Lucian ran, his breath ragged, his heart hammering against his ribs. The night air was thick with the weight of his fear, the trees around him blurring as he pushed forward with everything he had. He could still feel the presence of the 12th Scion looming behind him, a predator in pursuit, relentless and unyielding.

  Then, he heard it—the shift in the air, the cold press of something unnatural. The 12th Scion had moved. In an instant, Lucian felt the surge of power behind him. A crushing force, dark and insidious, coiled like a serpent, ready to strike.

  A sliver of a second. A breath between life and death.

  The attack came, a twisting tendril of abyssal energy slicing through the air, aimed straight for Lucian’s back.

  But before it could reach him—

  A blinding eruption of golden flames surged into existence, consuming the darkness. The force of it sent a shockwave rippling through the night, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Lucian stumbled forward, barely catching himself, eyes wide as he turned to see the source.

  Aldric stood between him and the 12th Scion, his stance unyielding, his aura a blazing inferno of gold. His eyes burned like twin suns, his very presence radiating a power unlike anything Lucian had ever felt. The golden flames curled around him, crackling with raw Ascen energy, forming an impenetrable barrier against the Scion’s attack.

  The 12th Scion halted, their cloaked form tilting slightly in intrigue. Then, a chuckle. A slow, hollow laughter, echoing in the night air.

  “Interesting,” the Scion mused, their voice a mixture of amusement and calculation. “Very interesting.”

  They took a slow step forward, the shadows around them shifting unnaturally, as if reality itself recoiled at their presence.

  “I first suspected that you were the one who slew the Varr’gorrath,” the Scion continued, eyeing Aldric with something almost resembling respect. “Such power… rare to see a mortal wield an Ascen of this magnitude.”

  Their head tilted slightly, as if considering. Then, they turned their gaze past Aldric, toward the boy who still lingered at the edge of the battlefield, breathless and shaken.

  “But no,” the Scion mused, their voice dripping with revelation. “It is not you.”

  Their crimson gaze locked onto Lucian.

  “It is him.”

  Lucian’s breath caught in his throat. He felt exposed, as if the Scion had just peeled back a layer of his soul, examining the raw truth hidden beneath. His Ascen—the very power that had remained elusive—was known to this being. And worse…

  They had hunted him because of it.

  Aldric’s stance didn’t falter. If anything, the fire around him burned brighter, his golden aura surging with renewed intensity.

  “You’re not touching him,” Aldric said, his voice steady, resolute.

  The Scion smiled beneath their hood, their presence exuding cold amusement. “Do you truly believe you can stop me?”

  Aldric didn’t answer with words. Instead, he moved.

  Faster than Lucian had ever seen, Aldric closed the distance between them in an instant, his fist igniting with divine flames as he struck. The air shattered with the force of his blow, golden fire erupting like a storm.

  The 12th Scion barely evaded, their form flickering out of reach as dark energy coiled protectively around them. But Aldric was relentless. He pressed forward, every strike sending shockwaves through the night, each movement a seamless blend of speed and power. Flames raged, shadows lashed back, two forces colliding in an earth-shaking clash.

  Lucian watched, frozen between awe and terror. The sheer scale of the battle unfolding before him was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

  But then—

  Aldric turned his head slightly, just for a moment, his burning eyes locking onto Lucian’s.

  “Run.”

  Lucian clenched his fists. He wanted to stay, to fight. But he knew the truth—he wasn’t ready. Staying meant dying.

  So, with one last look at Aldric, he turned and fled into the darkness.

  The battle raged on behind him, the sounds of clashing forces echoing through the forest as he disappeared into the night. But even as he ran, one thought burned in his mind, unwavering.

  He would return.

  And when he did… he would be ready.

  -----------------------------------

  The night air trembled with power.

  Lucian barely registered the burning in his legs as he ran, stumbling through the forest, his heart hammering in his chest. Behind him, the ruined church pulsed with the overwhelming energy of two forces clashing—one of radiant fire, the other of abyssal shadow. The 12th Scion had come for him. But Aldric had stayed behind.

  And now, the battle had begun.

  Aldric stood firm in the shattered remains of the church, his body wreathed in a golden aura, his eyes burning like twin suns. The 12th Scion observed him with a cold, calculating gaze, cloaked in the writhing dark, silver etchings pulsing along his robes like veins feeding into something otherworldly.

  The Scion took a step forward, tilting his head slightly. "I must admit, I am curious. Your power is not ordinary. Tell me, warrior—what is your name?"

