The cool night air was heavy with the scent of rain as the group emerged from the ruins of Aetherfall. The jagged mountains framed the sky, where storm clouds rolled like a dark tide. Aleron inhaled deeply, feeling the tension of the battle ease only slightly with their escape.
Behind him, Kael lingered at the entrance, his hand brushing the ancient stone. His eyes, storm-grey and full of turmoil, reflected the weight of what had transpired. The sigil on his hand had faded to a faint scar, but its presence still burned in his mind.
"You're hesitating," Seraphina said, stepping up beside him. Her voice was soft, but her words were edged with knowing. "You can feel it, can't you? The power within you."
"It's not power," Kael whispered. "It's a curse."
"Power is a curse only when wielded by fear," Seraphina replied, her gaze steady. "Learn to master it, or it will master you."
Kael turned away from the ruins. His eyes met Aleron's as the group gathered near a jagged outcrop overlooking the valley below. The land stretched out like a battlefield waiting for its players—shadows creeping through the forests, the wind howling like a distant lament.
"What's next?" Kael asked, his voice steadying.
Aleron planted the tip of his sword into the ground, leaning on it as he surveyed the horizon. "We find the Seer. She knows the prophecies better than anyone. If anyone can tell us how to stop the Void from consuming this world, it's her."
"Assuming she's still alive," Aidan added with a wry smirk. "Last I heard, she vanished after predicting the fall of half a kingdom."
"She's alive," Seraphina said with conviction. "Her magic runs through the veins of the earth. The Seer can't simply disappear."
"And what if we don't like what she has to say?" Jareth muttered darkly.
Aleron straightened, his expression grim. "Then we make our own fate."
Kael remained silent, his thoughts swirling like the storm clouds above. Destiny. Fate. The weight of these words pressed down on him with suffocating force.
He clenched his fist. The power within him stirred—an endless, hungry void.
But he would not be its prey.