Crimson rebirth: rise of the cursed eye

There was no wind tonight.

Only the faint creak of dying trees… and the scent of blood lingering in the air like a curse.

Kael moved through the Wyrmveil's outer edge in silence, his figure draped in a cloak of ash and void. His Onyx Armor, sleek and soul-tempered, shimmered under moonlight filtered through corrupted canopy. It moved with him like a second skin—every step controlled, every breath measured.

Strapped to his back, the obsidian katana Ebonfang vibrated faintly—alive with echoes of lightning, fire, and pain. Five soul marks shimmered across its surface. Soon, there would be a sixth.

Covering Kael's face was the Hollow Mask—jet black, adorned with faint red spiral markings. No mouth. No humanity. Just a void staring back at the world.

And perched on his shoulder… a shadow with tails.

Ashuru, now the size of a small cat, was cloaked in pure black fur. Each of his nine tails drifted like trails of smoke, crackling occasionally with restrained Nexis energy. His eyes, narrow and silver, cut through the dark.

He was no mere summon.

He was the Beast of Ash.

Bound. Unleashed. Watching.

"He's near," Ashuru murmured, his voice deep despite his small form. "Feeding. Hunting. But not beasts…"

Kael's eyes—marked with the Ashen Sigil Stage Two—pulsed within the mask.

He didn't need to ask who.

---

Hollow Glade – Moments Before

The Forest Rankers were dying.

Captain Nael screamed orders to falling men. "Hold the line! Retreat south!"

Too late.

A blur swept across the clearing—then two heads hit the ground before they could blink.

Shadow and void twisted into form.

Standing atop a mound of bodies was Vel'Zareth.

No longer hiding. No longer bound.

It stood tall—humanoid, but twisted. Tier VI. A corrupted intelligence forged from ancient cores and shattered mana. Four arms, obsidian skin etched with writhing glyphs, and eyes like black crescents dripping starlight.

"I warned you," it spoke. "This forest is mine."

Nael raised his weapon, voice shaking. "You're no beast. You're a curse."

Vel'Zareth tilted its head. "Close."

He lifted a hand.

The sky pulsed.

Then something shattered through the air—

---

Kael Descends

A spear of sound broke the world.

Vel'Zareth turned, a flicker of surprise in its eyes.

Too slow.

Kael crashed into the glade like a meteor, black cloak billowing, the Hollow Mask burning with red light.

THOOM.

His boot drove into Vel'Zareth's chest, sending the creature reeling through trees and soil. The air rippled from the impact.

Kael stood where Vel'Zareth had been, silent and immovable.

The surviving Rankers looked up in stunned awe. The one who saved them wore no banner, no insignia.

Just armor.

Just wrath.

And the black mask of a ghost.

Ashuru leapt from Kael's shoulder, landing atop a jagged boulder nearby. His nine tails lashed the air.

"You let him live too long, Kael."

Kael drew Ebonfang.

And the duel began.

---

The Tier VI Hunt

Vel'Zareth emerged from the wreckage, claws spinning, body shifting through broken space.

"You've changed," it growled.

Kael said nothing.

He vanished—Specter Drive activating. Shadows burst apart where he stood, reappearing mid-air, katana blazing.

CLANG.

Ebonfang met Vel'Zareth's claw-blades.

Then again. And again.

Vel'Zareth struck with corrupted mana, launching spatial spears. Kael's Ashen Sigil Eyes flared—watching the fractures in time, reading the tears in space.

He dodged. Countered.

SLASH.

One of Vel'Zareth's right arms hit the ground.

The creature roared—no longer calm.

"You're becoming more than what you were before."

Kael's voice rasped behind the Hollow Mask.

"I'm becoming what you feared."

> System Notification

Tier VI Entity: Vel'Zareth Engaged

Nexis Override Triggered

Adaptive Evolution Active

Kael disappeared in black static.

Vel'Zareth howled—slashing at nothing.

Then Kael emerged behind him, driving Ebonfang into his lower spine.

The beast shrieked.

Ashuru watched, unblinking.

"You shouldn't have show yourself in this forest, creature. Not while he still here."

Vel'Zareth turned, his body cracking, leaking obsidian essence. "You think you can beat me ?"

Kael paused.

Kael stepped forward, blade still raised. "Then let it be meaningless."

---

Final Clash – Thunder Breaks

Vel'Zareth lifted all four blades.

Kael raised Ebonfang, mask glowing crimson.

Lightning erupted between them.

Fire howled.

Ash met void.

And Wyrmveil burned.