⚔️ **CHAPTER 80 — The Ambush of Shadows**
The ruins were eerily silent. Mist coiled over broken stone and scorched timber, hiding threats in every shadow. Kael's muscles ached, hunger gnawed at him, and exhaustion threatened to tip him to the ground—but Centering held him upright. Iron Mind filtered the chaos, keeping focus razor-sharp. And in his grip, the cursed sword pulsed, whispering… always whispering.
*"They come… weak, slow, predictable… ripe for slaughter. Shall we show them true power, Kael? Or do you still cling to restraint?"*
Kael shook his head, ignoring the seductive, sinister voice. *We fight smart… not recklessly.*
*"Good… for now. But remember, boy… I feed on hesitation. Hesitate again, and I will take more… of your mind… your soul."*
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From the hills above, the Council struck.
* **Rhayel** darted from shadows, blades slicing the mist.
* **Tavric** hurled massive boulders and logs with brutal force.
* **Soryn** probed their minds, pressing every doubt, fear, and hesitation.
* **Varynn** struck from angles unseen, collapsing beams and crushing terrain.
* **Lysera** summoned wind and lightning, turning the battlefield into a tempest.
Kael pivoted through the chaos, threading balance through collapsing terrain, dodging lightning strikes, and filtering psychic pressure. The cursed sword pulsed in his grip, whispering aggressively.
*"Strike! Now! Blood! Death! Chaos! Do you feel it, boy? The power in your hands? Taste it!"*
Kael gritted his teeth. *I control it. I do not let you decide for me.*
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Caelin's flames erupted across the battlefield, walls of fire shaping paths and shielding allies. Rhayel stumbled into arcs of flame, Tavric misjudged a boulder's trajectory, and Lysera's wind was partially deflected. Mireya held the front, shielding Kael from collapsing beams, shoving enemies off balance. Tomas darted through shadows, striking Soryn's psychic focus points, disrupting mental attacks.
The cursed sword pulsed violently, whispering:
*"See? You could strike and dominate… we could shred them. Their death is a symphony we could orchestrate… together!"*
Kael ignored the darker impulses, threading his strikes carefully. He struck with precision—enough to wound and disorient, but without letting the sword push him over the edge.
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The Council adapted. Tavric swung logs faster, Rhayel moved like a shadow inside a shadow, Varynn appeared behind them multiple times, Lysera's storm intensified, and Soryn's psychic pushes sharpened. Chaos collided on every front.
Kael felt the cursed blade pull at him. Its whispers were sharper now, teasing, threatening, mocking.
*"Weak… cautious… boring. Let me show you what we could do… what we *must* do."*
Kael gritted his teeth. *No… we survive smart. Together.*
He struck again, the cursed sword slicing through a collapsing shadow trap, its power enhancing his precision. Caelin's flames, Mireya's shields, Tomas's shadows—all worked in concert with Kael's careful, balanced strikes.
By nightfall, the Council withdrew once more. The battlefield smoked and cracked, scars of fire, fallen stone, and twisted timber marking their retreat. Kael sank to one knee, exhausted, the cursed sword pulsing softly in his hand.
*"Clever… persistent… resilient,"* the sword whispered, almost tenderly now, despite its evil nature. *"Perhaps… we are necessary to each other… after all."*
Kael exhaled slowly, gripping the blade tightly. *We survive together… but I am still the master.*
The storm passed, the mist rolled thick, and the ruins lay silent—but the bond between boy and cursed sword had grown stronger, darkly attached, and ever-present.
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