Chapter 13: Desperation and the Moon’s Call

  The ground trembled beneath their feet as the monstrous riftspawn scorpion burst from the earth, its massive pincers slicing through stone like paper. The air was thick with dust, the beast’s guttural screeches echoing across the plateau as its glowing, corrupted eyes fixated on them. This was the nightmare they had feared—the unstoppable force that threatened Aurelia.

  Kael gripped his hammer tightly, stepping forward as the others braced for battle. He could feel it—the desperate need for his inner flame, the one thing that could turn the tide. He closed his eyes, reaching deep inside himself, searching for that fire… but it didn’t come.

  Nothing.

  A cold wave of panic crashed over him.

  “Kael!” Lirien called, narrowly dodging the scorpion’s tail as it cracked against the rock beside her. “Now would be a good time for you’re feeling off!”

  Mira, keeping low and darting between the monster’s legs, tried throwing her blades at its joints, but nothing slowed it. “Kael, please!” she begged, desperation creeping into her voice. “We need you!”

  Kael could feel their trust in him slipping, their hope fading as the scorpion pressed its advantage. His fingers trembled around the hilt of his hammer. He tried again—straining, clawing for the flame inside him. But still, there was nothing.

  He was failing them.

  The beast screeched and lunged forward, its tail sweeping toward the group in a deadly arc. Lirien tackled Mira out of the way, rolling across the dirt. Rhea and Sylas barely managed to leap clear, and Kael stumbled backward as the impact shook the entire battlefield.

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  They were losing.

  Then, from the distance—thunder.

  No… not thunder. Engines.

  A low rumble turned into a roar as the allied gang burst onto the scene, their makeshift vehicles barreling over the dunes, headlights slicing through the dust-filled air. Gunfire erupted from their scrap-built turrets, and grenades soared through the air, detonating in bursts of fire and smoke.

  The scorpion shrieked in surprise, momentarily disoriented by the new onslaught.

  Kael watched in awe as explosions erupted around the beast. The gang had come through for them, but he knew it wasn’t enough. The creature wasn’t going down—not yet.

  And then… something changed.

  The smoke parted just enough for Kael to glimpse the sky above. The twin moons, Lumina and Noctis, hung in perfect alignment, their silvery glow washing over the battlefield. And in that moment, something inside him stirred.

  A whisper.

  A call.

  He exhaled slowly, letting go of the fear, the doubt. He had been trying to force the flame—to summon it through will alone. But now, as he bathed in the moonlight, he understood.

  The flame wasn’t meant to be wrestled into submission. It wasn’t something to be controlled like a weapon.

  It was meant to be released.

  He closed his eyes, feeling the pull of the moons, their ethereal glow intertwining with his very being. The warmth inside him flickered—not as a raging inferno, but as something calm, something natural.

  Then, in a soft whisper, it ignited.

  The Flame Unseen.

  Lirien, panting as she staggered to her feet, gasped as Kael’s body was suddenly illuminated by an otherworldly silver blaze. The flames curled around his arms, dancing with moonlight, unbound by steel or spell.

  Rhea’s eyes widened in awe. “Well, damn.”

  Mira, breathless, could only whisper, “It’s beautiful…”

  Sylas, ever the rogue, gave a knowing smirk. “Took you long enough, kid.”

  Kael opened his eyes, his irises now burning with celestial fire. He stepped forward, flames crackling at his fingertips, his hammer forgotten. This battle wasn’t over. Not yet.

  Tomorrow, they would witness the full power of the Flame Unseen.