The shattered remains of Kael's coffins lay scattered across the cemetery, the once-imposing structures reduced to fragments of wood and metal. Kael Morvaine, the Coffin Master, stood among the wreckage, his gray eyes burning with fury. Blood streaked his pale face, and his breathing was labored, but his resolve remained unbroken.
Etreuf's flames and Elliot's defiance had brought him to his knees, forcing him to retreat. But as Kael stared at the graves that surrounded him, he felt a growing sense of failure. The cemetery, his sanctuary, had been violated. His coffins, the extensions of his will, had been destroyed. And worst of all, Lyssara—the woman he believed to be the key to his vengeance—had escaped.
Kael clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "This isn't over," he muttered, his voice low and venomous. "Not by a long shot."
As the cold night settled over the cemetery, Kael's thoughts drifted to the past. He knelt before a small gravestone, its surface weathered but still legible. It bore the names of his parents, the only family he had ever known.
Kael closed his eyes, the memories flooding back.
The farmstead had been his entire world—a place of warmth, love, and safety. His mother's laughter, his father's strong hands guiding him through the fields, the smell of fresh-baked bread on the hearth—all of it had been torn away in a single night.
The golem, a monstrous being of earth and stone, had come without warning. Its massive fists crushed everything in its path, leaving only destruction in its wake. Kael had watched from the barn, helpless and terrified, as his parents were buried beneath the rubble of their home.
He could still hear their screams, echoing in his mind like a haunting melody. The memory was a wound that never healed, a constant reminder of what he had lost.
Kael opened his eyes, his expression hardening. The golem was still out there, wandering the desert ruins where it had disappeared after destroying his home. He had spent years searching for it, following every rumor, every whisper of its presence.
But despite his efforts, the golem remained elusive. It was a force of nature, a mindless being driven by its own unknowable purpose. To the world, it was a legend. To Kael, it was his life's purpose.
His obsession with vengeance had consumed him, shaping him into the man he was today. The coffins he commanded were not just weapons—they were extensions of his pain, forged from his grief and anger.
As Kael stared at the graves, his mind returned to his encounter with Etreuf and Elliot. The boy had been weak, unsure of himself. But the power he wielded—fire and shadow fused with the energy of the Conis—was unlike anything Kael had ever seen.
And Lyssara… she had been more than just a captive. There was something about her, something that resonated with the power of the demigods. Kael had captured her out of desperation, hoping she might be the key to defeating the golem. But now he realized there was more to her than he had understood.
"They're different," Kael muttered, his voice barely audible. "Not like the others."
The thought gnawed at him. For years, Kael had worked alone, trusting no one, relying only on his coffins and his own determination. But Elliot and Lyssara had shown him something he hadn't felt in a long time—hope.
Kael rose to his feet, his gray eyes glinting with determination. He couldn't let his failure in the cemetery define him. If anything, it had given him a new path to follow.
"They'll lead me to the answers I seek," he said, his voice steady. "And when the time comes, I'll make them see."
He turned to the largest coffin in the cemetery, its surface etched with glowing runes. Placing his hands on it, he whispered an incantation, his voice low and reverent. The coffin shuddered, the runes glowing brighter.
"I will find the golem," Kael vowed, his voice firm. "And I will finish what it started."
Unbeknownst to Kael, his path would soon cross with Elliot and Lyssara again. The threads of their fates were intertwined, bound by the power of the Conis, the daggers, and the secrets that lay hidden in the lands of SAMBALETA.
As Kael left the cemetery, his coffins trailing behind him like silent shadows, the first light of dawn broke over the horizon. His journey was far from over. And neither was theirs.