The Stellate Vortex

"I don't remember what happened after that..." he muttered. "I'm sure I had a fight with my father. No... it took months. I didn't meet Evelyn—for her safety. But then I heard of rebellion. I was exhilarated, thinking it would be the end of him. But no..."

The memory sharpened like a blade. He could see it clearly now: Malric's brutality, his father's merciless hand crushing the rebellion like it was nothing. Aldric's legs had moved on their own that day, as though his hatred had taken over his body.

"Maybe I didn't want the hope to be completely destroyed," Aldric muttered to himself. "Maybe I just wanted him gone. And maybe that's why I ran at him that day... attacked him."

He paused, taking a shaky breath, the heat of his current battle pulling him back into reality.

"Ah... yes, I remember. I'm fighting him right now."

Malric strode through the blazing inferno, laughing with a cruel, sadistic edge. His presence was suffocating, the air around him bending as though the flames themselves obeyed his will.

"IS THAT ALL THOU HAST, ALDRIC?" Malric bellowed, his voice thunderous and mocking. "TRULY, I AM DISAPPOINTED! AT THY AGE, I COULD LEVEL AN ENTIRE TOWN. YET THOU CANST NOT LAND EVEN A SINGLE BLOW UPON ME?"

Aldric coughed violently, his body wracked with pain. His hands trembled as he looked at them—bloodied and raw. His sword lay in pieces, shattered beyond use.

"Am I dying?" Aldric thought, his vision blurring as his knees buckled beneath him. Malric seemed untouchable, a god of chaos and destruction whose very presence overwhelmed him.

But then, as if from nowhere, a single image pierced through the haze: Evelyn. Her smile. Her laughter. Her warmth.

"No..." Aldric muttered, his voice barely audible. "I won't let her die."

He forced himself to his feet, driven by sheer will. The pain, the despair—none of it mattered. All that mattered was stopping his father, no matter the cost.

Unbeknownst to Aldric, Malric had his own reasons for his actions. He had no issue with Aldric's affection for Evelyn until a proposal from the princess reached him. If Aldric married her, he would become king—a path that would solidify Malric's dream of his family ruling the continent. The thought had consumed him.

At first, Malric thought Aldric's distance from Evelyn signaled obedience. Yet now, as he faced his son on the battlefield, he realized how wrong he was. Still, Malric's confidence did not waver. He chuckled darkly, his voice low and menacing.

"So, thou wouldst turn thy blade against me? It matters not. At thy current level, thou art but a child. Thou hast much to learn before thou canst dream of defeating me."

But deep within, Aldric's resolve burned brighter than the flames surrounding them. He wasn't fighting for rebellion or power. He was fighting for love, for freedom, and for a chance to finally sever the chains that bound him to his father's will.

"VOIDFLARE!" Aldric roared, releasing a torrent of raw, untamed energy that rippled through the battlefield. Time itself seemed to distort around him, as if bending to the force of his will.

Malric grinned, his eyes alight with a manic gleam. "That's it, boy! Show me thy mettle. Let us see if thou art truly my son!"

With a thunderous charge, the two clashed, their blades meeting in an explosion that sent shockwaves across the land. Flames and smoke filled the air, consuming everything in their path.

---

Evelyn ran, her heart pounding as the earth trembled violently beneath her feet. She had never witnessed such devastation, and panic gripped her as she navigated through the crumbling town.

"Help me! I'm stuck!"

A man's desperate cry caught her attention. Evelyn skidded to a halt, her eyes locking onto a figure trapped beneath the rubble. Without hesitation, she rushed to his side.

"Please, wait! I'll help you!" she said, her voice trembling with urgency. Her hands worked quickly, despite shaking from fear. Piece by piece, she removed the heavy debris, freeing the man. He staggered to his feet, leaning on her briefly before limping away.

Around her, the chaos only grew worse as townsfolk scrambled to escape to the safety of the open fields beyond the town. Evelyn glanced up at the sky, clutching the trinket Aldric had given her. Its cool surface grounded her in the midst of the storm, a reminder of the man she held so dear.

---

"Truly, love knows no bounds for you, my daughter," he began, his voice heavy with a mix of frustration and tenderness. "As a child, you were a wild spirit, running free and loving everything that wasn't ladylike. You would climb trees with your cousins, and I'd often find you covered in mud, laughing with a carefree heart. And while that vexed me at times, I couldn't help but love you all the more for it."

He paused for a moment, watching his daughter with a soft gaze, remembering how she had grown. "When I saw you at the dance, I thought, 'Finally, she may find the love I've longed for her to discover.' There was joy in your eyes, and I believed, perhaps naively, that this boy—Aldric—might truly be the one who could make you happy."

"But then, you started returning late, night after night. I thought you had been meeting him, but over time, I discovered the truth. You were not meeting him—you were waiting. You wore beautiful dresses every day, your smile bright, and you told me of your letters to him. You held onto the belief that he would return."

"I could see the sadness in your eyes, though you tried to hide it. But what could I do? I let you believe in him. I let you send your letters day after day, waiting for his return, even though it was clear to me he had no intention of ever coming back."

His voice became firm, as though making a difficult decision. "And yet, I could not bear to see you suffer. I could not stand by as you hoped for something that would never come to pass. So, my daughter, I have decided. We shall leave Thelaria. We will return to our kingdom, where your heart may heal, and you may be free of this... foolishness. I cannot watch you be broken by a love that was never meant to be."

"EVELYN! WHERE ARE YOU, EVELYN, MY DAUGHTER?!" His voice cracked, desperation lacing every syllable as he shouted into the chaos. The town was collapsing around him, buildings crumbling, the ground shaking violently beneath his feet. His heart raced as he pushed through the debris, frantically searching for his daughter.

