Elsewhere, the castle shifted.

  A room that looked like a simple drawing chamber vanished like an illusion, revealing a vast circular hall. At its center hovered a glowing blue orb, casting soft light across four figures standing in silence.

  They had been watching everything.

  “Well,” one of them said with a low chuckle, “this is unexpected.”

  “There has never been a time in history,” another added, “where the guardian of the forest allowed a human to enter the Severn.”

  “How lucky for you master Ruby," a third person joined the conversation, " you are no longer alone in this loneliness of these cursed castle walls."

  A sharp voice cut in. “Why? Are monsters no longer enough to entertain you?”

  “Spare me, Emerald,” Ruby replied. “Is the Lord not joining us this time?”

  “It seems not,” another answered. “But Ruby, you do know what this means, don’t you?”

  A heavy silence fell.

  “We cannot let her go,” Ruby finally said. “Not when she reacts to the divine energy.”

  The blue orb's brightness faded.

  Everyone left the meeting table and were gone.

  Far below, Sir Kael stood alone once more, his ring beginning to glow again as the castle prepared for another wave of dark

  Sir Kael’s eyes shut once more.

  The moment his lids sealed, the air around him shifted—as though the world itself held its breath. His human form dissolved into light and steel, armor manifesting over him in gleaming layers while his sword answered his call, forming in his grasp with a low, resonant hum. The transformation was instant, practiced, and terrifyingly calm.

  He was ready.

  The dark aura responded.

  Even though it was broad daylight, the hall was swallowed by shadow, as if night had poured through invisible cracks in the ceiling. The brightness of the sun outside meant nothing here. Darkness clung to the walls, smeared across the floor, and pooled in the corners like thick smoke.

  Then the monsters began to crawl out.

  One by one, twisted figures emerged from the dark aura, their forms half-formed and writhing, claws scraping against stone as they dragged themselves into existence. Their eyes glowed faintly, their bodies warped by whatever ritual had summoned them.

  Sir Kael did not hesitate.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Unknown to the presence of the monsters Aira was walking in the hallway. Sir Kael, who was heading towards the main hall grabbed her wrist.

  “Aira,” he commanded without turning his head, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Go to your room. Now.”

  Before she could respond, he moved.

  He launched himself at the monsters, his sword flashing through the darkness. Each strike was precise, devastating. Blades of light carved through shadow-flesh as if it were paper, the monsters collapsing under his assault without even slowing him down. To Sir Kael, they were nothing more than obstacles—things to be erased.

  Within moments, nearly a dozen monsters lay destroyed, their bodies dissolving into smoke that vanished as quickly as it formed.

  But Sir Kael was not finished.

  He was moving toward the center of the hall.

  A faint, glowing circle pulsed on the floor, etched into the stone with symbols that burned a sickly violet. The summoning circle. The source of it all. Sir Kael advanced toward it, cutting down every monster that dared to block his path, each step deliberate, each kill bringing him closer to breaking the ritual entirely.

  If he destroyed the circle, it would end.

  It had to.

  Aira was supposed to run.

  She knew she was supposed to run.

  Instead, she stood frozen in the corridor, her back pressed against the wall as she watched Sir Kael fight. Her heart thundered in her chest as fear and awe twisted together inside her. She had never seen him like this—so focused, so unstoppable.

  The sound of claws scraping stone snapped her out of her trance.

  One of the monsters, lurking near the stairway, turned its head.

  Its glowing eyes locked onto her.

  Aira’s breath caught.

  The creature hissed and began to move toward her, its steps slow and deliberate, as though savoring the fear radiating from her. Panic surged through her veins.

  She screamed.

  “Sir Kael!”

  She turned and ran.

  Her feet pounded against the floor as she raced toward her room, but dread twisted her stomach when she realized something worse—she wasn’t being chased by just one monster.

  There were more.

  A group of them had broken away from the main fight, their attention fully on her now. She screamed again, her voice cracking, but the sounds of battle drowned her out.

  He won’t make it in time.

  The thought struck her like ice.

  Tears blurred her vision as she ran, her lungs burning, her legs trembling beneath her. She could hear them behind her—their growls, their claws, the wet sound of something dragging itself closer.

  Then—

  Pain exploded through her leg.

  Aira cried out as she stumbled forward, collapsing onto the cold stone floor. One of the monsters had struck her, its claws slicing through fabric and skin. Her body screamed in protest as she struggled to crawl away.

  Her vision blurred.

  Her breathing came out in ragged gasps.

  Memories flashed through her mind—old stories, whispered warnings, tales of death and despair she had once dismissed as legends. Now they felt terrifyingly real.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she sobbed weakly. “Please… don’t…”

  The monsters closed in.

  Desperation took over.

  Aira screamed again—this time with everything she had.

  Her eyes burned.

  For a split second, the world seemed to pause.

  A faint glint of red flickered in her gaze.

  And with her scream, something answered.

  Black fog erupted around her, thick and unnatural, swallowing the corridor in an instant. The monsters recoiled, shrieking as the darkness wrapped around them. One by one, their forms were torn apart, erased as if they had never existed.

  In the blink of an eye—

  They were gone.

  Silence fell.

  By the time the fog began to fade, Sir Kael stood at the shattered remains of the summoning circle. His sword was embedded in the stone at its center, cracks spider webbing outward as the final remnants of magic unraveled.

  Every monster vanished at once.

  Sir Kael straightened slowly, his armor dissolving as he turned toward the corridor.

  His eyes widened.

  “Aira.”

  He rushed to her side, dropping to one knee as he examined her injury. Relief and shock warred on his face—not just because she was alive, but because of what he could still feel lingering in the air.

  Something else had intervened.

  Something powerful.