A thin line of steel pressed against Kael's neck. Not warm. Never dull. This moment had no return.
Yet Kael had finished running. He stood still now, eyes sharp, breath slow - no longer waiting to be hunted.
A quiet power stirred inside him, one that had come alive after he returned. Around his body, space began to bend, like the world held its breath.
His command reshaped time itself.
"Slow."
Stumbling ahead without quite falling, the assassin pushed through air that felt thick, each step heavy. Forward crept the weapon, almost unwilling, while shock lit up its purple gaze.
Kael moved.
Down he went, quicker than thinking, body swerving from the blade's kill zone. Pain shot through his limbs, yet a rush of fire - stronger than fear - pushed him ahead.
Faster than a breath, the world sharpened again once he stepped beyond the killer's reach.
A sudden swing met only open space. The edge of the Shadeborn's weapon cut nothing but wind.
Breathe out fast - Kael felt his chest tighten. Not full control yet, just shaky power. Time didn't stop dead; it dragged slow, like syrup, for less than a blink.
Not enough.
Some of the Shadeborn moved without delay.
"The anomaly adapts."
"Eliminate him before he becomes a true threat."
Out of nowhere, two slipped away, swallowed by the dark like smoke. A sharp warning shot through Kael's gut. Speed wasn't right - these moved unnatural. Not human quick.
Then pain.
A flash of steel caught his flank, just shy of the bones beneath. Over there, a second cut bit into his shoulder - fire racing through skin without warning.
Spinning fast, Kael felt thoughts crash like waves. Not an attack - more like a game. He was being watched, poked at from shadows.
Power is something I have to get more of.
Everything smudged at the edges when he strained forward, pressing harder into what his body could do. Not merely dragging moments longer, but twisting them - shaping time like wet clay.
Another Shadeborn lunged.
Up went Kael's hand, not for shelter, yet to seize control.
"Stop!"
The world froze.
A shiver ran through the Shadeborn, stopping short in the air - blade just shy of Kael's skin. Its gaze wavered, muscles tensing as if pulled by something invisible.
Kael sucked in a breath, his heartbeat dragging like thick syrup. Every part of him groaned beneath the burden - time frozen by sheer will.
A break appeared suddenly.
Fragments of light cracked across the air, like ice splitting under pressure. Reality wavered, bent by something forcing its shape wrong. The Shadeborn jerked sideways, limbs bending where they should not. Time strained, thinning at the edges like worn cloth. Kael noticed his arms growing heavier each breath he took.
The moment slipped through his fingers like sand. Everything he held tight began to fade fast.
A sudden lunge came from the Shadeborn, swift as thought. Just in time, Kael twisted aside - the edge slicing only fabric, leaving his body untouched.
Back he stumbled, gasping for air. Though stronger now, his strength wavered like a flame in wind. Each burst burned something deep inside.
"Enough games."
Out of the shadows they came, closing around him like a slow tide beneath the dim glow above. Their weapons caught what little light there was, sharp edges flashing without sound.
Every muscle in Kael's frame burned like snapped wires. Light sputtered through his veins - on, then off.
Victory here was never something within his reach.
Not yet.
A single moment was all he got.
Fists tight, Kael pushed through the haze in his mind. Should victory slip away today, there remained only that single act he despised above all.
Run.
Out of nowhere, he spun away, fading fast among the broken walls as the Shadeborn stayed put.
Still, he heard them behind every step.
"The Celestial Sovereign has returned."
"Inform the High Council."
"The hunt begins."