The first clash of steel echoed through the clearing, shattering the quiet like a thunderstrike. Eryndor met the lead Blade head-on, his cursed arm flaring with blue fire as he deflected a powerful overhead swing. Sparks danced along the edge of his sword as their blades locked.
The Blade pushed forward, trying to overwhelm him with brute strength, but Eryndor twisted to the side, letting the momentum carry his opponent past him. With a swift kick, Eryndor sent the armored figure sprawling into the dirt.
"Flank him!" shouted another Blade.
Two of them rushed in from either side. Eryndor's cursed arm pulsed, and his blade flickered unnaturally fast. He met their strikes with precise, fluid movements—disarming one in a single sweep and parrying the other's thrust with a downward slash.
Kaelith emerged from the shadows behind them, her dagger flashing as she struck at their exposed sides. One of the Blades crumpled without a sound, while the other staggered away, clutching his ribs.
"You said you'd just watch," Kaelith muttered, wiping her blade clean.
Eryndor smirked, his breathing steady. "Changed my mind."
The lead Blade climbed back to his feet, his helmet askew, and glared at them. "You have no idea what you're interfering with."
Eryndor's eyes narrowed. "Enlighten me."
The Blade gestured toward the stone box. "That relic is not meant for mortal hands. It's a prison. If you break the seal, you won't be able to contain what's inside."
Kaelith stiffened. "A prison? For what?"
The Blade hesitated, but his grip on his sword tightened. "Something older than our kingdom. We were ordered to secure it—by any means necessary."
Eryndor glanced at the relic, feeling the slow throb of magic radiating from it. The etchings along its surface glowed faintly now, as if responding to the tension in the air.
He lowered his sword but didn't sheathe it. "You're too late. The seal is already breaking."
As if on cue, a crack split the surface of the stone box, and a low, resonant hum filled the clearing.
Kaelith took a step back. "Eryndor… this isn't good."
The lead Blade lunged toward the relic, but Eryndor blocked his path, their blades crossing once more.
"No," Eryndor said. "Whatever's in there—I'll handle it."
The hum grew louder, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The crack widened, and cold, dark mist began to seep from within the box, curling around Eryndor's boots like tendrils.
Kaelith cursed under her breath. "You always get us into the worst situations."
Eryndor's eyes didn't leave the relic. "And yet, you're still here."
Before she could respond, the stone box shattered completely with a deafening roar.
Out of the mist, a pair of glowing red eyes opened, locking onto Eryndor.