The night air was thick with the sound of distant engines. Kael and Rion moved as quickly as they could through the overgrown ruins, their footsteps crunching against shattered glass and broken stone. Kael leaned heavily on his brother, his strength waning as the shard's energy continued to ebb and flow within him.
"Kael, you're burning up," Rion said, his voice tight with worry.
"I'm fine," Kael muttered, but his vision blurred with each step. The shard's whispers had returned, quieter now but still insistent.
"You need me, Kael. You'll never survive without me."
Kael gritted his teeth. He wanted to rip the shard from his chest, to throw it into the abyss and be free of its voice. But he knew better. Without the shard, he wouldn't have been able to save Rion—or himself.
Ahead of them, the ruins opened into a wide, crumbled square. The faint moonlight illuminated the remains of statues and pillars, once grand but now broken and overrun with vines. It would have been serene, almost beautiful, if not for the low, rhythmic hum of Dominion engines growing louder by the second.
"They're still coming," Rion whispered, glancing over his shoulder.
Kael pushed himself off Rion, standing unsteadily on his own. "Go. Hide somewhere."
"What? No!" Rion snapped, his voice rising. "I'm not leaving you!"
"Rion, listen to me—"
"No, you listen!" Rion stepped closer, his eyes blazing with anger. "You think I'm just going to sit and watch while you kill yourself using that thing? You can barely stand, Kael!"
Kael opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of footsteps—heavy, metallic, and deliberate—cut him off. Both brothers turned toward the square's edge, where the shadows seemed to ripple and move.
From the darkness emerged three Dominion golems, their obsidian frames gleaming in the moonlight. The lead construct, larger than the others, bore a jagged blade glowing with molten heat. Behind them, smaller drones hovered, their red eyes scanning the area with eerie precision.
"Stay behind me," Kael said, his voice low but firm.
Rion didn't move. "We'll fight together."
Kael didn't have the energy to argue. The shard flared weakly against his chest, as if mocking him for his earlier defiance.
"You're too weak on your own. Let me take control. Let me show you true power."
Kael's hand twitched. The fire was there, waiting just beneath the surface, but every time he tapped into it, the shard's grip on him grew stronger. He had to be careful, or he'd lose himself completely.
The lead golem raised its blade, its glowing red eyes locking onto Kael. It let out a guttural, mechanical growl before charging forward, the ground trembling under its weight.
Kael reacted instinctively, summoning a burst of fire that engulfed the square in a searing wave. The flames slammed into the golem, but it pushed through, its molten blade cutting through the inferno.
Kael stumbled back, his chest heaving. The shard's power was slipping from his grasp, the strain too much to bear.
"Kael!" Rion darted forward, hurling a jagged piece of debris at the golem. It barely scratched the construct's surface, but it was enough to draw its attention.
The golem turned toward Rion, its blade raised high.
"No!" Kael roared, the shard exploding with heat. Flames erupted from his body, wild and uncontrolled, lashing out in every direction. The fire slammed into the golem, forcing it back, but it also tore through the surrounding ruins, igniting everything in its path.
Rion shielded his face from the heat, his voice lost in the roar of the flames.
Kael could feel the shard's presence growing stronger, its whispers turning into a deafening roar.
"More! You need more power! Give in, Kael!"
"Shut up!" Kael screamed, his voice cracking. But the fire wouldn't stop. It surged out of him, consuming everything. The golem was reduced to slag, but the flames didn't die—they spread, threatening to engulf the entire square.
"Kael, stop!" Rion shouted, running toward him.
Kael fell to his knees, clutching his head as the shard's energy tore through him. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he wasn't in the square anymore. He was back in the ruins of his home, surrounded by fire and ash. The screams of his family echoed in his ears.
"You couldn't save your mother back then, but you can save him now. If you give in."
Kael's hands trembled. The fire around him began to take shape, forming the silhouette of a massive beast—a dragon of molten flame, its eyes burning with the same light as the shard.
"Kael!" Rion's voice broke through the chaos, snapping Kael back to reality.
The dragon dissolved into embers, and the fire receded, leaving the square scorched and silent. Kael collapsed, the shard's glow dimming as exhaustion overtook him.
Rion knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder. "Kael, wake up! We have to go!"
Kael's eyes fluttered open, his voice barely a whisper. "I… I'm sorry."
Rion shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "Don't apologize. Just… don't leave me."
In the distance, the hum of Dominion engines grew louder. More constructs were on their way, drawn by the chaos.
Kael forced himself to his feet, leaning heavily on Rion. "We need to move. Now."
Together, they stumbled into the shadows, the Dominion closing in behind them.