The city had endured the first wave of Thorian’s assault, but the aftershocks of the battle still rattled the streets. Rubble littered every alley, smoke curled into the clouds, and the scent of blood and ash hung heavy in the air. Kael’s team moved like shadows, keeping their focus sharp, hearts tethered to the loss of Drax.Ember’s eyes were aflame, her fury almost palpable, her breath sharp as she surveyed the northern approach. The northern gates had been reinforced by Thorian’s Aegis Knights, the same soldiers who had ambushed them days before. Each one represented a fresh insult to Drax’s sacrifice.“Kael,” Ember said, voice low but hard as steel, “they think they can break us by taking Drax. Let’s show them how wrong they are.”Kael’s hands tightened on his sword. “We will. Every strike will honor him.”From the shadows, Jared’s movements were calculated, silent, his eyes scanning the battlefield with cold precision. The anger he had buried for decades—the res

The battlefield around Dawnreach was a fractured chaos of smoke, fire, and the hum of the Rift. Kael’s forces clashed with Thorian’s soldiers, the ground trembling with every strike, every collapse of shattered stone. Ember moved like a living storm, cutting through enemy ranks despite her lingering wound. Liam coordinated flanking maneuvers with surgical precision, while Kyna darted from one skirmish to another, her spear and instincts saving countless lives.Amid the chaos, Kael’s focus was razor-sharp, every movement guided by the pulse of the Rift. Sweat stung his eyes, the metallic scent of blood heavy in his lungs. He moved with precision, a whirlwind of steel and energy, carving a path through the enemy while his thoughts remained tethered to the names etched in Archon’s journals.A distant sound—a high, resonant hum—caught his attention. The air shivered as if vibrating with invisible weight. Kael froze mid-strike. Reyna’s voice came sharp in his mind: “Kael… that’s

The moment Queen Lauren collapsed into Kael’s arms, the battlefield shifted. It wasn’t the sounds—the screams, the clash of steel, or the pulse of Rift storms ripping the air apart—that changed first. It was the atmosphere. A pressure. A pull. A force so ancient and venomous it made even the blood-soaked wind hesitate.Thorian had arrived.And with him… Elric.Kael lifted his head as a ripple of distortion split the sky in two. Lightning—red and sick with temporal corrosion—forked downward, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crack that threw soldiers and corpses alike into the air.From the crater emerged Thorian.His armour was a grotesque fusion of flesh and metal, fused with forbidden runes, pulsing as though alive. His eyes were nothing but voids—black pits drinking in the Rift’s light. Behind him, a tide of soldiers poured out of shimmering portals, twisted by his unnatural experiments.And then came Elric.The King stepped forward with calm

The cabin’s hearth crackled warmly, the scent of pine and wood smoke filling the small, sturdy room. Outside, snow blanketed the rolling hills, glittering under the afternoon sun, but inside, the air was alive with laughter, voices, and the quiet comfort of family. Years had passed since the war, since the Rift had been calmed, since Veridale had been rebuilt. The scars of battle remained in memory alone; the world outside was safe, thriving, alive.Kael sat at the head of the long wooden table, Reyna beside him, their four children bouncing with boundless energy, chattering over cups of hot cider. Their eldest, a boy with Kael’s dark eyes, attempted to wield a wooden sword, while the youngest girl laughed as she tried to mimic Reyna’s graceful movements with a tiny bow. Kael’s heart swelled in a way it never had during the chaos of war—here, among his family, the future felt tangible and bright.Uncle Fred, grinning, poured another cup of cider for Liam, who now ruled Storm