The shadow in the sky wasn't just any foe.
Kaelen felt it even before it landed the heavy, oppressive aura that cloaked the figure like a storm cloud. The air itself seemed to freeze in anticipation, every particle trembling as if bracing for impact. His heart pounded in his chest, and despite the fire still swirling in his veins, a coldness settled over him.
A red-and-gold cloak rippled as the figure descended, their steps light as air. They moved like a predator, graceful and lethal.
Kaelen barely had time to react before Darius's voice cut through the silence, laced with venom.
"Zariel."
The name echoed with a sense of dread, like a warning that had been too long ignored.
Kaelen turned, his eyes widening as the figure revealed itself. The cloak fell away to reveal a tall, lithe man with silver hair that seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow, his skin pale but flawless, his eyes two pools of ice-blue fire. A scar ran across his face, splitting his right eyebrow, but it only added to his terrifying allure.
He wore armor, golden and bright, the symbol of the Radiant Order emblazoned on his chest.
But it wasn't the armor or the face that stopped Kaelen's heart.
It was the fact that this was someone he recognized. Someone who had been part of his life.
It was Zariel, the man Kaelen had trusted with his secrets, the one who had shown him the hidden magic of the academy, the one who had sworn to protect him.
And yet, here he stood, a harbinger of destruction.
"What are you doing here?" Darius's voice was low and dangerous, like the growl of a caged beast.
Zariel's lips curled into a smile, but it was cold, devoid of any warmth. "I came to collect what's mine."
Kaelen took a step back, his pulse quickening. "What do you mean, 'collect what's mine'?"
Zariel's gaze flicked to him, then back to Darius, a look of something like amusement in his eyes. "Oh, Kaelen. You still don't get it, do you? This was always meant to happen. You, the Flamebearer. And me, the one who will end it all."
Kaelen's stomach dropped. "What do you mean, end it?"
Zariel's smile grew darker. "You're not the only one who has been chosen, Kaelen. I was chosen to end the prophecy. To finish what was started with your bloodline. But I've waited long enough. Now is the time."
Before Kaelen could react, Zariel raised his hand, and a pulse of golden light shot out from his palm, striking the ground between them. The very earth trembled beneath them, cracks spreading through the stone.
Kaelen staggered back, the force of the shockwave throwing him off balance. Darius stepped forward, his face a mask of fury.
"You're a traitor," Darius snarled, his voice rising with power. "You've been working for the Radiant Order all along."
Zariel shrugged nonchalantly. "I was never yours to begin with, Darius. The Radiant Order offered me more power than your pathetic kingdom ever could. And now I have what I want."
Kaelen's mind spun, trying to piece everything together. Zariel? The one person he had thought he could trust, the one who had been like an older brother, a mentor… and now he was an enemy?
It felt like a sick joke, but the weight of the golden light surrounding Zariel made it clear this was no illusion.
"You've been working with them," Kaelen said, his voice shaking with disbelief. "All this time?"
Zariel's lips curled again, this time with a trace of cruelty. "Did you really think I'd stand by and watch you burn the world to the ground, Kaelen? No. You're the weapon, but I'm the one who will end it. You don't even understand what you've become."
"Enough games, Zariel," Darius growled, his eyes flashing with rage. "If you think you can control him, you're making a grave mistake."
But Zariel only laughed. "It's not about control, Darius. It's about destiny."
In a blur of motion, Zariel lunged forward, his hand glowing with divine energy. The crackle of holy magic filled the air as he swung, a beam of light shooting toward Kaelen.
Kaelen raised his hands instinctively, and in that moment, the fire inside him flared stronger than ever before. The flames erupted from him like a tidal wave, crashing against Zariel's holy magic. The two powers collided with a deafening roar, shaking the very foundation of the sanctuary.
For a moment, there was nothing but pure chaos. Holy light clashed with demonic fire, filling the air with a blinding glow. Kaelen's body trembled with the effort of keeping the flames under control, but even he could feel it something had changed. His power was unstable, too raw, too dangerous to be controlled.
And Zariel was only growing stronger.
"Is this what you've become, Kaelen?" Zariel's voice rang out above the storm of magic, cold and mocking. "A walking weapon, nothing more than a tool for destruction."
Kaelen gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his forehead. "I'm not a tool!"
"Oh, but you are," Zariel hissed. "You always have been."
With a roar, Kaelen pushed back, the flames surging higher, overwhelming Zariel's holy light. He had to stop him. He had to control this, or everything would burn. But even as the fire surged within him, Kaelen realized something.
Zariel wasn't just after the prophecy. He was after Kaelen.
Everything was a lie. Every piece of trust he'd placed in Zariel. Every moment of friendship. It was all a game.
And Kaelen had just become the pawn.
Back at the academy, the attack on Darius's sanctuary was just the beginning. The world outside had begun to tremble. The prophecy wasn't just a secret anymore it was a battle. A war.
And Kaelen was caught in the center of it all.
He stood alone now, eyes glowing with fire as the dust settled.
Darius was nowhere to be seen.
And Zariel was gone.
The betrayal stung like acid in his chest, but there was no time to mourn. There was only one thing left to do.
Find the truth.
Kaelen knew that the Radiant Order wasn't finished with him. Zariel's betrayal was only the first move.