From the dried, broken, charred body that seemed likely to die any moment now, a faint voice echoed, and with a soft murmur, his finger moved, creating a crisp snap
A small light twinkled from Kael's hand. One of the stones on his knuckles began to glow. It was the Stone of Eternity.
This stone had a special power. It could lock a specific moment in time and keep it going, as long as the user stayed alive. Kael didn't know how many times it could be used. But among all the stones he had, this one felt like his best choice to test out. He didn't want to die with regrets.
As to why Alevera found it useless and unable to use it. It's because this stone didn't need mana.
It needed something more—divinity. A power born from gods, or gained by chosen ones. Mortal beings couldn't create it. It couldn't vanish easily either.
Before Kael died, he had stored a lot of divinity inside himself. He didn't know where it went after death. But he believed part of it stayed with his soul. He was right.
Suddenly, a wave of energy burst from his body. The time he locked onto was right before the fight began. His body returned to that moment, fresh and unhurt. As long as the Stone of Eternity worked, his body would always go back to that state.
Mira's eyes widened in shock. Right in front of her, Kael's body began to heal. His burns faded. His skin looked strong again. He looked even better than before. Fully healed. Almost divine.
Her heart raced. For the first time in the fight, Mira felt true fear. Her fingers trembled. Her mind screamed in panic. What kind of monster had she been fighting?
"What is going on?" she whispered. "What is this power?"
Her panic exploded. She screamed in frustration. Instead of running, she struck. Huge magic circles formed around her. Fire burst out from them, flying straight at Kael in a thick beam of destruction.
A single sword slash ripped through the beam. The fire scattered into pieces.
A deep red slash mark appeared on Mira's chest. Blood sprayed over her face and chest. Her body froze. Her breath caught. Her mind went blank.
Fear, pain, and confusion filled her all at once.
Snowflakes hissed and melted against the inferno erupting across the battlefield. The trees nearby were splintered, the ground churned and scorched black by explosions.
The once serene, white forest was now a canvas painted in fire and blood. The air vibrated with residual magic and the acrid scent of burnt flesh.
Mira stood amidst the chaos, her body trembling and broken. Her eyes burned not with pain, but with desperation. Magic surged through her violently. Her skin cracked from overexposure to raw elemental force, and her lips were torn from clenching. But she no longer cared.
"Burn!" she screamed, raising both hands.
Three overlapping magic circles spiraled into existence above her, each larger than the last. They blazed with crimson fire. The trees around her incinerated instantly, and snow evaporates into clouds of steam. The ground heaved as if reality itself recoiled from the sheer pressure of the spell.
A blast of fire shot toward Kael with a scream like a thousand tortured souls.
Kael didn't move. His eerie smile widened. His blackened coat flapped as the wind howled around him. The air crackled with twisted energy.
With one swing of his sword, the fire split—dispersed into harmless embers.
Mira's eyes went wide. Her lips trembled. "What the hell are you...?"
Kael chuckled—a low, guttural laugh that belonged to a beast. "Not dead. Not tired. Not broken."
He stepped forward through the ash.
Mira snarled and threw a barrage of knives conjured from solid flame. They cut through the air, searing paths through smoke.
Kael danced between them, each movement sharp, controlled. One sliced his cheek, another nicked his shoulder—but in a second, the wounds sizzled and healed, flesh knitting seamlessly.
Mira screamed, unleashing a wall of hellfire in a last-ditch bid to destroy him. Trees behind Kael snapped and caught fire, erupting like torches. The snow hissed and flooded into steam. But Kael walked through it slowly and steadily.
Mira dropped to her knees, panting. Her fingers clawed at the icy ground. She tried to conjure another spell, but her limbs were shaking. Her magic circuits—veins threaded with arcane power—were burning out.
She pressed her lips together. 'It must consume his power greatly. I just need to hold on a little longer...'
She forced herself to stand and rushed forward, dagger drawn, using the last spark of her strength.
Kael parried lazily. Sparks flew. Her dagger clanged against his blade. She twisted and slashed, trying to feint and jab. Kael's sword danced, cutting through the air like death's scythe. He slashed low—Mira dodged. He came down hard—she spun away.
But his next strike was too fast.
It caught her ribs. The dagger dropped. Mira stumbled, gasping. Kael kicked her chest. She flew backward, tumbling across frozen earth, blood smearing the snow.
She groaned, trying to crawl.
The tip of Kael's sword pressed against her throat. The sharp chill of steel kissed her skin.
"Killing me is a waste," Mira rasped, trying to smile through cracked lips. "Why don't you lock me up instead? I might be useful."
Kael tilted his head, amused. "OHHHH.. Interesting suggestion."
Seeing him hesitate, Mira's fingers twitched toward the hidden blade strapped to her thigh. Her heart thudded. Her pulse counted down the seconds.
She opened her mouth to speak more.
The sound was clean, almost gentle.
A line of red stretched across her neck.
Blood poured from the slit like wine from a broken flask. It sprayed the snow in a fan of crimson. Her eyes bulged. A choked gasp escaped her lips as her body convulsed.
Her body dropped in a limp heap. The snow beneath soaked red.
Kael stood over the corpse, blade lowered, the eerie grin never leaving his face. His shadow stretched long across the glowing firelight, and behind him, the forest crackled with ruin.
walked through the burning battlefield, towards Mira's lifeless body to steam in the bloodstained snow.