The world shattered around Eryk, the ground splitting open with a deafening crack. The air turned thick with a palpable energy that pressed against his chest, suffocating him. His heart hammered in his chest as his legs gave way beneath him, sending him to the cold earth. He gasped for breath, struggling to focus on anything as the world spun in chaotic, dizzying motion.

Kael was already there, his blade raised to defend them both, his body taut with tension. But even Kael’s strength seemed strained against the power swirling around them. The dark energy that had erupted from the stranger’s hand was everywhere now, surging through the air like an uncontrollable storm. Eryk could feel it, tugging at his very soul.

“You need to fight it, Eryk!” Kael shouted, his voice strained. But it wasn’t just a plea—it was a command, an urgent call that cut through the noise in Eryk’s mind.

Eryk’s eyes darted around, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the ground seemed to pulse beneath him, as though the very earth was alive, groaning under the weight of the magic. The stranger stood a few paces away, his eyes alight with an unsettling satisfaction, a quiet menace that made Eryk’s blood run cold.

“Stop,” Eryk gasped, his hands shaking as he struggled to push himself up from the ground. “What is this? What do you want from me?”

The stranger’s lips curled into a slow smile, almost pitying. “It’s not what I want from you, Prince Eryk. It’s what you’re going to unlock. You’re the key. Your bloodline was never meant to be just a symbol. You were born for more—for something much greater. The power hidden within you is the last piece needed to bring about the end of the old kingdom. The power you’ve been hiding for years.”

Eryk’s chest tightened. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think clearly under the weight of the words, the intensity of the stranger’s gaze. The stranger’s magic pressed down on him like an iron fist, suffocating him, forcing him to confront something he couldn’t comprehend.

Kael moved to stand between them, his body a barrier between Eryk and the stranger. His sword gleamed in the moonlight, the only light in a world rapidly falling into darkness. “Stay back, Eryk,” Kael ordered, his voice fierce with determination.

Eryk barely heard him. His mind was too caught up in the stranger’s words. The power hidden within me... What was he talking about? His family’s legacy was one of peace, of protection, not destruction. There had been no mention of this power, no warnings, no hints of anything dark lying dormant in his blood.

The stranger, sensing his hesitation, took a step closer. “Your ancestors locked it away, yes. But power like that cannot stay hidden forever. It calls to you, Eryk. It’s always called to you.”

“No,” Eryk breathed, shaking his head violently. “This isn’t... this isn’t who I am.”

“Oh, but it is,” the stranger pressed, his voice smooth and dangerous. “You will see. You will understand. When the magic awakens, when it consumes you, you will know the truth. You will understand your true purpose.”

A pulse of energy surged from the stranger’s hand, and Eryk felt it ripple through his body, an unnatural heat spreading from his chest outward. His breath hitched as the world tilted sideways, and he gasped, trying to steady himself.

Then it hit him. The power was real. He could feel it thrumming beneath his skin, a pulse that was both foreign and familiar at the same time. It burned, scorched his veins with its intensity, as if it was calling him to something greater, something terrible.

“No!” Eryk shouted, trying to fight against the sensation, trying to push it away. But it only grew stronger, filling his mind with visions of fire, of destruction, of a kingdom falling to ashes.

“Fight it, Eryk!” Kael’s voice broke through the storm of magic, a lifeline in the chaos. He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving Eryk’s. “It’s not you. It’s the power trying to consume you.”

But the power was everywhere now, flooding Eryk’s senses, drowning out everything else. The blood inside him screamed, roared to life, as though it recognized the magic—the very force he was meant to wield. His hands shook, and he felt the ground tremble beneath him as if the earth itself was responding to the surge of energy.

“You don’t have to do this,” Kael said again, softer now, his voice urgent but filled with pain. “You have a choice.”

Eryk’s vision blurred, his body trembling with the force of the magic pulsing through him. The world around him seemed to stretch and warp, the shadows growing longer, darker, more sinister.

The stranger smiled, his eyes glowing with dark satisfaction. “He doesn’t know yet, Kael. But soon, he will. Soon, he will be mine.”

Eryk’s head spun. The pull of the magic was undeniable, and the longer he tried to resist, the harder it became to hold onto himself. His fingers curled into fists as the power clawed at him, demanding to be set free.

“No,” Eryk gasped, his voice breaking. “I won’t...”

But before he could finish the thought, something inside him snapped. The power surged up from within, erupting in a flash of blinding light. A scream tore from his throat as the energy exploded outward in a shockwave, sending both Kael and the stranger stumbling backward.

For a moment, there was nothing but a blinding flash of white. The world spun into chaos, as if the very fabric of reality had torn apart.

When the light faded and Eryk could see again, everything had changed.

The stranger was gone. In his place stood nothing but an empty void, a hollow space where darkness seemed to linger. And Kael—Kael was on the ground, his body thrown to the side by the force of the blast.

Eryk looked at his hands, trembling as the echoes of the magic thrummed within him. The power was still there, coursing beneath his skin, a part of him he couldn’t escape.

Kael groaned from the ground, his voice strained as he pushed himself up. “Eryk... what did you do?”

Eryk didn’t answer. His breath was coming in shallow gasps as he stood, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. He had felt the magic—the power—that had erupted from him. And now, it was as much a part of him as his blood.

“I... I didn’t mean to...” Eryk’s voice faltered, his body shaking with the aftereffects of the magic. “What is this? What am I becoming?”

Kael staggered to his feet, his expression pained but filled with determination. “You’re not becoming anything you’re not already, Eryk. But we need to figure this out. You’ve awakened something... dangerous. And now, there’s no turning back.”

Eryk turned his gaze to the horizon, where the first light of dawn was breaking through the night. Somewhere, in the distance, something was stirring—a new danger, a new challenge that would test everything he had just begun to understand.

And whatever it was, Eryk knew one thing for certain: he couldn’t face it alone. Not anymore.