The first shadowborn lunged at Kael with inhuman speed, its claws slicing through the air. Kael ducked just in time, rolling across the workshop floor and firing a bolt into its chest. The creature screeched as the projectile embedded itself in its smoky form, dissipating it into a puff of darkness.
"Keep them off me!" Jorik shouted, fiddling with a crystal-powered generator near the wall. Sparks flew as his mechanical arm twisted knobs and flipped switches.
"Easier said than done!" Kael barked, shooting another bolt at a shadowborn crawling along the ceiling.
Seren moved like a dancer, her daggers slicing through the air in glowing arcs. Each cut left trails of shimmering light, tearing through the creatures' forms and scattering them like smoke caught in a windstorm. Despite her skill, the creatures seemed endless, pouring through the walls and cracks in the floor.
"They're drawn to the Key's magic," Seren called out. "As long as you're here, they won't stop coming!"
"Then we'd better deal with them fast," Kael said, reloading his crossbow.
A shadowborn leapt toward Jorik, its claws extended. Kael reacted instinctively, diving forward and tackling the creature mid-air. They hit the ground hard, Kael rolling to his feet just in time to deliver a killing shot.
Jorik gave him a quick nod of thanks, then grinned. "Almost ready! Just keep 'em busy!"
Across the room, Seren fought like a storm, her daggers a blur. But even she was beginning to tire. A shadowborn slipped past her defenses, slashing her arm and drawing blood. She hissed in pain, her glowing eyes narrowing as she retaliated with a burst of energy that vaporized her attacker.
"Seren!" Kael shouted, running to her side.
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Focus on the fight."
Kael spun around, aiming at another shadowborn, but before he could fire, a deep, guttural voice echoed through the workshop.
"Enough."
The shadowborn froze, their crimson eyes flickering. From the darkness emerged a new figure—a tall, imposing man cloaked in black, his face obscured by a mask of swirling shadows.
"Who the hell is that?" Jorik muttered, his generator humming ominously.
Seren's face paled. "Riven Marek," she said. "Leader of the Covenant."
Riven stepped forward, his presence suffocating. The air grew colder, and the shadows around him seemed to ripple with malice.
"Kael Straven," Riven said, his voice a low rumble. "You've been an annoyance for far too long."
"Good," Kael shot back, leveling his crossbow. "I like to make an impression."
Riven chuckled darkly, raising a hand. The shadows around him surged forward, forming a massive, writhing tendril that lashed out at Kael. He dove aside, the tendril smashing into a workbench and shattering it into splinters.
"Now!" Jorik shouted, slamming his fist onto the generator's control panel.
A pulse of blue energy erupted from the machine, washing over the room. The shadowborn shrieked as the energy tore through them, their forms disintegrating into nothingness. Even Riven flinched, his shadowy tendril retracting as the pulse dissipated.
The workshop fell silent, the air heavy with the scent of ozone.
Riven straightened, his mask turning toward Kael. "This isn't over," he said, his voice echoing unnaturally. Then, with a wave of his hand, he dissolved into a swirling vortex of shadows, disappearing from sight.
Kael lowered his crossbow, his pulse pounding in his ears. "What the hell was that?"
"A warning," Seren said, wiping blood from her arm. "He knows who you are now. And he won't stop until he has the Key—or kills you trying."
Jorik groaned, surveying the wreckage of his workshop. "Well, that was fun. Next time, take your death cult elsewhere, yeah?"
Kael ignored him, turning to Seren. "If Riven's this powerful, how do we fight him?"
Seren hesitated, then met his gaze. "We don't. Not yet. First, we find the Key. If we can secure it before he does, we might have a chance."
Kael nodded, his jaw tightening. He didn't like the odds, but he didn't have a choice. Whatever the Aether Key was, it was clear the fate of the world now rested on finding it-and keeping it out of Riven's hands.