Rain pounded the steel rooftops of Arken District, the industrial wasteland where elemental storms never slept. Most called it cursed. Those who knew better called it his domain.A man carved by lightning and loss. A scar ran across his throat, a reminder of the day he tried to kill the Hollow Flame and failed. Now, he served the Council… and his revenge.He stood barefoot on a transmission tower, arms spread, welcoming the storm like an old friend. Thunder danced at his fingertips. “The Second Fragment stirs,” he whispered. “Time to burn the ghost and the boy.”Kael lay in a fever. The backlash from resisting Lira’s blade and stabilizing the Soul of the Ember had taken its toll. His skin burned from within, his heartbeat irregular, like thunder rolling through his bones.Lira sat beside him, one hand gripping his. She hadn’t left his side since the confession. The Hollow Flame entered, expression grim. “He needs the second fragment.” Lira looked up. “He won’t survive another awakenin

The trees froze mid bloom. Velra’s power spread in a perfect ring, snowflakes hanging still in the air like time had fractured. Kael stood in the center, shirtless, breathing steam.Lira flanked him, blades drawn, flames pulsing from her palms. But Kael raised a hand. “No. She’s mine.” Velra tilted her head, her gaze sorrowful. “Then you’ve already lost.”She struck first sending ice shards faster than sound. Kael dodged one, two then caught the third mid-air and melted it in his fist. Their powers collided, frost against thunderfire. “Why are you doing this?” Kael shouted between blows.“Because I loved you,” Velra replied, “and they turned you into him.”While Kael fought for his life, the Hollow Flame stood at the cliff’s edge, watching the storm of magic light up the trees. He knew this moment would come. He knew Kael would ask the question. And he knew what lay buried beneath the temple under lock, seal, and blood oath.He whispered to the wind, as if to an old friend. “You alway

The trees fell silent. Even the wind stopped breathing. Kael stood between Velra and Lira, staring at the figure in black. His coat billowed without wind. Silver eyes glinted beneath a hood of shadows.The Hollow Flame spoke first. “Lukan.” A name that felt like broken steel. The man known as the Black Wolf stepped forward barefoot on snow, yet untouched by cold. “You’ve kept him hidden long enough,” he said softly. “Now the leash is off.”Kael instinctively lit his hands fire crackling at his palms. The Hollow Flame grabbed his arm. “No. You can’t win this fight yet.”Lira whispered to Velra as they backed away: “Who is he?”Velra’s voice trembled. “Not a man. Not anymore. He was forged from the Void, stitched together from warlocks, assassins, and monsters the Council couldn’t control.”“He’s Soulborn?” “No. Worse. He’s what happens when you try to mimic one.”Kael stepped forward. “I won’t run.” The Black Wolf tilted his head. “Good. Running is boring.” He vanished. In a heartbeat,

The desert was still burning. Velra shielded her eyes from the flare that had just erupted from the temple. Lira stood stunned blades lowered, mouth parted. The Hollow Flame stared, expression unreadable. From the crater, Kael emerged. But this wasn't the Kael they knew.His eyes were glowing, one white, one flickering silver. Veins of fire crawled under his skin. He hovered above the sand, cloak fluttering, body wrapped in white flame with undertones of something... older. Then he dropped to his knees, gasping. The light winked out. Silence fell.“Did I… pass?” he whispered.But instead of an answer. A second figure walked out of the smoke. A man with no shadow. He looked no older than thirty. But the moment Kael saw him, his chest clenched. The man radiated pressure gravity, almost.Skin like obsidian glass. Hair long and pale, flowing unnaturally behind him. Robes embroidered with runes that moved on their own.“Who…?” Kael asked. Velra’s voice cracked from behind. “That’s impossib