Chapter 3: The Sky Was Never Theirs

Kael hit the warship's hull hard, rolling with the impact. The reinforced metal groaned beneath him, streaked with plasma burns and debris from the battle.

Above him, Veyrith roared—a monstrous, sky-splitting sound that sent shockwaves through the air. The Leviathan's wings beat hard, propelling him into another dive, talons ripping through an enemy gunship like paper.

Kael pushed to his feet. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

The Ascended warship was massive, an aerial fortress floating in the storm-choked sky. Gun turrets lined its edges, tracking targets below. Engine vents hissed, releasing bursts of superheated steam.

And Kael had just landed on it.

Perfect.

He started moving. Fast.

The warship's deck was already crawling with Ascended enforcers.

The first wave rushed him—five heavily armored cybernetic warriors, weapons glowing with plasma energy.

Kael twisted his grip on the Celestial Cleaver.

The blade shifted in his hands, morphing from greatsword to twin scimitars. Lighter, faster. He welcomed the weight of them, spinning both blades as he launched forward.

The first kill was effortless.

Kael ducked low, sidestepping the first enforcer's overhead strike. His left blade slashed through the soldier's knee, severing the limb in a clean, brutal arc.

The second sword followed through, cutting cleanly through the enforcer's neck.

Blood—thick, synthetic, dark—splattered onto the deck.

The enforcer collapsed.

The others hesitated.

Kael grinned. "Not fast enough."

Then he moved again—a blur of silver and shadow.

The second enforcer swung. Kael parried mid-motion, spinning into the space behind them. A quick, precise slash tore through the weak joint in their armor.

The enforcer choked, staggering forward as their spine was severed.

Kael didn't stop.

He ripped his blade free, dodged another strike, and drove both swords into the third enforcer's chest.

Three down.

The remaining two stepped back, recalibrating, their optical lenses shifting. Kael could hear their internal systems processing new strategies.

He exhaled sharply. They were learning.

Then one of them activated a kinetic repulsor.

Kael barely had time to react before the shockwave slammed into him.

The force hurled him backward, his boots scraping against the warship's deck as he fought for balance. His grip tightened around his swords.

The two remaining enforcers raised their weapons—high-frequency spears, pulsing with golden light.

Kael gritted his teeth. He had fought worse.

Then the sky split open.

A spear of pure light struck the deck between them, obliterating one of the enforcers instantly.

Kael snapped his head up.

And he felt her presence before he saw her.

A lone figure descended from the heavens, wings spread wide.

She landed without sound, her armored boots touching the deck as gently as falling ash.

A metallic mask covered her face, but Kael didn't need to see her expression to know.

He knew exactly who she was.

The last time he had seen her, her lips had been on his, her hands covered in his blood.

Now, she stood before him as his executioner.

The remaining enforcer stepped back, lowering his weapon.

Kael exhaled slowly. "Seraphis."

Her voice was calm, measured, but laced with something sharp beneath.

"Kael Varathen. You should have stayed dead."

Seraphis stood bathed in the golden glow of the warship's floodlights, her silver-and-crimson armor gleaming with a cold, inhuman beauty.

Her presence commanded silence. Even the remaining Ascended enforcer took a step back, lowering his weapon in quiet deference.

Kael didn't move.

The wind howled around them, carrying the distant sounds of screaming metal, plasma fire, and the monstrous roars of his Leviathan.

But here, in this moment, it was just the two of them.

Seraphis tilted her head slightly, her voice smooth, even.

"You were never meant to wake up."

Kael exhaled slowly. "And yet, here we are."

She stepped forward, slow, deliberate. "You understand what this means, don't you?"

His grip tightened around the Celestial Cleaver. "It means you're here to kill me."

A small pause.

Then, she nodded. "Yes."

Kael grinned, but there was no humor in it. "Good. Then let's not waste time."

And then he moved.

The moment Kael lunged, Seraphis was already reacting.

Her twin plasma-forged blades ignited, their violet glow casting eerie reflections across her silver mask.

Their first clash sent shockwaves through the warship's deck.

Kael struck low, aiming for the unarmored gap between her ribs.

She sidestepped effortlessly, twisting mid-motion, one blade sweeping toward his throat.

Kael ducked. The plasma edge passed inches from his skin, burning the air itself.

He retaliated—a brutal, overhead slash. The Celestial Cleaver shifted in his hands, morphing into a war axe mid-swing.

Seraphis blocked with crossed blades.

The impact sent both of them skidding backward.

For a fraction of a second, they stared at each other.

Then they attacked again.

Kael moved with raw, destructive force. His attacks were heavy, unrelenting, designed to overwhelm.

Seraphis was faster. She moved with surgical precision, every strike calculated.

They clashed again and again, blades singing, feet sliding across the metal deck.

Kael aimed a **wide arc at her midsection—**she parried, then countered, spinning into a reverse strike that almost took his head off.

He barely dodged in time.

She was pushing him.

Testing him.

And he hated it.

"You're holding back."

Seraphis didn't answer.

Kael's eyes narrowed. "You had a clear shot just now. You didn't take it."

She lunged again, forcing him back. But Kael saw it now—a fraction of hesitation, buried beneath her precision.

He growled. "Fight me, Seraphis."

She twisted her grip on her blades. "You don't want that."

Kael spat blood onto the deck, grinning. "Then make me believe it."

She did.

🔥 The Storm Rages – Meanwhile, Elsewhere…

Above them, Veyrith carved through the sky, his massive form silhouetted against the burning clouds.

On the battlefield below, Elyndra Vael was running out of time.

She moved fast, cutting down an Ascended soldier before he could reach the controls of a rebel gunship.

"Arkan!" she barked into her comms.

The veteran's voice came back, strained. "Holding the perimeter, but we need to move. The Ascended are bringing in something big."

Elyndra's gut twisted.

Then she heard it.

A distant, thunderous hum—something massive powering up.

She turned—and saw it.

A colossal war-mech, descending from the nearest Ascended dreadnought.

Nine feet tall, plated in pure obsidian armor, wielding a blade forged from starfire.

An Arch-Ascended.

Elyndra's blood went cold.

"We have a problem."