Kael: Rise of The Fire Heir

Chapter 03

Chapter 3. The First Battle

The growl vibrated through the air, heavier than the thundering waterfall crashing behind them. Xarath stepped out from the shadows of a giant oak tree, his three-meter-tall body appearing like a living monument of darkness. Black steam hissed from the cracks in his charcoal skin, and his red eyes locked onto Kael with an intensity that seemed capable of searing flesh.

"The scent of your fear is sharper than the smell of this sulfur, Boy," Xarath’s voice sounded like the scraping of rusted metal. "The Conqueror’s Flame does not deserve to be in the hands of a trembling coward."

Master Selama stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Kael and Mara. His wooden staff now glowed with a faint blue aura, though Kael could see the old man's hand trembling slightly. The old wound on Selama's waist must have been agonizing, yet his gaze remained as sharp as an eagle's.

"Back away, Xarath," Selama commanded, his voice calm yet containing undeniable authority. "He is not yours yet."

Xarath laughed, a sound more like the groan of breaking stone. "You are old, Selama. Your breath is short and your fire is starting to dim. Give the boy to me, and perhaps I will let the woman die quickly."

"Kael!" Selama shouted without looking back. "Do as I trained you earlier. Focus the heat in your chest to the tips of your hands. Don't let your fear extinguish it. We need a distraction!"

Kael swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry and constricted. He saw his mother huddled in the corner of the cave, her face deathly pale. He didn't want to be a burden. He had to do something. Kael closed his eyes, trying to find the small sun inside his heart that had briefly ignited earlier.

He felt it—a wild and demanding flow of heat. He tried to direct it to his right palm, imagining a small spark that could become an explosion. Come on, come out, he whispered in his heart. The heat began to spread to his arm, making his veins throb.

However, as the heat reached his fingertips, the image of the destroyed Eldara Village suddenly flashed through his mind. He saw the faces of his screaming neighbors, saw houses turning to ash because of a power he couldn't control. His hands shook violently. What if I burn Master Selama instead? What if this cave explodes with Mother inside?

That doubt came like a drenching of ice water. The heat in his arm suddenly receded, leaving a hollow coldness. The spark that had briefly appeared at his fingertips died out with a pathetic little hiss.

"I... I can't, Master," Kael whispered, tears of frustration beginning to well up.

"There's no time for doubt!" Selama screamed as Xarath lunged forward with a speed impossible for a creature of that size.

Xarath slammed his fist toward them. Selama swiftly raised his staff, creating a curved shield of blue fire. The impact produced a shockwave that sent the waterfall outside the cave flying in the opposite direction. Kael was thrown against the cave wall, his back hitting the hard rock until he gasped for breath.

Selama groaned, his feet dragging across the ground, leaving deep furrows. Xarath showed no mercy. The monster general attacked relentlessly with his claws and fists. Every strike made Selama's shield thinner and more cracked.

"Weak!" Xarath roared. He caught Selama's staff and, with brutal strength, threw the fire master toward the outside of the cave. Selama rolled across the wet ground, coughing up blood, yet he tried to stand with what remained of his strength.

Now, nothing stood between Xarath and Kael. The monster walked slowly into the mouth of the cave, savoring the scent of despair radiating from the young man.

"Look at yourself," Xarath mocked, towering over Kael. "You possess the power of a god, yet your soul is more fragile than a dry twig. You are nothing but a mistake of history."

Xarath raised his claws, ready to rip open Kael's chest. Cornered, Kael tried once more. He screamed, pushing all his remaining energy into his hands, begging the fire to appear. An orange glow appeared for a moment, but died out again within seconds. He was too afraid. He was too weak.

"Stop!" Mara screamed, trying to throw a stone at Xarath.

Xarath glanced at Mara with disgust. "Nuisance of a woman."

The monster did not attack Mara directly; instead, he slammed his fist into the ceiling of the cave mouth with a force capable of toppling mountains. An explosion of dark energy radiated from his punch, sending large cracks spidering along the stone walls of the ancient cave.

"If I cannot take you now, then be buried with your failure!" Xarath growled.

The earth shook violently. The thunderous sound of giant rocks breaking was deafening. Kael looked up with wide eyes. The cave ceiling began to collapse. Dust and gravel fell like a deadly rain.

"Mother! Master!" Kael screamed, trying to reach for his mother's hand, which was a few meters away.

However, a giant stone block fell right between them, cutting off Kael's view. He saw the severely injured Selama trying to run back inside, but the monster released another blast of energy that accelerated the cave's collapse.

"Kael! Stay alive!" Selama's voice was faintly heard behind the roar of the ruins.

Kael's vision went dark. The last thing he felt was an excruciating pain as a large rock hit his shoulder, pushing his body down into a dark crevice in the deeper part of the cave. The thunderous sound of the collapse shut out all access to light.

Within seconds, a haunting silence enveloped the place. The air was filled with dust that choked the lungs. Kael lay under a pile of rocks and earth, trapped in a cramped, stifling space. His trembling hands felt around him, finding only the cold, sharp stone surfaces pressing in from all directions.

He tried to call out, but his voice only ended as a raspy whisper swallowed by the darkness. He was alone. His power had betrayed him, his master was separated, and his mother was nowhere to be found.

In the midst of that total darkness, a coldness began to creep up to his heart. The fear he had been holding back now exploded into pure despair. He was the Fire Conqueror, yet here, beneath thousands of tons of earth, he was just a young man waiting for his end in the endless darkness.

A single tear fell onto the dusty ground. Kael closed his eyes, letting the darkness claim his consciousness as the oxygen in the cramped space slowly began to thin.