  Aldric did not waver. "Aldric."

  The Scion chuckled, his voice devoid of warmth. "A name I did not expect to hear again." His silver eyes gleamed beneath his hood. "The legendary mercenary who vanished without a trace. I had thought you were dead."

  Aldric's expression remained unreadable. "You should know better than to trust rumors."

  The Scion’s amusement deepened. "Clearly. But tell me, Aldric—what does a man like you know of the Voidaris?"

  A flicker of surprise crossed the Scion’s hidden face when Aldric’s expression remained unchanged, his grip on his dagger unwavering. "I know enough to recognize the Hollow Lord’s hounds when I see them," Aldric said coolly. "And I know enough to ask—what does he want with the boy?"

  A pause. Then, the Scion let out a slow, amused exhale. "You are full of surprises. Few mortals know of us, and even fewer dare speak of the Voidaris with such certainty."

  Aldric smirked, his aura flaring. "And fewer still know the name of the one who stands before them."

  For the first time, the 12th Scion tensed. "You amuse me, Aldric. But humor has no place here."

  Aldric took a step forward, his golden fire surging, illuminating the ruined church. "You are known as the Hollow Fang, are you not?"

  The Scion stilled. Then, beneath his hood, the faintest glint of silver eyes shone through the darkness.

  "How interesting," the Hollow Fang murmured. "Perhaps you are not as insignificant as I first thought. But knowing my name will not change the outcome of this night. The boy is marked. His Ascen is unlike any I have seen."

  Aldric’s jaw tightened. "He’s none of your concern."

  "Oh, but he is," the Hollow Fang countered smoothly. "The Hollow Lord does not pursue those without worth. And Lucian… carries something even you do not understand."

  Aldric’s gaze darkened, but the Hollow Fang continued, his voice a whisper of secrets yet revealed.

  "Do you know what truly slumbers inside him?"

  Aldric did not answer. He couldn't. Because he had feared this very thing for a long time.

  The Hollow Fang took another step forward, the air around him distorting once more. "You cannot protect him from what he is. No one can. The Hollow Lord does not hunt prey without reason."

  Aldric's golden aura surged, his patience wearing thin. "If you think I’ll let you take him—"

  The Scion raised a single gloved finger. "Let me? No, Aldric. I am simply here to collect what is already his."

  The church erupted in an explosion of force as both warriors lunged, golden fire clashing against abyssal darkness, shaking the very foundation of the land.

  And somewhere in the distance, running through the forest with fear clawing at his chest, Lucian could still hear the echoes of battle.

  And the words of the Scion, lingering in his mind like a curse.

  Do you know what truly slumbers inside you?

  ------------------------------------

  The air ignited.

  Aldric exhaled, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders. Lucian was far enough. There was no need to hold back anymore.

  A blinding surge of golden light erupted from his body, radiating with searing heat, illuminating the ruins of the church as if a second sun had risen in the dead of night. The ground cracked beneath his feet, the very air vibrating with the force of his unleashed Ascen. His coat billowed as the sheer force of his aura pushed against the encroaching darkness.

  The 12th Scion chuckled, the sound deep and amused, unshaken by the display. His silver eyes gleamed beneath his hood as he tilted his head. "Now there’s a sight I never thought I’d see again," he mused. "The Radiant Reaper… back from the dead."

  Aldric smirked, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off old memories. "Been a while since I heard that name." His golden aura flared brighter, casting deep shadows around the Scion. "I almost missed it."

  The Hollow Fang’s amusement faded. He straightened, his robes rustling as his presence deepened, the abyssal energy around him shifting. He turned his gaze toward the forest, sensing Lucian slipping further away. A hint of irritation crept into his voice.

  "This has gone on long enough."

  He raised a hand, his fingers curling as the air around him pulsed. A low, guttural hum resonated through the ruins.

  "I did not come here to dance in the light, Aldric."

  The darkness around him coalesced, tendrils of void energy twisting into unnatural forms, writhing like something alive. The ground beneath him shuddered, cracks spreading outward as a deep, bone-chilling pressure filled the air. His voice rang with unearthly resonance as he uttered a single name.

  "Var’Myrr."

  The world broke.

  A deafening explosion of black energy burst from the Scion’s form, tendrils of shadow lashing out violently, distorting reality itself. The ruined church crumbled further, stone and wood disintegrating in the wake of the abyssal force. The oppressive darkness thickened, twisting into something colossal, something alive.

