Chapter 2: A Shard of Fate
The Veilwood was alive with sound—whispers of unseen creatures, the rustle of enchanted leaves, and the distant howl of a shadowbeast. Althea's heart pounded as she followed Kael through the labyrinth of glowing trees. She despised the idea of trusting him, even for a moment, but the shard was too important.
Kael moved with unnerving ease, as if the forest itself bent to his will. His dark armor blended with the shadows, but the faint crimson glow emanating from his skin gave him away. He glanced over his shoulder at her, a smirk curling his lips.
"Falling behind already, Sylvaren?"
"I'm keeping pace," Althea snapped, tightening her grip on her luma orb. "Just don't expect me to save you if something decides to eat you."
Kael chuckled. "Your concern is touching."
The path ahead opened into a clearing. At its center was a massive stone altar, weathered and cracked, covered in ancient runes that pulsed faintly with magic. Above it, suspended in midair, was the shard. It glowed with a kaleidoscope of colors, its brilliance illuminating the entire clearing.
Althea froze, her breath catching. This was no ordinary fragment of the Aether Crystals—it was larger than any she'd ever seen, and its energy thrummed through the air like a heartbeat.
Kael stepped forward, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "The Shard of Kaerith. It's been here all along."
"How do you know its name?" Althea asked, suspicion lacing her voice.
Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to her, his gaze piercing. "Because it's in our blood. The magic of our houses—yours and mine—it all started here. This shard created our ancestors' power. And it will end with us."
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The Shard's Power
Althea approached the altar cautiously, her hand outstretched toward the shard. As her fingers drew closer, she felt the energy ripple through her, vibrant and alive. But just as she was about to touch it, Kael grabbed her wrist.
"Don't," he warned, his voice sharp.
She yanked her arm free. "Why not? Isn't this what we came for?"
Kael stepped closer, his expression grim. "This shard is unstable. If you take it without the proper incantation, it could tear you apart—or worse, destroy the entire forest."
Althea frowned, studying his face. She hated to admit it, but he didn't seem to be lying. "And you know the proper incantation?"
He hesitated, and that was all the answer she needed.
"Of course you don't," she said with a sigh. "Typical Drenvaris arrogance. You think you can wield power without understanding it."
Kael's jaw tightened. "I understand more than you think. But this isn't the time for petty insults. If we're going to retrieve the shard, we need to work together."
Althea hated the idea, but he was right. The shard's magic was too dangerous for either of them to handle alone.
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The Shadows Awaken
As they argued, the ground beneath the altar began to tremble. A low growl echoed through the clearing, and from the shadows emerged a creature unlike any Althea had ever seen. It was massive, with glowing red eyes and a body that seemed to shift between solid and smoke. Its claws gleamed like obsidian, and its presence radiated pure malevolence.
"A shadow wraith," Kael muttered, drawing his sword. "Of course it's never easy."
The wraith lunged, its claws slashing through the air. Althea rolled to the side, her blade glowing green as she summoned her magic. Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the creature's limbs, but it broke free with a roar.
Kael charged, his sword blazing with shadowfire. He struck the wraith, and it howled in pain, but the creature's body reformed instantly, as if the blow had done nothing.
"It's feeding on the shard's magic!" Althea shouted.
"Then we need to cut it off!" Kael replied, dodging another swipe of the wraith's claws.
Althea's mind raced. The shard was amplifying the wraith's power, making it nearly invincible. They had to sever its connection to the crystal—but how?
Her eyes fell on the runes carved into the altar. They glowed faintly, pulsing in time with the shard's light. "The runes! They're binding the shard's magic. If we disrupt them—"
"—we weaken the wraith," Kael finished, catching on.
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The Bond of Magic
Althea and Kael moved in unison, their rivalry forgotten in the face of survival. Althea focused her energy on the vines, binding the wraith as tightly as she could, while Kael channeled his shadowfire into the runes, burning away their glow.
The shard's light began to flicker, and the wraith let out a deafening roar. It thrashed against its bindings, but Althea held firm, her magic straining under the effort.
"Now, Althea!" Kael shouted.
With a final surge of power, Althea drove her blade into the altar, shattering the runes. The shard's light dimmed, and the wraith dissolved into smoke, its connection to the magic severed.
For a moment, the clearing was silent. Althea and Kael stood panting, their weapons lowered.
"You're not half bad in a fight," Kael said, a hint of a smirk returning to his face.
"Don't get used to it," Althea replied, though a small part of her couldn't deny the strange sense of camaraderie she felt.
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A New Threat
As the shard floated gently back to the altar, its glow now faint and steady, Kael stepped closer. "This is just the beginning," he said quietly.
Althea frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kael turned to her, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "The shard is one of many. And if we found it, others will too. This war isn't just between our houses anymore. Something bigger is coming."
Althea's blood ran cold at his words. She had spent her life fighting Kael and his kind, but now, for the first time, she wondered if he was right.
And if he was, then the real battle had only just begun.
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