Chapter 21: Fractured Worlds

A deafening explosion tore through the battlefield, swallowing Kael and Sienna in a storm of light and shadow. Kael felt himself being pulled in multiple directions at once, his body weightless yet stretched, as though he were caught between two warring forces.

For a brief moment, there was nothing—no sound, no air, no sensation. Then, with a sudden jolt, reality slammed back into place.

Kael hit the ground hard, his body rolling over jagged stone. He groaned, pain flaring through every muscle as he forced himself onto his hands and knees. His head pounded, his vision blurry, but he was alive.

"Sienna?" he croaked, blinking rapidly.

Silence.

The battlefield was gone. The glowing fissures, the towering Keeper, even the oppressive darkness had vanished. Kael now stood in an unfamiliar land, beneath a sky that looked… broken.

Great cracks of light stretched across the heavens like shattered glass, shimmering with a strange iridescence. The ground beneath him was uneven and black, resembling the same obsidian-like rock that had consumed the battlefield before the explosion. A cold wind howled through the air, carrying with it whispers that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

He turned slowly, searching for Sienna, his heart hammering.

She was nowhere in sight.

Kael's breath quickened. "Sienna!" he called out, his voice echoing strangely.

No answer.

His grip tightened around the Heartstone blade, its glow faint but steady. He scanned his surroundings, trying to make sense of where he had landed. The terrain stretched endlessly, devoid of trees, grass, or life. In the distance, jagged spires of black rock jutted toward the fractured sky. The air smelled of something unfamiliar—like burnt ozone and old stone.

Where was he?

The last thing he remembered was the Keeper speaking that single, ominous word: Awaken.

Kael swallowed hard. Had he been transported? Had the Keeper's destruction unleashed some unknown power?

Or worse…

Had he been pulled into a different world altogether?

He pushed the thought aside. Sienna had been right next to him. If he had been transported, then she must have been as well. He just had to find her.

Kael took a deep breath and forced himself to move. His legs ached, his ribs protested with every step, but he pressed forward toward the nearest rock formation. It loomed high above the cracked landscape, and if he could reach the top, he might be able to see further.

With each step, the whispers in the wind grew stronger.

He comes.

Kael froze. The words weren't random. They were clear, deliberate.

Someone—or something—was speaking.

He spun around, blade at the ready, but there was no one there. The landscape remained barren, unmoving. But the feeling of being watched sent chills down his spine.

Gritting his teeth, Kael forced himself to keep going. He reached the base of the jagged rock and began to climb, using whatever cracks and edges he could find. The stone was cold beneath his fingers, and the higher he climbed, the more unstable the wind became, pushing against him as if trying to throw him back down.

He finally reached the top and pulled himself up onto a flat ledge.

And then he saw it.

A vast city sprawled out before him, nestled in a valley of black stone. But this was no ordinary city—it was wrong. The buildings were twisted, their architecture unnatural, with towers that seemed to lean at impossible angles. A pale blue light pulsed from within the city's core, illuminating the streets in an eerie glow.

Kael's breath caught in his throat.

What was this place?

His eyes darted across the cityscape, scanning for any sign of movement. And then—

A figure.

Far below, at the city's entrance, a lone figure stood. They were too far away for Kael to make out details, but something about them felt… familiar.

His heart pounded. Sienna?

He didn't hesitate. He scrambled back down the rock formation as quickly as he could, ignoring the sharp sting of his scraped palms. The moment his feet hit solid ground, he broke into a sprint, his exhaustion forgotten.

He had to reach the city. He had to find Sienna.

The whispers in the wind grew louder with every step.

He comes. He awakens. The cycle begins anew.

Kael gritted his teeth, pushing forward. Whatever this place was, whatever had happened to him, none of it mattered right now.

All that mattered was getting to her.

He was halfway across the open plain when a deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air.

Kael skidded to a stop.

The shadows around him began to move.

His pulse pounded as he raised his blade, watching in horror as the darkness pooled together, forming shapes—twisted, humanoid figures with glowing white eyes and elongated limbs. Their bodies flickered like smoke, shifting and reforming as if struggling to maintain a solid form.

Kael took a step back, his grip tightening. "Stay back," he warned.

The figures did not listen.

As one, they lunged.

Kael barely had time to react. He swung the Heartstone blade, its light flaring as it cut through the nearest figure. The creature let out an unearthly shriek and dissolved into mist, but the others pressed forward.

Kael ducked beneath a clawed hand, rolling to the side as another shadowy form lunged at him. He struck again, the blade cutting through two more creatures in a single arc. But there were too many.

The whispers in the wind turned to laughter.

Kael clenched his jaw. I can't fight them all. I need to run.

He turned on his heel and sprinted toward the city, the shadow-creatures screeching as they pursued him. His lungs burned, his legs ached, but he didn't stop. The city walls loomed closer, the blue light intensifying.

Fifty feet.

Thirty.

Ten.

Kael threw himself forward, just as an unseen force yanked him off his feet.

He crashed onto the stone ground inside the city walls, gasping for breath. The moment his body crossed the threshold, the creatures halted. They screeched in frustration, their forms flickering violently before they dissolved into the air.

Kael lay there, chest heaving, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"You made it."

Kael's eyes snapped open.

The voice was unmistakable.

He rolled onto his back, his heart hammering as he saw her.

Sienna stood above him, her face partially hidden by the blue glow of the city. But something was… different. Her expression was unreadable, her posture tense. And her eyes…

Her eyes were glowing.

Kael's breath caught. "Sienna?"

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked past him, toward the shadows beyond the city walls.

"They're coming, Kael," she said softly. "And we don't have much time."

Kael pushed himself up, trying to ignore the unease curling in his stomach. "What happened to you?"

Sienna finally looked at him, her glowing eyes unreadable.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Before Kael could ask another question, a deep rumbling echoed through the city.

Something else had awakened.

And they were no longer alone.