The crackling fire was the only sound that broke the stillness of the night. Kai, worn from the trials he'd faced, lay on the ground, struggling against the exhaustion that threatened to claim him. Lyria, however, remained on alert, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness surrounding their campsite.
The tension was thick when the first strike came. A glimmer of steel was all the warning she had before she acted.
"Wake up!" she hissed, yanking Kai to his feet.
Before them, figures emerged from the trees, draped in cloaks that absorbed the light, their eyes gleaming like blood-red embers. These were no ordinary foes. The Shadow Hunters—masked assassins sent by King Darius—had arrived.
Kai, still dizzy from the intensity of his earlier trial, blinked in confusion. "What... what are they?"
"They're killers. Sent by the King of Velrath," Lyria explained, her voice cold as she summoned a barrier of shimmering energy around them. "Stay close to me. They won't show mercy."
The air was thick with danger as the assassins moved in, their weapons humming with dark energy. One lunged at them, its blade aimed for Kai's chest. Instinct took over. With a flick of his wrist, flames exploded from his palm, engulfing the assailant. The fire consumed him in an instant, leaving only charred remnants behind.
The remaining Shadow Hunters hesitated, their eyes narrowing in recognition. They weren't prepared for this level of power.
Lyria smirked as she drew her own weapon, a staff that crackled with energy. "You're learning fast," she said with approval as they continued to fight off the attackers.
Despite their efforts, one of the assassins broke through, vanishing into the forest's shadows. Lyria's face hardened. "They'll report back. We can't afford to waste time."
Kai nodded, his heart racing. "Then we move, now."