⚔️ **CHAPTER 74 — Council's Shadow**
The Council chamber was silent, dimly lit by floating orbs of pale light. Shadows stretched across the walls, and the smell of incense masked the cold, metallic tension in the air.
Rhayel, Tavric, Soryn, Varynn, and Lysera stood before the grand council table. Each bore marks of recent battles, but none showed fear. Instead, they radiated precision, focus, and cold calculation.
"We underestimated them last time," Tavric said, voice low, grinding against clenched teeth. "The boy… Kael… survives by luck and some clever tricks. That ends now."
Lysera's eyes flickered like lightning. "Luck will not save them when the battlefield itself is against them. I can manipulate storms, channel winds, trap paths with lightning. Fire cannot hold back the weather of my making."
Soryn leaned forward, his shadow stretching unnaturally across the table. "Kael is learning. His mind… he filters chaos now. Iron Mind, Centering—they allow him to survive. But his mind is still inexperienced. We strike all angles simultaneously, and even his companions cannot block every attack. They will break."
Varynn's voice was a whisper, yet it cut like steel. "Shadows can cover my movements. They will never see me strike, and when I hit, they will stumble blindly. Kael may balance his body and mind, but shadows are not predictable—they are everywhere he is not looking."
Rhayel's blades gleamed even in the dim light. "He's clever, yes, but cleverness can be cornered. Divide, pressure, manipulate terrain… force them into traps where his balance fails, where his companions cannot intervene fast enough. That's where we end him."
Tavric slammed a hand onto the table. Dust and splinters flew. "Enough hesitation. The boy is resilient, but he is human. Fatigue, hunger, panic—they will find him. Every strike must be precise. Every ambush must force them into desperation. The next encounter will not allow recovery. One failure, and it will cost them dearly."
Soryn's shadowed form seemed to grow taller, darker. "I will probe them all. Kael, Mireya, Caelin, Tomas… the team is strong, but their minds are connected by reliance. I can exploit that connection. Push one to panic, and the others will stagger. The boy cannot control everything."
Lysera's smile was thin, cruel. "And when the fire distracts them, I will strike. Lightning over scorched ground. Wind to scatter their footing. Storms where they think themselves safe. Flames will be no ally if the weather itself conspires against them."
Rhayel's voice was cold, precise. "They think survival is strategy. We will teach them that survival can also be **pain, fear, and loss**."
A long silence stretched across the chamber, the only sound the faint hum of arcane energy circulating through the air.
Varynn finally spoke. "Prepare everything. Shadow, storm, psychic assault, terrain manipulation… every tool at our disposal. They have survived multiple attacks. Let this next crucible show them the price of defiance. No mercy. No distraction. No escape."
The generals bowed slightly. They dispersed silently into the night, shadows melting into the mist outside the chamber, leaving only cold strategy behind.
Kael and his companions did not yet know it—but the Council's next move was **more than ambush or attack**. It would be a calculated crucible: fire, shadow, wind, psychic intrusion, and collapsing terrain, all intertwined.
And this time, the Council intended to ensure **they did not survive.**
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