🔥 Chapter 3 — The Iron Vanguard
Kael's chest burned—not from the Ember this time, but from the sight of the forces gathering below. Massive figures moved across the highlands, each armored in blackened steel, their eyes glowing red. The Harrowed King's vanguard had arrived.
Rhyne dismounted, scanning the enemy with grim focus. "These are Iron Sentinels," he whispered. "Once loyal knights of the old realm… now twisted by the King's magic. Stronger than any Shadeborn or Riftspawn you've fought."
Kael swallowed hard. "How do we stop them?"
"Disrupt their formation," Rhyne said. "Isolate, target their cores, and don't let them regroup. If they reach the valley, Ardentreach will be annihilated."
The Ember along Kael's arm pulsed in agreement, sending a warm, almost sentient warning. Kael clenched his fists, letting the fire trail along his fingers like ribbons of lightning. "Then we fight."
They descended the pass, Rhyne leading the way with his silver sigil blade humming. Kael followed, sending arcs of fire ahead to illuminate and disrupt the Iron Sentinels' approach. The creatures moved with calculated precision, but the Ember responded to Kael's intentions, striking before he could even aim.
The first Sentinel reached them. Towering, with jagged armor plates and a blade like molten iron, it swung at Kael with deadly speed. Kael leapt backward, summoning a pillar of blue fire that erupted beneath it. Sparks flew. The Sentinel staggered, but its body was reinforced by the King's magic. Fire alone would not be enough.
Rhyne attacked from the flank, slicing through joints with silvered steel. "Kael! Strike the core!"
Kael focused, tracing the Ember energy along his arm, feeling it connect with the Sentinel's magical source. He thrust his palm forward, releasing a concentrated beam of fire. It struck the Sentinel's chest, and the creature screamed—a metallic, grinding scream—as its core destabilized and shattered.
But there were more behind it, twice the number of soldiers. And atop the ridge, Kael spotted movement that made his blood run cold: a figure in black, larger than any Sentinel, radiating power—the Harrowed Knight commanding them.
Rhyne's eyes met Kael's. "This is only the beginning. Are you ready?"
Kael nodded, Ember blazing brighter than ever. "I have to be."