Chapter 185- Shadows Against the Storm
Adrian
The world had narrowed to one point.
CJ.
Across the chaos of steel and fire, he stood unshaken, his blade dripping with the blood of my men, his stance steady, his eyes locked on me. The storm of the alliance raged around us, but it was nothing compared to the storm I saw in him.
I felt it even before I moved—the inevitability. This was no longer a matter of armies or strategies. The tide of this war had funneled us both into this collision, like rivers meeting headlong. There could be no retreat from it. Not for him. Not for me.
My grip tightened on my sword, the leather wrapping biting into my palm. Power coiled inside me, a shadow given form, eager to lash out and consume. I let it rise; let it snake along the blade until it hummed with dark energy. Around me, my men stumbled, their cries punctured by the clash of steel as Lexy’s alliance drove them back. Useless. They would not win this fight for me.
This one was mine.
CJ broke forward through the melee, cutting down two of my soldiers with a single, brutal sweep of his blade. His movements were honed, practiced, and merciless. His presence radiated the kind of authority that only a true king could command—not the kind that demanded loyalty, but the kind that inspired it.
That made me hate him all the more.
“Adrian!” he bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos. It wasn’t a challenge—it was a promise.
I bared my teeth in a grim smile. “Finally.”
We closed the distance.
The first clash of our blades rang out like thunder, the impact jarring through my arms. Sparks spat into the night as steel ground against steel. He was strong—stronger than most men I’d faced—but strength alone had never been enough to topple me.
I twisted, shoving him back with a surge of dark energy that rippled from my blade. He staggered half a step, but his footing held. His eyes flared with defiance.
“You won’t win this,” CJ growled, lunging forward. His strikes came fast, precise, each one calculated to break my guard.
I parried, countered, our blades colliding in a storm of motion. He pressed harder, his power rising with every swing, but I matched him. For every inch he tried to gain, I stole it back with shadow. My movements were fluid, serpentine, my strikes aimed to overwhelm, to suffocate.
Still, he endured.
That infuriated me.
“Your queen hides behind you,” I spat, forcing his blade wide. “She always has. You’re nothing but her shield.”
His eyes narrowed, fury sparking. “I am her equal. Something you’ll never understand.”
Our blades locked, faces inches apart, the heat of his breath mingling with mine. For a heartbeat, I saw the conviction in him—unyielding, immovable. It sickened me. That kind of loyalty, that bond between him and Lexy, was their greatest weapon. And I despised it because it was the one thing I could never corrupt.
I shoved, breaking the lock, and lashed out with a burst of shadow. The ground cracked, smoke curling upward, forcing him back several steps. Men around us fell, caught in the wake of the blast, but CJ kept coming, teeth bared, his blade raised.
He was relentless.
I circled, watching him, calculating. His strength was formidable, but strength could be baited. I wanted him angry, reckless. I wanted to strip away that calm and leave only the beast underneath.
“You fight well,” I said, circling, my voice dripping with mockery. “But tell me, CJ—what will you do when she falls? When your precious Lexy lies broken at my feet?”
The flicker in his eyes told me I had struck a nerve. Good.
He charged with renewed fury, his blade descending in a brutal arc. I blocked, but the sheer force rattled my bones. He struck again, and again, each blow heavier, faster, fueled by rage. My arms burned with the effort to parry, my shadow weaving desperately to reinforce me.
This was what I wanted—his control cracking.
But then, something unexpected.
The air shimmered faintly around him, threads of power woven tight, not just his own. Her power. Lexy’s. Even without her standing beside him, her essence clung to him, strengthening him, binding him.
The realization sent a chill down my spine. They had trained for this. They were not just king and queen. They were a single force.
I gritted my teeth, forcing down the doubt. No. I would not be undone by their unity. I was stronger alone than either of them together.
Our blades collided once more, sparks leaping into the dark. Around us, the battle raged louder, but I barely heard it. The world had narrowed again, down to this clash of will and steel.
For every strike he landed, I answered. For every step he pushed, I dug in deeper. Neither of us gave ground willingly.
Kael’s voice cut through the din somewhere behind me, sharp and commanding. My men rallied weakly, but it was clear they were faltering under Lexy’s assault. Time was slipping through my fingers like sand.
I had to end this.
I feinted left, then struck right, my blade a blur of shadow and steel. CJ barely caught it, the edge grazing his arm. Blood welled, dark against the night, but he didn’t falter. If anything, the sight of his own blood seemed to ignite him further.
He came at me with a roar, and for the first time in years, I felt the weight of true danger pressing in.
Our blades locked again, the force of it vibrating through my body. His eyes burned into mine, not with hatred alone, but with unshakable resolve.
“You won’t break us, Adrian,” he said, his voice low, steady, terrifyingly certain.
I snarled, shadows flaring around me, coiling tighter, hungering for release. “We’ll see.”
And with that, the storm between us erupted in full. One way or another I must end this tonight.
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