Kaelith and Corvus stood facing each other, the air thick with tension and the weight of their shared history. Corvus's eyes flickered to Kaelith's face, and for a moment, the madness that had consumed him was replaced by a flash of recognition and pain. He remembered the burn, the searing agony of Ember's Fury branding his skin, leaving a scar that would never fully heal. Kaelith's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing as he searched Corvus's face for any hint of weakness. The silence between them was oppressive, the only sound the distant crackling of flames and the soft whisper of the wind through the trees.
"What happened to Claude?" Kaelith asked, his voice low and menacing, his words breaking the silence like a stone thrown into a still pond. Corvus's eyes dropped, his shoulders sagging slightly as the weight of his actions bore down on him. When he looked up, the madness was back, but it was tinged with a hint of shame and regret. "He... was a sacrifice," he whispered, his voice barely audible, his words carrying on the wind. "A necessary one." Kaelith's grip on Ember's Fury tightened, his flames surging with anger and a sense of betrayal. A sacrifice? For what? he wanted to scream, but he held his tongue, waiting for Corvus to reveal his hand.
Corvus's eyes gleamed with a malevolent light, his expression twisted into a cruel smile. "For power," he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "For the Shadow King's return." Kaelith's expression was cold, his eyes burning with a fierce light as he realized the true extent of Corvus's madness. The Shadow King, a being of darkness and shadow, was a legend, a myth that had been relegated to the dustbin of history. But Corvus believed, his faith in the Shadow King burning brighter than any flame. Kaelith's flames burned brighter, his sword at the ready, his heart pounding with anticipation. "You'll never succeed," he snarled, his voice like a crack of thunder. "I'll stop you."
Corvus laughed, the sound dry and brittle, like the crackling of dead leaves underfoot. "You... can't stop... what's coming," he whispered, his voice barely audible, his words carrying a sense of inevitability. "The Shadow King... will consume everything." Kaelith's expression was resolute, his eyes burning with determination. He would stop Corvus, no matter what it took. He would save Ardentia, no matter the cost. "I'll stop you first," he growled, his voice low and menacing, his flames burning brighter with every passing moment.
Corvus smiled, a twisted, cruel smile, his eyes glinning with madness. "You... will fail," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Just like... you failed Claude." Kaelith's eyes flashed with anger, his flames surging with fury. He would not fail, not again. He would save Claude's memory, no matter what it took. "I'll show you what failure looks like," he snarled, charging forward with Ember's Fury, the flames burning brighter with every step.
The two enemies clashed, their swords meeting in a burst of flame and darkness. The battle was far from over, but the outcome was far from certain. The air was thick with the stench of smoke and ozone, and the sound of crackling flames filled the air. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the skies seemed to darken, as if the very gods themselves were watching the duel.
The duel raged on, the two enemies locked in a struggle that would decide the fate of Ardentia. The flames burned brighter, the darkness deepened, and the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the outcome.
*The Duel: Corvus vs Kaelith*
The battle raged around them, a maelstrom of steel and fire, but in the center of the Burning Valley, two warriors faced off, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Corvus, his face twisted in a snarl, his left eye a burning ruin thanks to Kaelith's blade, gripped his sword, Shadowbite, its blade seeming to drink in the light around it. Kaelith, his armor battered and scorched, his sword, Ember's Fury, glowing with a fierce crimson fire, stood tall, his eyes burning with a fierce determination.
"You burned half my face, Kaelith," Corvus spat, his voice like a cold wind. "You will pay for that."
Kaelith's smile was a thin line. "I'm the best duelist on Ardentian soil, Corvus. You should've stayed in the shadows."
The two warriors circled each other, their blades weaving intricate patterns in the air. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, rocks rising up like living things as Corvus summoned the earth magic. Shadows swirled around him, twisting into living tendrils that snapped at Kaelith like vipers.
Kaelith laughed, a fierce, joyous sound, as he danced forward, Ember's Fury tracing a fiery arc through the air. The shadows recoiled, hissing, as the crimson flames licked at them, but Corvus was relentless. He struck, Shadowbite plunging down like a thunderbolt, the earth erupting beneath Kaelith's feet, sending him stumbling back.
Kaelith recovered with a dancer's grace, his blade flashing as he parried Corvus's follow-up strike. The two swords sang, their music a wild, discordant melody as they clashed, their blades locked in a fierce, fiery dance. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and smoke, the ground trembling beneath their feet as they fought.
Corvus summoned a wave of earth, rocks and dirt surging up to engulf Kaelith, but the Marshal was gone, leaping clear with a warrior's instinct. He landed, his sword flashing, and Corvus was there, their blades meeting in a shower of sparks. The shadow tendrils snapped at Kaelith's heels, trying to trip him, but he was too fast, too deadly.
The duel raged on, the two warriors exchanging blows, their skills seemingly matched. But Kaelith's fire seemed to be growing, his flames burning brighter, hotter, as if fueled by his fury. Corvus's shadows writhed, trying to extinguish the flames, but they only seemed to make them burn higher.
In a whirlwind of steel and fire, Kaelith struck, Ember's Fury piercing Corvus's defenses, the crimson flames engulfing his sword arm. Corvus roared, his shadow magic surging, but it was too late. Kaelith's blade was at his throat, the fire burning brighter, hotter, as if it would consume them both.
"Best duelist on Ardentian soil," Kaelith said, his voice cold, his eyes burning with a fierce triumph. "You should've remembered that."
Corvus's eye flashed with rage, but it was too late. Kaelith's blade ended the duel, the darkness closing in as Corvus fell, his life draining away into the scorched earth.
The battle around them raged on, but in that moment, it seemed as if time itself had stopped, the fate of Ardentia hanging in the balance.