Chapter 19 : The Ashes of Vallombre

The silence settled heavily after the elf's final words. Fear, palpable, slid like a shadow among the group's members. Claude felt his heart quicken as he observed the faces of his companions. All bore the same expression: a mix of disbelief and terror.

Eryndel clenched his teeth, his eyes meeting Claude's as if to confirm the unthinkable. Yes, they had heard correctly. The elf before them, with his mischievous smile and words dripping with arrogance, truly intended to use them as his next playthings.

Khael seemed to savor their hesitation, his eyes gleaming with an almost childlike satisfaction.

"Oh, I love these looks," he murmured. "Fear, uncertainty... You're already delighting me, but, you know..."

He pretended to ponder, raising a hand in a dramatic gesture.

"You'd better entertain me, or else..."

But he didn't have time to finish his sentence.

As one, the group sprang into action. They had understood each other without a word, driven by a shared resolve: if they were to die, it wouldn't be by standing still, waiting for their fate.

Claude was the first to reach the elf, drawing his sword in a silver flash. The blade cut through the air with deadly precision, aiming straight for their adversary's chest.

At the same moment, Eryndel also drew his weapon, circling the elf to attack from the flank. Ryndiel, swift as lightning, nocked an arrow and released it toward the elf's face, while Thaelion and Faelar charged from the sides, their weapons ready to strike.

Lysariel, positioned at the rear, quickly chanted spells, creating bursts of light and waves of energy to disorient the enemy.

Khael, caught off guard, instinctively stepped back. His smile faded for a moment, replaced by an expression of surprise.

And that's when Tylwen struck.

Silent as a shadow, she had blended into the chaos, waiting for the perfect opening. When the elf deftly sidestepped Ryndiel's arrow, he gave Tylwen the opportunity she had been waiting for. Emerging behind him, her dagger grazed his throat in a black flash, aiming to sever his windpipe.

But Khael reacted with inhuman speed. In a fluid motion, he leaned forward, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade. The steel grazed his skin, leaving a thin red scratch, but failing to deliver a fatal blow.

His eyes widened briefly as he realized he had just brushed with death. Then, a smile returned to his face, a smile tinged with a new light, no longer amused, but genuinely excited.

"Interesting..." he murmured, before countering with lightning speed.

He raised a hand, and an invisible wave erupted around him, sending debris flying in all directions. However, in his haste, he lacked precision. His powers, though immense, were still poorly controlled, and his erratic movements left openings.

Claude seized the opportunity, pivoting to avoid a flying branch and thrusting his sword toward the elf. Khael narrowly dodged, his sleeve tearing to reveal a strange dark mark on his skin.

"You'll regret this!" he roared, his voice echoing like a thunderclap.

Despite his words, he staggered, destabilized by the coordinated assault. The attacks kept raining down, forcing the elf to defend clumsily, sweeping the air with an invisible force to push the group back.

But they held firm. Together, they formed an unstoppable force, determined not to give him a moment's respite.

***

As the group's attacks intensified, Khael continued to retreat, dodging with exaggerated precision, his movements sometimes too dramatic to be natural.

"Oh no! You're so... relentless," he taunted, his voice feigning panic.

Claude frowned as he watched him evade a simultaneous strike from Thaelion and Faelar with unsettling agility. Something was off. His movements were too fluid, his dodges too calculated. This wasn't the reaction of someone cornered.

"He's toying with us!" Eryndel shouted, adjusting a sweeping strike.

Khael burst into laughter, a harsh and terrifying sound.

"Bravo, youngsters, bravo!" he said, blocking Eryndel's sword strike with a simple wave of his hand, the steel stopping inches from his skin as if held by an unseen force.

The smile he gave them this time was anything but benevolent. It was predatory, cruel.

"Playing the victim was fun, but..." he sighed, rolling his shoulders. "It's time to really have some fun."

His right hand rose slowly, and an invisible shockwave radiated around him, throwing the entire group backward. The companions' bodies were lifted like straw and violently hurled against the surrounding trees and debris.

Claude struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth. The force of the impact had knocked the wind out of him, but he refused to stay down. He looked up at the elf, who now stood tall, his dark aura more imposing than ever.

"Ah... That's better," Khael murmured, his fingers closing in the air as if grasping an object. "This power... It's fascinating. I'm not entirely comfortable with it yet, but... let's say I've grasped the basics."

He took a step forward, the shadows around him seeming to intensify.

"And you, my dear sacrifices, are perfect for refining my skills. Consider it an honor."

A guttural laugh escaped his throat as he raised both arms. The debris around him, chunks of logs, stones, even fallen weapons, rose into the air as if obeying an invisible will.

"Let's begin," he said with a predatory smile. "Don't break too quickly."