The sky had no stars. Just ash.
The once-grand fortress trembled as the Wraithbound's Sync Fusion Form took its final shape. Flames no longer danced—they howled, like dying gods whispering from the seams of reality. The monstrosity before them wasn't just a foe—it was wrath incarnate.
His voice now rumbled like an ancient furnace. "Let me show you what true aura feels like."
He stepped forward.
The ground melted where his foot fell.
Kael stood his ground.
"Lyra, barrier," he said, not taking his eyes off the Wraithbound.
Lyra gritted her teeth, raising the Sunveil Feather high. "Solar Warden."
Golden light bloomed, shielding Kael and the others in a dome of warmth and resistance. But even it flickered under the pressure radiating from the fused form.
"Zera, any blind spots?" Kael asked quickly.
Zera's voice came calm and sharp, "Two seconds between flame surges—when he lifts his right arm. That's your opening."
Drayke growled, flame already licking up his arms. "I'll keep him busy."
Kael shot him a look. "Don't die."
Drayke grinned. "Can't die before I punch a god."
Then he charged.
The Wraithbound roared, unleashing a storm of cursed flame, but Drayke met it head-on, punching through the wave with sheer brute aura. Fire exploded around him—but he didn't stop.
"Infernal Blitz!"
The impact lit the air like a falling sun, briefly staggering the Wraithbound.
Zera vanished into the mist, flanking. "Echo Bind!"
Chains of spectral energy wrapped around the Wraithbound's legs for a heartbeat. Enough.
Kael dashed in, his Graveblade glowing white-hot with Ashen energy.
Burnout Dash.
He slipped under the Wraithbound's swinging claw, slashed upward in a perfect arc—cutting through the core in its chest.
The blade sang. Not metal—but memory. The sound of dying kings, falling empires, broken oaths.
The Wraithbound screamed.
Kael leapt back, breathing hard.
But it wasn't over.
The Wraithbound dropped to one knee, smoke pouring from the wound. "You've… resonated with the Graveblade."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"It means," the Wraithbound said, "your soul has begun to echo with Vaelorn's wrath. You're changing. And that blade—"
The Graveblade pulsed again.
—and Kael saw it.
For a moment, just a glimpse: another time, another wielder. A man with the same white hair, standing alone on a field of black glass. Slaying Eternals. Burning the sky.
The Wraithbound's voice was distant now. "You are his shadow. The last arc of a circle long forgotten."
Kael shook the vision from his mind. "I don't care who I'm supposed to be."
He raised the blade.
"I'll forge who I am."
The Graveblade responded—shifting. Its edge grew darker, runes glowing along the spine. It was alive now. Linked.
[Graveblade Resonance Unlocked]
Skill Gained: Soul Scorch – Ignite a fragment of a defeated enemy's aura and embed it into your next strike. Stronger against higher-ranked foes.
Kael's aura surged—Ashen Flame now spiked with traces of cursed fire.
The Wraithbound laughed, even as his body began to crack and wither. "Then come, echo of Vaelorn. Show me how you break fate."
Kael charged once more, blade trailing spectral fire.
They collided.
One last time.
The dust didn't settle. It collapsed.
Everything was still.
Kael stood over the crumbling remains of the Wraithbound, chest heaving. The Graveblade was sheathed on his back, smoke still curling from its edge.
Drayke sat slumped on a rock nearby, coughing up soot. "That guy was a whole nightmare."
Zera emerged from the shadows, her eyes narrowed. "That was a memory seal. You saw it too, didn't you?"
Kael said nothing.
Lyra stepped beside him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "We won. That's what matters."
But Kael didn't feel victorious.
He felt watched.
Like something beyond the veil had seen him awaken.
Like something was waiting.