Chapter 4 – The Awakened Gleam

"No…!" I felt something inside me break.

When Arkhan Draevos, The Spectre, raised his staff to finish off Ken… something in my body burned. Literally.

A scorching heat rose from my legs, enveloping my chest, my arms, my face. My eyes, clouded by dust and fury, saw the blue flame glowing on the edge of my sword. I stood up. I didn't know how I was doing it… but I was.

Arkhan looked at me. No longer with contempt. But with a spark of curiosity in his gray eyes.

He let go of Ken. He stepped back.

"That was fast," he said in his calm voice. "You're not the same as you were a minute ago. Your strength… I can feel it. You're almost at my level, kid. But…"

He drove his staff into the ground with one hand and smiled.

"You're forgetting something. I still haven't shown even ten percent of my power."

I pointed my sword at him. My voice sounded deeper than normal, as if the fire was speaking from within me.

"I won't let these people die."

I leaped toward him.

Our battle began with a crash. My sword clashed against his staff, and the air exploded with shockwaves and scorching sparks. Each blow created a new echo on the battlefield. We leaped, spun, dodged, and every time our weapons met, the ground trembled.

Ken, barely conscious, tried to get up from the sand. I glanced at him. I had never seen anyone so… determined in the midst of pain.

"Flame Edge!" I muttered.

A trail of fire cut through the air. Arkhan moved to the side, but the heat scorched his coat.

"Hmm… interesting," he whispered. "Now let's try this."

Harmonic Rupture.

A sonic wave emerged from his staff, shattering rocks and fragmenting the ground beneath my feet. I spun, falling to my knees, but I forced myself to get up. The fire held me up.

My arms were vibrating. My body was covered in dust. But the Crimson Gleam continued to beat inside me.

I went back on the attack.

"Crimson Burst!"

A wave of heat expanded from my sword. The air warped from the thermal energy. Arkhan raised a vibration barrier, but he still stumbled back two steps, with a grimace of discomfort.

"Silent Veil."

And suddenly… everything was silent.

The world lost its noise. My steps, my gasps, the clang of metal… everything disappeared.

I saw his figure advance like a true specter. But fire doesn't need sound to burn.

I screamed without a voice. I jumped. I attacked.

"Seal of the Old Fire!"

A chaotic blaze erupted from my sword. The blade vibrated with something ancient. Arkhan frowned. His staff trembled as it received the impact. It was deflected just barely… but it was enough.

The Spectre slid back three meters, dragging his heels firmly.

Then…

We clashed with brutal force.

An explosion of light, fire, and sonic waves sent us flying in opposite directions.

I landed among the rubble. I coughed from the dust and forced myself to stand up. On the other side, Arkhan had landed on his feet, dragging his boots on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt.

"Do you know why I came so far at such a young age?" he asked, dusting himself off.

Before I could answer, his voice faded…

📜 Flashback – Arkhan, 16 years old, Talveran Kingdom Academy

"Who is that kid?" one of the officers asked.

The young man with white hair knelt in the middle of the training field. All the mannequins were shattered… without him having moved from his spot.

"The new recruit. He activated his resonance without using any artifacts."

A sonic wave floated around young Arkhan, as if his breath alone altered the environment. The instructors watched him in silence… knowing there was something terrifying about him.

"Name?"

"Arkhan Draevos… sir."

And that day, he was promoted to the Talveran Squad. In his first month.

Present

"…It's because I was always above everyone else," Arkhan continued. "And a little bug like you shouldn't even have the privilege of facing me. But…"

He cracked his neck.

"Since I was ordered to retrieve you… I'll fulfill my mission. I'll do you the favor of dying by my hands."

The ground trembled.

The waves began to expand. Everything around us was shaken: trees, destroyed walls, even the bodies of Zayen and Rhok slid from the force.

I was barely holding on.

"The time has come… for you to meet the real Spectre."

But just when I thought the air would split into a thousand pieces… Arkhan stopped.

I heard a buzz. He put two fingers to his ear. His communicator vibrated.

"What?"

Silence.

"I'm not finished. Two more minutes and this mission will be complete…"

Another pause. The voice on the other end was firm. Unbreakable.

"If you advance… you will face consequences. Orders from the Dark Empire."

Arkhan's face changed.

His eyes stopped glowing. His body relaxed. He took a deep breath… and turned off his power.

"Tch…"

He approached the unconscious bodies of his allies: Chakal, Cruz, Mano Dura, and his soldiers. With a gesture of his staff, he broke the energy bonds that held them.

"Anyway," he said as he looked at me for the last time. "I won't leave empty-handed."

I stood there, sword alight, my legs trembling… and my heart on fire.