I must find her, he thought, but with each passing moment, the world seemed to fall apart more and more. The streets were littered with rubble, screams and cries filling the air as people fled the destruction. His mind, clouded with worry, could only focus on one thing—his daughter. Where is she?

But fate, as it so often does, had other plans for him.

Without warning, the earth beneath his feet gave way. The ground cracked open, and the very buildings that had once stood tall above him now collapsed in a thunderous cascade of stone and wood. His body was struck by the falling debris, the weight of it crushing him before he could make another step toward his beloved daughter.

As the world turned dark, his final thoughts were not of anger or regret, but of his family. He saw a fleeting vision, a dream, where they were all together—his wife, his children, laughing around a table. The image of their warmth, their love, filled him with a fleeting peace.

And with a small, contented smile, his life came to an end beneath the rubble.

---

The clash of steel rang out, echoing across the empty battlefield as the two stood face to face. Aldric's breath was ragged, his body bruised, but his resolve unwavering. Malric, towering over him, stood steady, a look of grim determination in his eyes.

Aldric clenched his fists, his mind racing as he prepared for the next move. "Soul Flicker," he whispered, placing his hands on his father's chest. The moment the words left his lips, Malric staggered, his expression faltering as his very soul seemed to flicker, vanishing and reappearing in quick bursts. His vision blurred, his senses disoriented. In that brief moment, Aldric surged forward.

With lightning speed, he swung his fist toward Malric's throat, connecting with a brutal punch. The force sent his father flying backward, crashing to the ground. But as the effects of the Soul Flicker died down, Malric grunted, pushing himself back up with a fury in his eyes.

Before Aldric could take advantage of his father's momentary weakness, Malric was already back on his feet. He charged forward with terrifying speed, his massive frame a blur. Aldric's eyes widened in realization. He couldn't keep up with Malric's raw strength.

"Shit," Aldric muttered under his breath. He barely had time to react.

Malric swung his blade with all his might, the force of the strike ripping through the air. Aldric barely managed to bring his own sword up to block the blow, the impact sending a shockwave through his arms. His legs buckled under the weight of the strike, but he held firm, his teeth gritted in pain.

Before he could recover, Malric's fist shot out, landing squarely on his chest. Aldric gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him, and he stumbled backward, barely staying on his feet.

Aldric's vision blurred again, and in that moment, he activated Voidbind. With a subtle motion, he sent a pulse of void energy toward Malric's legs, draining small amounts of his energy. Malric's movements slowed just for a fraction of a second, but that was all Aldric needed.

With a sharp exhale, Aldric darted forward, his sword slicing through the air in a precise strike aimed at Malric's midsection. Malric, however, was too fast. He twisted his body and blocked the blow with a quick parry. The impact sent Aldric skidding across the ground, but he quickly rolled back to his feet.

Malric grinned. "You're faster than I expected, Aldric. But you're still too weak."

Aldric's teeth ground together. "I'm not done yet," he muttered under his breath.

He quickly shifted to his next tactic. "Oblivion Veil!" he shouted, activating the ability. A subtle, shifting distortion surrounded him, rendering him barely visible. He darted through the veil, trying to take Malric off-guard.

For a moment, Malric hesitated, sensing the change in the air. But Aldric was already gone, using the Voidwalk to slip behind him. Before Malric could react, Aldric aimed a quick, stealthy strike toward his father's back. But Malric's instincts kicked in just in time. He twisted and spun, catching Aldric's wrist in mid-air. With a crushing grip, he slammed Aldric to the ground.

"You can't hide from me forever," Malric growled, lifting Aldric by his wrist and throwing him across the field.

Aldric landed with a painful thud, the wind knocked out of him. His vision blurred from the impact. He needed to do something now, or he'd be finished.

As Malric charged again, Aldric whispered, "Eclipse Glimpse." For a moment, the world around him flickered. Malric's movements slowed as his senses momentarily failed him, disorienting him just long enough for Aldric to get back to his feet.

But even with his senses fading, Malric wasn't an easy opponent. He swung his blade with deadly precision, forcing Aldric into a desperate parry. Their swords clashed again, the force of the strikes rattling Aldric to his core. Malric's strength was unmatched.

In desperation, Aldric used Soul Flicker once more, placing his hands against his father's chest. This time, he amplified the effect, pushing Malric's soul to the brink of instability. Malric gritted his teeth, but his body faltered again.

Aldric took advantage of the opening, stepping in close and striking with a quick slash to Malric's side. But the blow was shallow, not enough to truly wound him.

Malric roared in pain, his eyes flashing with fury. With a single, powerful swing of his sword, he disarmed Aldric and sent him flying backward, crashing into a pile of rocks. Aldric struggled to breathe, his vision swimming, but he wasn't done yet.

Through the haze of pain, he muttered, "Oblivion's Grasp." A dark energy shot from his hand, reaching out to Malric and pulling at his very essence. For a brief moment, Malric's body stiffened, his soul tugged toward the void. It was enough to destabilize him just enough for Aldric to regain his footing.

"I won't give up!" Aldric shouted, though his voice trembled from the pain.

He lunged forward, forcing Malric back with a combination of Void Pulse and rapid sword strikes. Malric grunted with each impact, but his strength was overwhelming. With one final roar, Malric unleashed a powerful punch, sending Aldric crashing to the ground, unable to move.

The fight had come to its climax. Malric stood over his son, panting heavily. "You've grown strong, Aldric," he said, his voice softening. "But you're not strong enough yet."

Aldric looked up, his body battered and broken, he looked at his father

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