Kael's boots skidded across the rubble-strewn floor as the monstrous beast lunged, claws tearing through the air. The creature's eyes burned with otherworldly light, its body a patchwork of jagged obsidian and molten cracks.
"Rion ,idiot move !" Kael shouted, his voice raw as he pushed his brother behind a fractured pillar.
The beast's strike smashed into the ground where they had stood moments earlier, sending up a shockwave that rattled the crumbling structure. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring Kael's vision, but he could feel the shard pulsing against his chest, calling to him.
Not yet. I'll handle this without you.
Kael grabbed a steel rod lying nearby and gritted his teeth. Makeshift weapons weren't ideal, but he had survived on scraps before. His grip tightened as he sprinted forward, aiming for the beast's legs.
The creature roared and swung its tail, a spiked appendage that shattered a nearby wall. Kael ducked low, his momentum carrying him under the tail's arc. With a sharp thrust, he drove the steel rod into one of its glowing cracks, but the beast barely flinched. Instead, it whipped its head around and bared its fangs in fury.
"Kael,behind you!" Rion's warning came just in time.
Kael rolled to the side as the beast's claws tore through the space he had just occupied. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding. This wasn't a scavenger's fight; this was survival against something that had no right to exist.
"Stay out of sight Rion" Kael barked, glancing toward the pillar where his brother was hidden.
"No!,you need me right now"Rion stepped out, clutching a rusted dagger with trembling hands.
Before Kael could argue, the shard around his neck flared with heat, the air vibrating with an unseen force. The beast's head snapped toward the light, its molten eyes narrowing in recognition.
"Seriously you gotta be kidding me"Kael muttered.
The creature lunged again, its focus entirely on the shard. Kael raised his hand instinctively, and for a split second, he felt the shard respond—not just a pulse, but a surge. Fire erupted from his palm in a wild arc, colliding with the beast's face.
The creature reeled back, howling as flames danced across its obsidian hide. Kael stumbled, staring at his hand in disbelief.
"Kael,was that you?" Rion's voice was barely above a whisper.
"No time for questions!"Kael snapped. The shard's energy coursed through him now, unrelenting and wild. He could feel it pulling him, whispering promises of power he didn't want to trust.
The beast recovered quickly, its molten eyes now blazing with fury. It charged again, but this time, Kael met it head-on. Flames roared to life around him, twisting into a barrier of searing heat. The creature crashed into it, recoiling as its obsidian skin cracked and fractured.
Kael pressed the attack, hurling blasts of fire with every swing of his hand. The shard's power felt endless, intoxicating even, but each burst left a deep ache in his chest.
"Kael, stop! You're—" Rion's words were drowned out by another deafening roar as the beast collapsed to its knees, smoke rising from its charred body.
Kael stood over it, his breathing ragged, flames still flickering around his hands. The shard's glow dimmed slightly, but its heat lingered. He turned to Rion, who was staring at him with a mix of awe and fear.
"You… you killed it," Rion said, stepping closer.
Kael shook his head. "No, we killed it. You warned me when I couldn't see. That matters."
But before they could process what had just happened, a low rumble echoed through the ruins. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and Kael's heart sank.
The beast's death wasn't the end. It was the beginning.
"We need to go. Now."
Without another word, Kael grabbed Rion's arm, and the two of them sprinted toward the nearest exit. Behind them, the ruins began to collapse, and a new, ominous sound filled the air—distant footsteps, heavy and methodical.
The Dominion was here.
The air grew hotter, thicker, like the shard itself was suffocating him. Kael's chest felt like it was about to collapse under the weight of its energy. Each step forward sent a spike of fire through his veins.
"Kael, what's wrong?" Rion's voice was laced with panic as the ground continued to quake.
"It's the shard… it's—" Kael stumbled, clutching his chest as the artifact pulsed wildly against his skin. He could hear it now—not just feel it. A voice, low and ancient, clawed at the edges of his mind.
"More… unleash more… let me take it all."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Shut up!"
Rion blinked, confusion washing over his face. "Who are you talking to?"
Before Kael could answer, the rumbling intensified. The ruins cracked and groaned, and a massive slab of stone broke free from above, plummeting toward them.
Kael acted on instinct, raising his hand as if to shield them. The shard flared again, brighter than before, and a jet of fire erupted from his palm. The flames slammed into the falling debris, shattering it into molten fragments that rained harmlessly to the side.
"Kael, you—" Rion started, but Kael cut him off.
"Keep moving!"
Kael forced himself forward, dragging Rion along. His vision blurred, a mix of exhaustion and the shard's relentless pull. Every step felt heavier, the artifact's whispers louder.
"You'll never make it on your own. Let me show you real power… just give in."
Kael shook his head violently, his grip on Rion tightening. He could feel the shard digging deeper into his mind, like a beast gnawing at a cage.
As they turned a corner, the source of the rumbling revealed itself. Massive, hulking figures of obsidian and glowing red cores emerged from the shadows. Dominion constructs—living weapons powered by shards—stepped through the collapsing ruins.
"Dominion war golems," Kael muttered, his stomach sinking.
The lead golem let out a mechanical growl, its chest opening to reveal a glowing shard core. With a blinding flash, it fired a beam of crimson energy directly at them.
Kael didn't think. He pushed Rion aside and thrust his hands forward. The shard's power surged, and a wall of fire erupted before him. The beam slammed into the flames, but the shard's energy held strong, dispersing the attack.
"Kael!" Rion shouted, pulling him to his feet.
But Kael didn't respond. The shard's voice was louder now, almost deafening.
"You need me. Without me, you're nothing. Accept it!"
Kael dropped to his knees, clutching his head. He could feel the shard's power seeping into every corner of his being, a tide that refused to be stopped.
Rion knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder. "Kael, snap out of it! We'll die if you don't!"
The golems were advancing, their footsteps shaking the ground. Kael's vision swam, but through the haze, he saw Rion's face—desperate, terrified, but unwavering.
"I… I can't…" Kael whispered.
"Yes, you can!" Rion grabbed Kael's hand and squeezed it. "You're not alone. Fight it!"
Kael's breath hitched. For a moment, the shard's voice faltered, drowned out by Rion's words. Kael forced himself to his feet, his legs trembling but steady.
The lead golem raised its arm, a blade of molten energy forming in its grasp. It charged, but Kael raised his hand, and the shard obeyed. Flames roared to life, not wild and chaotic like before, but focused and precise.
The fire twisted into a lance, searing through the air and striking the golem's core. The construct froze, its molten veins dimming before it collapsed in a heap of slag.
Kael turned to the remaining golems, his body shaking with exhaustion. He raised his hand again, but this time, nothing came. The shard's power flickered, and Kael dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
"Too much… you've taken too much," the shard hissed, almost mocking.
"Rion… we need to go," Kael managed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rion nodded and slung Kael's arm over his shoulder. Together, they stumbled toward the exit, the remaining golems in slow pursuit.
As they emerged from the ruins, the cool night air hit them like a wave, but the sound of distant Dominion engines was unmistakable.
"We're not safe yet," Kael said, forcing himself upright.
"No," Rion replied, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes. "But we'll make it."
Kael glanced at his brother, a faint smile breaking through his exhaustion. Despite everything, Rion hadn't given up on him—not even when he was ready to give up on himself.
The shard was silent now, its power dormant, but Kael knew it was only a matter of time before it spoke again. And next time, he wasn't sure he'd have the strength to fight it.