Chapter 14: The Scorpion’s End

  The battlefield lay in eerie silence, the dust settling after the chaos of battle. The scorpion, looming and monstrous, turned its glowing, corrupted eyes toward Kael, sensing something had changed.

  Kael felt it too.

  The power inside him no longer raged like an untamed beast—it flowed, steady and sure, guided by the twin moons above. His heart pounded, but not with fear. He raised his hands, silver flames twisting and curling around his arms, drawn from some unseen source beyond himself.

  The scorpion shrieked, its massive legs clawing at the earth as it charged.

  Kael didn’t move. He didn’t need to.

  Then, the world ignited.

  A beam of pure, concentrated moonfire exploded from his outstretched hands, tearing through the night sky like a divine spear. It wasn’t fire in the traditional sense—it was something greater, something woven from light itself. The energy crackled and burned like a celestial storm, its radiance turning the battlefield into day.

  The blast struck the scorpion dead center.

  The ground beneath them rumbled as the creature let out an otherworldly screech. Its supposedly indestructible armor glowed white-hot, cracking and splintering beneath the overwhelming force. The corrupted Rift energy within it twisted and writhed, unable to resist the purifying light.

  The scorpion convulsed violently.

  The moonfire surged through it, bursting from its wounds in radiant streaks.

  A final, tortured scream echoed across the desert—then, with a deafening crack, the beast shattered, reduced to nothing but ash and fading embers.

  Silence followed.

  The silver glow pulsed outward in a slow wave, spreading far beyond the battlefield.

  The force of the blast knocked Lirien backward, but she barely noticed. Her eyes were locked onto Kael, watching in stunned awe. She had always believed in his strength, had seen him struggle with the power within him, but this? This was something divine.

  "Kael..." she whispered, stepping forward hesitantly, her hands reaching out, as if afraid he might disappear into the light itself.

  But then, she saw his expression—the exhaustion, the weight of it all. And something inside her twisted with concern.

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  Sylas had seen a lot of things in his time—smugglers betraying their own, bandits slaughtering for nothing but sport, and creatures that defied explanation. But this?

  This was something else entirely.

  He let out a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. "Well, damn," he muttered, a rare moment of speechlessness settling over him. "Remind me never to get on the kid’s bad side."

  But then, his usual smirk faltered as he noticed Kael sway on his feet.

  Mira’s hands trembled slightly as she stared at the place where the scorpion once stood. She had always been quick on her feet, always able to adapt—but nothing in her life had prepared her for that.

  "He just... obliterated it," she murmured, eyes wide. "Like it was nothing."

  For the first time in a long while, she felt something close to hope. If Kael could do that—if they could do that—then maybe, just maybe, they had a real chance in this world.

  Rhea, ever the flirt and the rogue, simply placed her hands on her hips and let out a slow, impressed sigh. "Well, color me thoroughly intrigued," she mused, tilting her head. "Kid, if I knew you had that inside you, I would’ve stuck closer from the start."

  Then she saw him falter, his shoulders sagging. The teasing faded, replaced by something softer.

  "Kael?" she called, stepping closer.

  The allied gang had been arriving just as it happened, their battered vehicles screeching to a halt. Men who had seen war, who had faced horrors, now stood frozen, watching the last flickers of moonfire dissipate.

  One of them took a slow step forward, his cigarette falling from his lips. "You seein’ this?" he muttered to his companion.

  "Yeah," the other man rasped. "And I still don’t believe it."

  For the first time in their lives, hardened outlaws looked to someone not as a threat, nor as a rival— but as something greater. The energy left Kael all at once. His knees buckled, and his vision blurred, the silver glow fading from his eyes.

  Lirien caught him before he hit the ground, her arms wrapping around him as his weight pressed into her. "Kael!" she cried, shaking him slightly.

  He barely heard her. Everything was fading, slipping beyond his grasp.

  The last thing he saw was the twin moons, still shining above him.

  Then—darkness.

  Miles away, the town of Aurelia had been basking in its usual nighttime glow. People had been drinking in taverns, sharing stories under the stars, or finishing up their late shifts at the markets.

  Then, the sky had exploded.

  A beam of silver fire streaked across the horizon, splitting the darkness in two. Buildings were bathed in ghostly light, the very air humming with an unexplainable energy. People ran into the streets, pointing, whispering, gasping.

  A shopkeeper dropped the vase he had been arranging, the ceramic shattering at his feet.

  A mother clutched her child close, eyes wide as the night turned to day.

  And in the heart of the city, Lady Corinne stood at her balcony, eyes sharp with recognition. She placed a hand over her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs.

  "The Flame Unseen," she whispered.

  A council member behind her swallowed hard. "This... this could change everything."

  Lady Corinne didn’t respond. She only watched the lingering light fade, knowing that somewhere, beyond the desert, a legend had been reborn.