Chapter 4: Ash and embers - 1
The blade rested on scorched metal, a streak of silver in the dark floor. Fire had touched everything else—burned dummies, blackened walls, cracked tiles—but not the weapon. It looked untouched. Waiting.
Longer than a dagger. Shorter than a sword. A single edge built for speed. For strikes that never missed.
Faint red lines traced the blade—etched deep like old scars. The steel gleamed with quiet menace. The hilt, dark and smooth, still seemed to remember his grip.
But it wasn't in his hand.
Ash's fingers twitched. 'It shouldn't be here.'
He stepped forward. One step. Then another. The heat wrapped around him, but it didn't stop him.
'Kael never moves without a reason. This isn't just some dumb prank.'
He stopped inches from the blade. His hand hovered over it, but he didn't touch it.
"You've got a lot of nerve,"
Kael turned slowly, a smirk already forming.
"Did you find it?" he asked like he already knew the answer. Like he'd been waiting.