Chapter 50

Ezra POV

After assuring Cyrus that I would be okay, I told him to go, hurry, and wait for me outside the new astral gate. He didn't push back much but asked me to hold onto his new weapon, telling me it was a keepsake he wanted to keep. I did as he asked, absorbing the weapon into my astral forge by activating my second rune.

I watched him step into the new rift entrance, and once I felt his cosmic signature dissipate from the astral realm, I turned my focus back to the oncoming threat making its way toward the Celestium mines. I didn't feel the need to hide or conceal myself because I knew that if I could sense their signatures, they could sense mine as well. Sitting patiently, I waited for them to arrive.

One of the figures, I knew all too well—my treacherous friend Adam. But the person beside him was a stranger to me. However, judging by the fluctuations in his cosmic energy, he was undoubtedly the dominant force I had sensed when the astral gate opened. His hulking frame stood close to eight feet tall, his dark gray skin laced with molten red veins that ran from his arms to his neck. His bald head and sharp crimson eyes made him look even more imposing. I could see why Adam no longer carried the same confidence he had several weeks ago.

As the two approached, I noticed that Adam's companion wore attire unsuited for mundane activity. He was clad in heavy, jagged black armor that pulsed with heat. Is he coming for a battle? I wondered as they laid eyes on me.

"You never cease to amaze me, Ezra. How did you break out of that barrier?" Adam asked, shaking his head in annoyance.

"It appears you weren't as diligent in your planning as you thought. You didn't account for one variable," I shot back.

"We sensed two signatures here earlier when we first entered. Where did the other one go? Did one of these miners survive and free you?" Adam asked, seeming genuinely stumped.

"Nope. Don't worry—you made sure not one survived."

"Adam, I sensed a rift opening. I thought you said it wasn't cleared," the hulking man said, his crimson eyes locked solely on me.

"It wasn't. I've been keeping tabs on it for the past week. It must have just happened recently. But there isn't anyone in our village capable enough to clear it and survive."

Hearing Adam ramble about the rift filled me with a deep sense of pride, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at, Ezra? If I were you, I wouldn't be laughing right now," Adam said, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Adam, it's just so funny. You can't even come to the one conclusion staring you in the face. And why shouldn't I be laughing? A thirteen-year-old boy cleared a stage-two rift by himself—a feat this town hasn't accomplished in decades."

Adam's face twisted into a frown, which only made me chuckle more. I could sense his agitation boiling over. I knew he wanted to strike me, but even with my depleted cosmic energy, he wasn't foolish enough to attack.

"Enough of this banter. Adam, you may leave now. Thank you for bringing me here," the hulking man said.

"And just who might you be?" I asked.

"He's Kael Arvath, leader of the Twilight Obsidian Guild—the leader of the man you scorched in the woods," Adam said as he began walking away. "Oh, and Ezra, I hope your son is good at playing hide-and-seek. Someone is offering a high price for that boy."

"Something tells me you won't have to go far to find him, Adam. I just hope that price is worth it."

"I hope you have fun in the afterlife, Ezra," Adam sneered before vanishing from the astral realm.

With Adam gone, only Kael and I remained. His expression didn't change one bit.

"Kael, right? Sorry about what happened earlier with one of your guild members. Do you have kids, by chance?" I asked, trying to dissuade him from a fight.

"Yes," he said coldly, his demeanor unreadable.

"Then you understand the lengths someone will go to protect their child. Your subordinates tried to kill my son and steal the core of an astral behemoth from him. I wasn't going to let that slide."

"Ezra, I understand. But the real reason I'm here isn't for retaliation. I'm here to take your head, put it on a silver platter, and present it to my master."

"I thought you were the founder and leader of your guild," I said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Yes, but I'm part of something much bigger than my meager guild. I'm sure you ran into one of our squads not long ago." A grin formed on the side of his cheek.

"The Lux Tenebris, right?" I replied.

"Correct. We're ridding the world of the twelve great clans' clutches, and your clan was the first to fall. With you gone, everything else should be smooth sailing," Kael said, his grin widening as his cosmic energy began to rise.

"We were the only clan actually trying to do some good. That was what all my work was about. But I assume you knew that and still framed me anyway."

"Your clan was the biggest culprit. You had all the power in the world, yet you remained complicit. You could have wiped out the clans that did wrong, but instead, you gave them mere slaps on the wrist. What good is all that power if you don't use it for something meaningful? That's why your clan had to go. We don't care if that duty was bestowed upon you by the Pantheon."

Kael's cosmic energy erupted. "Now, come, Ezra. Show me why they call you the Emperor of the Sun. I can't wait to be the one to finally snuff out that legendary light of yours."