  Aldric narrowed his eyes, feeling the shift in the air. His grip on his dagger tightened.

  So, the Hollow Fang was done playing games.

  And now, the real battle would begin.

  The world was swallowed in shadow.

  Aldric barely had time to react before a monstrous force slammed into him. A wave of abyssal energy, writhing and screaming, crashed like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf his golden light. He gritted his teeth, bracing himself as his aura flared outward, forcing back the encroaching darkness.

  The Hollow Fang stood at the epicenter of the abyss, his arms outstretched as his Relicarn—Var’Myrr—manifested.

  A deep, resonant shring echoed through the ruined church as twin arcs of jagged black steel took shape in his grasp. The dual scythes pulsed with a sickening, void-born energy, their curved blades shifting like liquid shadow, devouring the very light around them.

  Aldric exhaled sharply, flexing his fingers. His golden fire blazed even brighter, pushing against the suffocating weight of the Scion’s presence.

  Then they moved.

  The Hollow Fang struck first. With terrifying speed, he flickered forward, his scythes a blur of abyssal death. Aldric barely managed to twist aside as one blade whistled past his throat, carving into the stone behind him like butter. The second scythe came in low—aimed for his ribs.

  Aldric countered in an instant.

  His dagger met the dark blade, golden fire clashing against void energy in a violent burst. Sparks of pure light and shadow rained across the battlefield as the two warriors exchanged blow after blow, their weapons a blur of deadly precision.

  The Hollow Fang pressed the assault, his movements unpredictable, fluid—like a specter dancing between realms. His scythes moved in perfect tandem, one striking high, the other low, forcing Aldric onto the defensive.

  Aldric’s golden aura flared as he twisted through the air, narrowly dodging a decapitating arc. He felt the void energy hum past his skin—too close.

  He needed space.

  Summoning his full strength, he stomped the ground, sending a golden shockwave outward. The force sent the Hollow Fang skidding back, but the Scion merely laughed.

  "You haven’t lost your touch, Reaper."

  Aldric smirked, his golden fire intensifying. It had been a long time since he had heard that name.

  The Hollow Fang spun Var’Myrr with unnatural grace, the twin scythes shifting like living extensions of the void itself. His silver eyes gleamed, now devoid of amusement—only deadly intent remained.

  "But this must end."

  The temperature plummeted. The darkness thickened.

  The Hollow Fang raised both scythes above his head, void energy spiraling around him in a maelstrom of abyssal power. With a single command, he brought them down—

  And Var’Myrr screamed.

  A tidal wave of pure void erupted from the blades, surging toward Aldric with the force to annihilate anything in its path.

  Aldric clenched his teeth. He had no choice now.

  A deep breath. A pulse of golden energy.

  And then—

  His aura exploded.

  A pillar of radiant fire erupted from his body, incinerating the darkness in its wake. The sheer force of his unleashed Ascen shattered the stone beneath him, turning the battlefield into a storm of light and shadow.

  The Hollow Fang narrowed his eyes. For the first time, his grip on Var’Myrr tightened.

  "Good," he muttered.

  Then, without another word, they clashed again—gold and void colliding in a battle that would shake the heavens themselves.

  Aldric staggered back, blood seeping from his side. The Hollow Fang stood tall, Var’Myrr’s twin scythes pulsing with abyssal energy.

  "You disappoint me, Reaper," the Scion taunted. "The legends overstated your strength."

  Aldric chuckled, shaking off the pain. "You think this is my best?" He smirked. "I’ve only been using my Ascen."

  Then, power surged.

  Golden flames flared brighter, transcending into pure fire. The air trembled as Aldric raised one hand, his voice steady.

  "Ignite—Solbrand."

  The world responded.

  A deep, reverberating hum filled the air as golden embers coalesced in his palm. The ground cracked, the very atmosphere warping with unrestrained power. A form began to take shape—a hilt of glowing gold, a blade emerging like molten sunlight, forging itself in the heat of creation.

  The golden greatsword manifested inch by inch, its radiant fire licking hungrily at the darkness. The sheer presence of Solbrand sent shockwaves through the battlefield, golden light clashing against abyssal void.

  Aldric gripped Solbrand with a single hand, letting the greatsword rest effortlessly against his shoulder. His stance was relaxed, but his golden flames burned wilder than ever, radiating unshaken dominance.

  "Now, I will show you true fear, Scion." Aldric’s smirk deepened. "Come, Vaelros the Hollow Reaper. Let’s finish this."

  The Hollow Reaper’s smirk vanished.