The flames clung to Vale like a second skin—black as midnight and wreathed in wrath. They curled and hissed as though alive, born from the rawest pit of his grief and fury. The corrupted monster before him didn't flinch; it merely tilted its head, as if amused or intrigued.
Vale stepped forward. The ground beneath his boots charred black with each step. Every motion flowed with deadly purpose, like a predator poised for the kill.
The creature raised its cleaver, the air shrieking in protest. Essence flared around it, a noxious green that warped the fog and poisoned the earth.
Their clash was thunder given form.
Vale lunged, his sword blazing with the black fire, meeting the beast's cleaver in an eruption of light and force. The shockwave levelled most of the nearby ruins, hurling shards of stone like shrapnel. The monster roared and shoved forward, but Vale was faster.
