Chapter 54: Trial by Blade

Chapter 54: Trial by Blade
Raiden’s POV 

I positioned myself between Calla and the red-eyed boy to protect her. My physical response came before my mind understood the situation. His small and innocent appearance deceived me because some deep part of me twisted when our eyes met. There was nothing human behind those eyes. No warmth. No soul. Just power wrapped in skin. 

Calla gripped my arm from behind. “Raiden… he’s not a child.” 

I knew that already. The clearing seemed to pulse with a dark energy that emanated from him like another heartbeat within me. As he tilted his head, the wind screamed through the trees while ghostly whispers crawled across my skin. Shadows slithered beneath his feet and twisted like serpents. He blinked, and from behind him appeared a figure twice my size wearing black armour with red pulsing veins.

The strongest warrior of the Shadow King. 

The figure roared his name with a deep, throaty growl. The Shadow King selected me to clear the way ahead for him.

I didn’t hesitate. I stepped forward, my claws already out. The wolf within me began to move beneath my skin as I felt a strong urge to tear into him. Calla shouted to get my attention, but I was unable to turn around. This was mine. My fight. My test. Her protection would cease if my body failed to stand against him.

Morak moved first. His speed didn’t match his size. He was faster—much faster—than I’d expected. The sound of his blade slicing through the air resembled the noise of breaking bones. I moved left to avoid his attack, which grazed my cheek with its blade, and I countered by striking his ribs with my elbow. He didn’t flinch. I used both arms to deflect his attack, but felt the full force of the impact shake my bones.

He laughed, low and cruel. “You’ll bleed for her.” 

“I’ll do more than that,” I snarled. 

We violently collided once more with a chaotic mixture of steel and claws. My fangs caught his shoulder. With a roar, he struck his fist into my jaw which made me slide across the dirt. The pain burst through me like a fire, but I forced myself to remain standing. Blood dripped down my chin. He was strong, yes. But he wasn’t invincible. 

My next lunge was quicker and more ferocious than before. I let the wolf loose. Let it guide me. I slipped beneath his attack to claw his side with my razor-sharp nails. Metal met ,my nails and spark,s erupted yet I managed to parmour his armor enough to draw blood. Despite his bellowing an,d fist slam I rolled away and attacked his knees.

He threw a kick that struck my ribs and sent me flying backwards. I felt the earth break open beneath my feet as I hit the ground. I coughed hard, tasting blood. My vision spun, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. I regained my footing with unsteady steps while I wiped the blood from my mouth.

Morak advanced with deliberate steps while his blade scraped against the ground. “You’re slowing down.” 

“And you’re talking too much.” 

He charged, and I met him head-on. Our bodies collided like falling stars. I drove my claws into his stomach. He drove his blade into my shoulder. We both screamed. The pain shot down my arm, but I refused to release my grip. I pushed him back and hit him into a tree before delivering a powerful punch to his jaw. Bone cracked. 

He grinned through the blood. “She’s watching, you know.” 

With a growl, I tore the blade out from my shoulder and stabbed him in the side. He gasped. I knocked him to the ground before standing above him as both of us struggled to catch our breath. The air around us pulsed with darkness. The boy observed our fight quietly, yet his eyes shone with more intensity than before.

“No one will take her from you,” I declared.

Morak’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She’s already his.” 

His body burst into shadow before I had any chance to respond. The explosion hurled me backwards through stone and wooden debris. I hit the ruins hard. Everything spun. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. My vision became enveloped by darkness around its perimeter.

Calla’s voice reached me. Faint, panicked. She was calling my name. 

I forced myself up. Pain roared through my body, but I dismissed it. I limped forward, broken but breathing. Morak stood again, whole. His wounds had vanished. His armour gleamed darker than before. 

I spoke to myself as I said aloud that he was healing. “The shadows are keeping him alive.” 

Calla stepped beside me. Her hand slid into mine, grounding me. “Then we burn them.” 

I acknowledged her with a nod and one firm squeeze of her hand before withdrawing my grip. I focused. I allowed my wolf to fully emerge as my bones shifted and fur tore through my skin. The transformation was fast. Violent. But welcome. My howl reverberated through the forest causing the trees to tremble.

Morak came at me again. I met him with teeth and fury. 

My battle strategy this time combined both power and intention. My movements followed a calculated pattern while my steps remained precisely measured. I waited for openings, watched for flaws. I spotted a vulnerable area beneath his arm. I feinted to the right side before lunging to theleft,t which allowed me to sink my fangs into his unprotected joint.

He shouted while attempting to knock me off balance. I didn’t let go. 

Channelled Source. I caught a glimpse of light radiating from her hands at the edge of my vision. Her powerful throw struck him, and his armour shattered like broken glass upon impact. I bit deeper. His scream echoed through the air while the shadows twisted around him like dying snakes.

The boy watched still. Unblinking. Unmoved. 

Morak staggered back, crumbling. Smoke rose from his wounds. He dropped to his knees. 

“I—” he rasped. 

I didn’t let him finish. 

I tore his throat out. 

As his body fell to the earth, the shadows twisted away from him. Gone. Finally. 

With each breath labouring in my chest, st I towered above him while his blood drenched my fur. I backed away at a slow pace while every part of my being screamed with the effort. Calla sprinted toward me and grabbed me just before I fell to the ground.

“You did it,” she whispered. 

I shook my head. “No. We did.” 

But the boy still stood there. Smiling. 

He stepped forward. One small step. Then another. The Source flickered around Calla. My instincts screamed. 

“I told you,” the boy said softly. “You shouldn’t have done that.” 

As we tried to move, he raised one hand. The ground unleashed shadows that engulfed Morak's body. They pulled him down into the earth and took him inside. The soil smoked. From that exact spot, something ancient emerged.

Not a man. 

Not a beast. 

Something ancient. Twisted. Its horns spread like tree branche,s and its skin looked like flowing stone. Its roar shook the sky. 

The boy’s voice was calm. 

“Now, you meet the real guardian.”