A moment of stillness ensued.
Kael's eyes darted left but he found nothing. He turned to his right but still nothing.
A faint sound of wind suddenly rushed up from behind him. He pivoted, but Lord Arid was faster this time.
The noble dropped from above with his blade aimed at Kael's shoulder. Kael barely raised his dagger in time to deflect, but the force drove him down to one knee.
Lord Arid slammed his boot into Kael's chest.
Kael flew backward.
He hit the ground hard, rolled once, and came up coughing dust. His shoulder throbbed in pain. A burn traced along his ribs from where the shadow blade had grazed him mid-flight.
Lord Arid approached slowly now, calm and collected. His weapon trailed behind him like a leash dragging from a predator's neck.
"I thought you said you knew you could win," Lord Arid said derisively.
Kael coughed as he stood. "I still do."
He wiped the blood from his lip. His vision sharpened, every detail of the gorge snapping into focus.
The loose rocks, jagged edges. The flickering torchlight bouncing off Lord Arid's blade. Night Predator honed in again, syncing with his breathing.
Kael moved.
This time, he didn't charge head-on.
He broke left and then right.
Then vanished behind a rock outcrop before appearing from the opposite side with the blade flashing upward.
Lord Arid parried, but the timing was off.
Kael's blade caught the noble across the arm—a shallow cut, but it drew blood. Black mist hissed from the wound, curling away into the air like smoke.
Lord Arid's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed.
Kael pressed harder.
He weaved between strikes, reading each twitch of Arid's fingers, and each tilt of his foot. Another cut opened on Lord Arid's side. Then his shoulder.
It was still shallow, but the damage was stacking.
"Why are you holding back?" Kael taunted.
Lord Arid didn't answer. Instead, he dropped to one knee and slammed his palm into the ground.
—Shadow Rift—
The earth split beneath Kael's feet. A black void gaped open like a maw. From it rose hands that were skeletal, and twisting things made of shadow and bone. They reached out, grabbing for Kael's legs.
Kael jumped, but one hand caught his ankle in mid-air. The skeletal arm flipped him and slammed him to the ground with bone-rattling force.
The shadows surged upward, trying to drag him into the rift.
Kael grit his teeth and stabbed downward. His dagger cut through the hand holding him, freeing his leg. But more came like tendrils of a Cephalopoda.
They were too many.
He slashed and kicked. Burned through every last ounce of strength to keep from being swallowed.
"Come on..." he hissed, his heart pounding.
His eyes glinted, and then in a flash, he drove the blade into the center of the rift.
The ground shook. A low hum surged from the dagger as energy pulsed outward in waves.
The shadows screamed—actually screamed in a literal sense and retreated in one violent sweep of smoke and shrieking wind.
Kael panted in relief, sweat soaking through his shirt.
He looked up.
Lord Arid stood at the other end with his arm bleeding, and eyes darker than before.
"You're getting annoying," Lord Arid spat hatefully.
Kael smirked. "Good. That means I'm doing a great job."
Lord Arid raised his hand again, but Kael was already moving.
Kael darted forward, closing the distance before Lord Arid could finish his next spell. His blade slashed in a tight arc, forcing the noble to step back.
As soon as Lord Arid backed away, Kael turned, shifting his weight low, and struck again but this time going for his opponent's thigh.
Lord Arid twisted at the last second, avoiding a deep cut but taking a graze along the side of his leg. A thin line of black blood trailed from the wound. His jaw tightened, but he didn't show he felt the pain.
Kael didn't let up.
His dagger flicked out in quick, precise strikes with each one intended to push Lord Arid further onto the defensive.
The noble countered with minimal effort, his shadow-forged blade moving with an eerie fluidity. Though Kael was faster now and more deliberate in his attacks.
His battle instincts were sharpened by Night Predator, which was able to pick up on even the smallest changes in Lord Arid's posture, such as the way his fingers contracted before each blow or the minute changes in his foot weight.
Kael ducked under a horizontal slash. A gust of wind brushed his hair as the shadow blade barely missed his head. He kicked off the ground and rolled past Lord Arid, rising just behind him.
He drove his dagger toward the spot between the noble's nape and his lower spine.
A heartbeat before impact, shadows burst out from Lord Arid's back like wings. They slammed into Kael's chest, knocking him off balance and sending him skidding across the dirt. He hastily dug his heels in to stop himself, breath ragged.
Arid straightened his posture, his expression icy-cold. "I see it now," he murmured. "You're nothing but a stubborn undying roach."
Kael wiped a trail of blood from his lips and let out a harsh sigh. "And you're just a bitter loser."
Arid's fingers twitched and Kael's grip tightened on his blade.
They moved at the same time.
Kael charged in low with his dagger angled at Lord Arid's ribs. The noble flicked his wrist, sending a streak of shadow slicing toward Kael's throat.
He twisted at the last second, feeling the cold kiss of the formless weapon scrape against his skin but ignoring the pain.
His dagger found flesh.
The blade plunged into Lord Arid's side, sinking deep.
Lord Arid made a sound for the first time, more of a faint hiss than a painful gasp. He held Kael in place by grabbing his wrist with his free hand. Shadows tightened around his fingertips like iron chains.
Kael gritted his teeth.
Lord Arid's eyes gleamed with something dark. "You shouldn't have come this close."
The shadows surged.
As the primal energy encircled Kael's flesh, a sharp, icy pain radiated up his arm. He struggled to pry his hand away, but Arid's hold remained firm.
The noble raised his blade to strike but Kael reacted on instinct. He slammed his forehead into Lord Arid's nose.
The impact broke his nasal bones.
For a split second, Lord Arid's hold loosened as he recoiled from the sudden intense pain. That was all Kael needed. He yanked his dagger free and wrenched backward, stumbling out of the noble's grasp.
Lord Arid growled, smoke-like shadows seeping from his wounds. Black blood flowed out from his nostrils but he didn't wipe it away.
Kael rolled his shoulder and let out a breath. "Hurts, doesn't it?"