underbrush. Kael was already in motion, stepping lightly through the woods, his senses heightened, every nerve on alert. He could feel the magic coiling inside him, the darkness waiting for the signal to unleash.
And then it appeared.
A massive creature, its body covered in thick black scales that glistened in the dim light, stepped into the clearing. Its eyes were blood-red, glowing like embers in the darkness. It stood nearly ten feet tall, with claws that could shred through metal and teeth that could crush bone with a single bite. A beast from the rift.
Kael's heart hammered in his chest as he assessed the creature. It was a Vorgar, one of the more common rift beasts. They were dangerous, but not invincible. Kael had fought worse, much worse. He had to keep his focus.
The creature snarled, baring its fangs, and lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Without a second thought, Kael reacted. He sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the monster's claws, and slashed his sword through the air. The blade sang as it cut through the night, leaving a trail of glowing energy in its wake. The Vorgar let out a deafening roar as the sword struck its side, but the blow wasn't enough to pierce its tough hide.
Kael cursed under his breath. This one was tougher than most.
The Vorgar whipped around, its tail lashing out like a whip, striking Kael across the chest. He staggered back, pain searing through his body as the magic inside him flared in response. His sword, still in hand, hummed with power as he called on the magic to heal his wounds.
Not yet, he thought. I need to finish this quickly.
He steadied himself, forcing the pain to the back of his mind, and focused on the creature in front of him. Kael knew its movements, its habits. It would attack again, just as viciously, just as quickly.
He waited.
The Vorgar roared again, charging toward him, its claws outstretched to rip him apart. Kael's eyes narrowed. As the creature lunged, he stepped to the side, his body moving with the fluid grace of a seasoned hunter. He pivoted, using the creature's own momentum against it, and drove his sword into its side with a force that made the earth tremble beneath them.
The beast let out a guttural cry as it staggered, the blood of the rift beast dark and thick, spilling onto the ground. Kael twisted the blade, channeling his magic into the strike, and in a final, violent motion, he drove the sword deeper, severing the creature's heart.
The Vorgar's massive body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, and Kael stepped back, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. The forest was silent once more, save for the distant howling of other creatures in the distance.
Kael wiped the blood from his blade, the weight of the kill settling on him. It had been too easy. Too quick. He didn't like it. Something felt off.
And then he heard it.
The faint sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Kael's eyes shot to the trees, his body already tensing in anticipation.
He spun around, his sword raised, ready to strike.
But it wasn't a beast.
A figure emerged from the shadows, a tall woman with long, silver hair and a cloak that blended seamlessly with the darkness of the night. Her eyes were cold, calculating, and the faintest trace of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Impressive," she said, her voice smooth, like silk. "I see the Hunter still knows how to fight."
Kael didn't lower his blade. "Who are you?"
The woman stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with something Kael couldn't quite place. "Someone who has been watching you for a long time, Kael Darnis. Someone who knows the truth about what's happening."
Kael's grip tightened on his sword. "I don't have time for games."
Her smile widened. "Oh, but I think you do. Because, you see, the rift is only the beginning."
Kael's pulse quickened, a knot forming in his stomach. The air around them seemed to crackle with a strange energy, the tension between them thick enough to cut. This was no ordinary woman. She knew too much.
And whatever her plans were, Kael knew one thing for certain. He couldn't let her become part of this war. Not again.
The forest was silent once more, but Kael knew that the real battle was just beginning.