Chapter:6-The Burden Within

(A few days pass since the encounter. Kael's training continues, but something feels different. His body is moving, his sword striking, but his mind… his heart aches. And it's getting worse.)

Scene: The Weight of the Unknown

(Kael sits at the edge of the castle wall, overlooking the courtyard where Hong Sun and Elyse spar. His chest tightens—not from exhaustion, but from something else entirely. It's subtle at first, a dull ache, but each day it lingers longer.)

Kael (clutching his chest, thinking): "What the hell is this?"

(He's felt pain before—injuries, exhaustion, even near-death experiences. But this? This isn't something he can fight. It's not something he can train through.)

(Hong Sun notices Kael zoning out and jogs over, wiping sweat from his forehead.)

Hong Sun: "Hey, man, you good? You've been weird lately."

Kael (forcing a smirk): "Weird? You mean stronger?"

Hong Sun (rolling his eyes): "Yeah, yeah. Stronger, sure. But you also look like you just lost a battle against yourself."

(Kael pauses, his fingers twitching. Because it's true. He's felt off ever since the fight with Elyse—or maybe even before that.)

Kael (thinking): "Is it because of that moment? When I lost control?"

(He wants to believe it's just stress, but deep inside, something whispers that it's more than that. And it's growing.)

Scene: The Dark Knight's Watch

(Deep within the shadows of the castle, a pair of crimson eyes remain fixed on Kael. The Dark Knight, standing atop an abandoned tower, watches the young warrior below.)

(The knight's presence is silent, unreadable, yet his gaze holds a weight of knowing. He has seen this before. He knows what is stirring inside Kael.)

???: "It's happening faster than I expected…"

(The wind howls around him, his cape fluttering like a shadow blending into the night. For now, he remains unseen, unheard. But soon… he will have to act.)

(As the chapter ends, Kael unknowingly grips his chest again, eyes narrowing toward the distant horizon—feeling as if something is watching. The unseen battle within him has begun.)