The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the jagged hills beyond the Spire. The weight of the fight, the Wraith’s defeat, and my newfound connection to the Threads still churned in my chest, but I couldn’t let it slow me down.

  Aeryn walked beside me, quiet but watchful, her shadows flickering faintly with the tension that never quite left her. Lyra lagged a little behind, twirling her dagger and muttering something I didn’t catch.

  I felt it before I saw it—a pulse in the air, faint and fiery, like a warning.

  “Company,” I said, stopping in my tracks.

  Aeryn tensed immediately, her shadows bristling. “What kind of company?”

  Lyra groaned. “Please tell me it’s not another Wraith.”

  “It’s worse,” I said, my smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. “It’s Kael.”

  From the crest of the nearest hill, a figure emerged, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Kael Ignis, the so-called hero, descended with his fiery blade slung over his shoulder, his armor gleaming as if he’d stepped out of a storybook.

  “Of course it’s him,” Aeryn muttered, her shadows coiling tighter.

  “Ah, the thief returns,” Kael called, his voice carrying easily across the distance. “And it seems you’ve found some new tricks since our last meeting.”

  “Miss me?” I said, stepping forward, my tone dripping with mock cheer.

  Kael stopped a few paces away, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied me. “You’ve changed, Sion. I can feel it. The shard’s power—it’s not just inside you anymore. It is you.”

  “Not bad,” I said, twirling the shard in my hand and letting it morph into a spinning top, just for show. “And here I thought you were all brawn and no brains.”

  “Don’t test me,” Kael growled, his blade igniting with a low roar. “You’re still a loose cannon. I’m not here to exchange pleasantries.”

  Kael pointed his blade at me, its fiery edge casting flickering shadows across the ground. “The Spire may be stable for now, but the Threads are still unraveling elsewhere. Tell me, thief—do you even understand what you’ve done?”

  “Better than you think,” I said, the shard forming into a slender rapier in my hand. “I repaired the Threads and stopped the Rift from spreading. You’re welcome, by the way.”

  Kael’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t fix anything. You just delayed the inevitable. And if you’re not careful, you’ll break what little remains of this world.”

  Aeryn stepped between us, her shadow blade forming in her hand. “We don’t have time for this. Kael, if you want to stop the Rift, we’re on the same side.”

  “Are we?” Kael said, his gaze locked on me. “I’ll believe that when this lunatic proves he can handle his power without blowing everything to hell.”

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  “Lunatic?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You wound me, Kael. How about we settle this the old-fashioned way?”

  Kael smirked, his blade igniting brighter. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Kael moved first, a streak of fire and steel. His blade roared as it slashed toward me, but I was ready. The shard morphed into a massive shield, its glowing surface absorbing the impact with a resonating clang.

  “Predictable,” I said, shoving him back and reshaping the shield into a bo staff. “I expected more from the great hero.”

  Kael didn’t respond with words. Instead, his blade flared, sending a wave of fire roaring toward me. I ducked under it, the shard twisting into a sleek bow. A glowing arrow shot from its string, streaking toward Kael, who deflected it with a flick of his blade.

  “Not bad,” he said, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

  “Oh, I’m just getting started,” I said, leaping back as the shard transformed into a glowing weighted chain. “How about you, hotshot?”

  Kael came at me with relentless strength, each swing of his blade sending shockwaves through the ground. I danced around him, the shard shifting between weapons—a spear, a whip, even a giant glowing mallet that earned a laugh from Lyra.

  “Is that supposed to be a weapon?” Kael said, raising an eyebrow as he dodged the mallet’s swing.

  “Only if you don’t have a sense of humor,” I said, spinning the mallet into a burst of glowing darts that rained down around him.

  Kael’s fire surged, incinerating the projectiles as he closed the gap between us. His blade came down in a fiery arc, and I barely managed to block with a glowing broadsword, the impact sending me skidding backward.

  “You’re better than I remember,” Kael admitted, his voice grudging.

  “Flattery will get you nowhere,” I said, though my breathing was heavier now.

  Kael’s strength was undeniable, but he fought with precision, his movements calculated and deliberate. I, on the other hand, relied on unpredictability, using the shard’s power to keep him guessing.

  When he feinted left, I countered with a glowing rope that wrapped around his ankle and yanked him off balance. When he swung upward, I parried with a shield that burst into a cloud of blinding light.

  “Admit it,” I said, twirling a glowing boomerang. “You’re impressed.”

  “You’re insufferable,” Kael growled, batting the boomerang aside.

  “Call it part of my charm,” I said, the shard forming into a slingshot that launched an oversized glowing fist directly at his chest.

  The punch connected, sending Kael stumbling back. He regained his footing quickly, his blade flaring with renewed intensity.

  As the fight raged on, I could see the shift in Kael’s expression. His frustration gave way to something closer to admiration, a flicker of grudging respect in his golden eyes.

  Finally, he stepped back, lowering his blade. “You madman,” he said, breathing hard. “You can really control that Thread you ripped out.”

  I grinned, the shard dissolving into dust and returning to my body. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”

  Kael shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You’re reckless, arrogant, and completely unorthodox… but you might just be exactly what this world needs.”

  Kael sheathed his blade, stepping closer. “I didn’t come here to fight you, Sion. I came here to make sure you’re not a threat to the world. And now… I think you might actually be the solution.”

  “Glad you’re finally catching on,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “Don’t push your luck,” Kael said, though his tone was lighter now.

  “What do you know about the next Core?” Aeryn asked, her voice calm but firm.

  Kael’s expression darkened. “The next core is in the heart of Drakemire. The city’s rulers are exploiting its power to control the Threads—and the people. If we don’t stop them, they’ll tear the fabric of reality apart.”

  “And if they don’t?” Lyra asked, folding her arms.

  Kael’s gaze turned grim. “Then the Wraith’s followers will finish what it started.”

  As we set out toward Drakemire, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation. Kael’s presence added a new tension to the group, but it also felt… right.

  “You sure about this?” Lyra asked as we walked.

  “Not even a little,” I said, grinning. “But when have I ever been sure about anything?”

  Aeryn sighed, her shadows flickering faintly. “Just try not to get us all killed, Vale.”

  “No promises,” I said, the shard humming faintly within me.

  The Threads might have been stable for now, but the road ahead was anything but. And honestly? I wouldn’t have had it any other way.