The wind howled through the mountain pass as Kael and his elite company marched eastward. Snow and ash mingled in the air, blanketing the path ahead. Behind them, hundreds followed warriors, fanatics, and those seeking something greater than survival. They called it a pilgrimage, though Kael knew it was conquest in motion.
At the head of the column, Kael paused and turned his gaze toward the horizon. In the distance, faint sparks danced in the sky. Blue-white lightning. A storm mage was coming.
Rogan approached, armor stained with soot and steel. "Scouts report movement beyond the ridge. Could be Selene."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Good. I want her to see us coming. Let her believe she's prepared."
Mira arrived next, accompanied by the masked priests of the new faith. "We've consecrated four more shrines in the last town. Their prayers have begun to channel toward the heart."
Kael could feel it. The power gathering like a tide beneath his skin. Tier 4 no longer strained him. It bent to his will.
He looked at Mira. "And the people?"
"They worship you," she replied. "Not out of fear alone, but out of need. They see you as the only one who does not lie."
Kael almost smiled. "Then they are more foolish than I thought."
That night, as his army camped beneath the frozen cliffs, Kael walked alone to the edge of the pass. The stars above flickered through thin clouds. He drew Ashveil and stabbed it into the frozen earth.
The blade pulsed, feeding on the growing presence of faith.
He knelt and whispered to the flame within him.
"I need more."
The crystal heart, now fused into a talisman worn around his neck, responded. Its crimson glow deepened. Kael's veins burned for a moment, then cooled. A step closer.
Suddenly, the sky split with a flash of silver light.
Selene of the Storm had arrived.
She stood across the pass, her cloak billowing, staff in hand, eyes glowing with electric fury. Ten spell-knights flanked her, blades drawn and runes etched into their skin.
Kael rose slowly, his silhouette casting a long, dark shadow across the snow.
"Selene," he called. "Do you come to beg, or to die?"
Her voice crackled like thunder. "I come to end your blasphemy. Surrender now, and I will grant you a quick death."
Kael laughed, the sound cold and clear. "You speak of blasphemy, yet you worship gods who have never answered. I create miracles. I give power to the powerless. And still, you cling to ancient lies."
She raised her staff. "You are no god. You are a heretic."
"And you," Kael said, stepping forward, "are in my way."
The first bolt struck the ground where he had stood a heartbeat before. Flame met lightning, and the storm exploded.
The battle had begun.