THE GOD OF WAR'S RETURN: ADRIAN'S SECOND CHANCE

The Storm Approaches

The night was too quiet.

Adrian stood near the fire, staring into the dark trees. Something was out there. He could feel it. A strange pressure weighed on his chest, like unseen eyes were watching him. The wind blew, rustling the leaves, but it wasn’t the wind that made his skin prickle.

Kara paced back and forth. “I don’t like this.”

Kai sat on a rock, sharpening his dagger. “You don’t like anything.”

She shot him a glare. “I like being alive.”

Adrian didn’t join their argument. His hands felt warm, his fingertips tingling. It had been happening more often,this strange heat inside him.

Then it happened.

A voice.

Adrian.

It wasn’t spoken. It was inside his head. A whisper, distant but clear.

His breath hitched. His fingers twitched. The fire behind him flickered, as if it had heard the voice too.

“The wards are breaking,” he muttered.

Kai stopped sharpening his dagger. Kara froze.

The old man, sitting quietly by the fire, finally spoke. “They found us.”

Everyone went still.

Kara reached for her sword. “How long?”

The old man closed his eyes for a moment, as if listening to something. Then he opened them, his face grim.

“Minutes.”

Adrian’s heart pounded. His fingers curled into fists.

“Are you sure?” Kai asked.

Adrian swallowed. He wasn’t sure how he knew. He just did. His whole body felt alert, like something inside him had woken up.

Kara grabbed her pack. “We need to run.”

The old man shook his head. “Too late. If we run, they’ll hunt us down.”

Kai frowned. “Then we fight?”

The old man’s gaze flickered to Adrian. “He fights.”

Adrian stiffened. “Me?”

“You have power now,” the old man said. “And it’s time you use it.”

Adrian’s stomach twisted. Power. He barely understood it. The fire, the whispers, the strange feeling in his chest...he didn’t know what any of it meant.

And now, he was supposed to fight?

Kara sighed. “Great. We’re doomed.”

Kai stood. “We don’t have a choice.”

Adrian took a deep breath. The fire inside him stirred, waiting.

He didn’t know if he was ready.

But the enemy was coming.

And ready or not, he had to fight.

The first sign of trouble came fast.

A gust of wind rushed through the trees, carrying a sharp, metallic scent. Adrian tensed.

Then,movement.

Dark figures slipped through the shadows. Not human. Not fully. Their eyes glowed faintly, their limbs too long, too thin.

Kara gripped her sword. “I count six.”

Kai pulled out his daggers. “I count seven.”

The old man didn’t move. He only watched Adrian.

“Focus,” he said softly.

Adrian clenched his fists. The heat inside him grew stronger. He could feel it rising, like a fire waiting to burst free.

The creatures stepped closer. Their claws glinted under the moonlight.

One of them snarled. Then, in a blur, it lunged straight at Adrian.

His body moved before his mind caught up.

He lifted his hand...

And fire exploded from his palm.

The creature shrieked as flames engulfed it.

Adrian gasped. He had done that.

The other creatures hesitated, watching their burning companion writhe. Then, as if realizing what had happened, they roared and charged.

Kara swung her sword. Kai dodged and stabbed.

And Adrian?

He let the fire take over.

For the first time, he didn’t hold back.

Flames danced around Adrian’s hands. His heartbeat matched their rhythm.

One of the creatures leaped at him. He turned, fire bursting from his fingers. The creature hit the ground, rolling in flames.

Another lunged from the side. Adrian twisted, heat surging through his veins. Fire wrapped around his arm, solidifying into something sharp...like a blade made of flames.

He swung. The creature howled.

The fight was chaos. But Adrian wasn’t afraid.

He was winning.

And deep inside, he realized something.

This power,it wasn’t just his.

Something..someone....was watching.

A voice whispered in his mind. Good. You are learning.

Adrian shivered.

But he didn’t stop fighting.

The last creature collapsed, its body smoldering.

Silence fell over the camp.

Adrian stood in the middle of it all, his breath ragged, flames still flickering at his fingertips.

Kara stared at him. “Okay… that was insane.”

Kai wiped his dagger. “I’ll admit, I thought we were dead.”

Adrian barely heard them. His chest was tight. The fire in him hadn’t faded. If anything, it felt… stronger.

The old man stepped forward. “How do you feel?”

Adrian swallowed. He should feel exhausted.

Instead, he felt,alive.

“Different,” he admitted.

The old man nodded. “Good. Because this was just the beginning.”

Adrian’s stomach dropped.

He didn’t know what was coming next.

But he had a feeling it would change everything.