The Shattered Sky: Only I Do What the Gods Can't

Kael's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted through the outskirts of Raven Town. Every breath burned his lungs, but he pressed on.

The leader's booming roars echoed behind him, the monstrous figure tearing through rubble in his pursuit.

He turned furious after Kael had made him crash into another wall... again.

Around him, the chaos was unending. Villagers screamed as corrupted charged toward them. The measly amount of guards shouted orders, their voices shaky as they tried to rally against the seemingly endless tide.

Fires blazed in the distance, casting an ominous glow over the battlefield.

In Kael's head Neo's beautiful voice cut through the noise, sharp and urgent. "Kael, you can't face him alone. You need the main guard—now!"

"I know," Kael gritted out, his jaw tight. "But getting to them isn't exactly easy."

Neo's tone softened slightly, a rare flicker of encouragement. "You've come this far. You'll figure it out. You always do."

Kael's eyes darted toward the forest on the horizon, where he knew the main guards were on an excursion, unaware of the destruction unfolding in the outskirts. He had to get their attention somehow—and fast.

Kael skidded to a stop near a toppled water tower, his mind racing. "Neo," he murmured, his voice low. "If I can create a big enough signal, something they can't ignore—"

Neo caught on instantly. "You'll need a blast, something visible from miles away."

Kael scanned his surroundings, his gaze landing on a pile of failed fragment-powered devices discarded near a cluster of ruined buildings. Most of them were unstable, their cores glowing erratically.

"This will have to do," he muttered, darting toward the pile.

Behind him, the bandit leader's voice thundered through the chaos. "You can't run forever, boy!"

Kael ignored the man's taunt, his hands moving quickly as he examined the devices. He selected a small orb, its surface cracked and pulsing with energy.

Neo then said cautiously. "That one's volatile. You'll only get one shot."

"That's all I need," Kael said, his tone grim.

He positioned the orb atop a stack of the other devices, creating a makeshift explosive. Then, he grabbed a jagged piece of metal and struck the orb's surface.

The reaction was immediate. Energy crackled and sparked, the devices humming louder and louder. Kael turned and sprinted away, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Brace yourself!" Neo warned.

The explosion tore through the air, a deafening roar that shook the ground beneath Kael's feet. A column of light shot skyward, illuminating the battlefield and the forest beyond.

Kael stumbled but kept his footing, glancing over his shoulder to see the towering beam of energy. "That should get their attention," he said, his voice shaky.

Neo's tone was approving. "It will. Now you just have to survive until they get here."

The leader's roar was deafening as he emerged from the smoke, his corrupted form now fully visible.

His arms had morphed into grotesque cannons, the flesh warped and fused with metal and crystal.

Excluding his head, his whole body had turned to nothing but flesh and muscle fibre. His dark fragment pulsed violently, the energy radiating off him in waves.

"You think that little light show will save you?" he snarled, his voice had turned guttural and inhuman.

Kael raised his blade, his grip steady despite the tremor in his hands. "It's not about saving me. It's about stopping you."

The leader charged, his massive frame barreling toward Kael with terrifying speed. Kael sidestepped at the last moment, slashing at the leader's exposed side. The blade dug deep, but the leader barely flinched.

"Is that all you've got?" the leader sneered, swinging one of his cannon-arms toward Kael.

Kael ducked, the force of the swing sending a shockwave through the ground. He countered with a quick strike to the leader's leg, trying to slow him down.

Neo's voice was steady in his mind. "You need to wear him down. He's burning through energy fast, but you have to outlast him."

"Easier said than done," Kael muttered, dodging another attack.

The battle raged on, each clash pushing Kael closer to his limits. His movements grew slower, his strikes less precise.

The leader, though clearly unstable, seemed to feed off his own rage, his attacks becoming more ferocious.

Kael used every trick he could think of—luring the leader into tight spaces, using debris as cover, and striking at his exposed fragment whenever possible.

But the leader was relentless, his corrupted form seemingly impervious to pain.

"You're just delaying the inevitable," the leader taunted, his voice a twisted mockery of humanity.

Kael didn't respond. He couldn't waste energy on words.

As the leader swung his massive arm again, Kael leapt onto a nearby pile of rubble, using the elevation to his advantage. He launched himself at the leader, driving his blade toward the fragment in his chest.

The leader caught the blade with one hand, his grip crushing the metal. He yanked Kael forward, slamming him into the ground with brutal force.

Kael gasped for air, his vision blurring. He tried to push himself up, but his body refused to cooperate.

Neo's voice was desperate. "Get up, Kael! You can't stop now!"

The leader loomed over him. His cannon pointed at Kael's face, a growing dark purple light was being emitted from inside it.

The leader had a cruel smile on his twisted face. "You fought well, kid. But it ends here."

Kael's mind raced, his fragment pulsing weakly in his palm. He couldn't die here—not when this town needed him, not when Lira was still out there.

As the leader raised his cannon-arm, preparing for the final blow, Kael's fragment flared suddenly, its energy surging through him like a second wind.

He rolled to the side just as the blast hit, the ground where he'd been lying erupting in a shower of dirt and stone.

Kael staggered to his feet, his blade now glowing faintly with fragment energy. He met the leader's gaze, his determination increasing despite his battered body.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Kael said, his voice steady.

The leader roared, charging at Kael with renewed fury. Kael braced himself, his fragment's energy coursing through him as he prepared for the next round.

As the battle continued, Kael caught glimpses of movement in the forest. The main guards were coming. He just had to hold out a little longer.

But his body was nearing its limit. Every movement felt like a great effort, every breath was a struggle.

Neo's soothing voice came soft but firm. "You're almost there, Kael. Just a little longer."

Kael nodded, his focus unyielding. He would see this through, no matter the cost.

The leader's strikes grew more erratic, his energy reserves clearly dwindling. Kael seized the opportunity, launching a final, desperate attack.

He pounced up high and struck at the leader's fragment with all the strength he had left, the impact sending a shockwave through the battlefield.

The leader stumbled back, his corrupted form flickering as the fragment in his chest cracked.

Kael dropped to his knees, his vision darkening. The sound of distant voices reached his ears—the main guards were here.

But Kael's body refused to listen to him, his adrenaline rush had ended and his strength finally gave out. He collapsed to the ground, the world fading to black.

The last thing he heard was Neo's beautiful, soothing voice, filled with both urgency and relief. "Rest now, Kael. You've done enough."