PROPHECY'S BLADE

CHAPTER 17 - AMBUSHED IN THE DUST

Consciousness crawled back to the trio like a reluctant tide. Fike, the first to awaken, groaned and rubbed his head, the phantom taste of Luke Imperia's power clinging to his tongue like bitter ash. "Fike, what happened? Please tell me none of that was real...and where is Alex?" he rasped, eyes snapping around the swirling darkness of the portal.

Jayden, stirring beside him, his face etched with a dawning horror, confirmed Fike's worst fears. "It wasn't a dream. He took Alex, Luke Imperia did." His voice, once a confident baritone, was now a broken whisper.

Jarad, the elder sorcerer, his weathered face grim, rose to his feet, wincing at the echoes of Luke's aura still radiating through his bones. "We have to get back to the Realm. We'll figure things out from there." But even as he spoke, his eyes, usually gleaming with arcane energy, flickered with worry. His link to the hidden laboratory, to Sabrina, his assistant, was severed.

Fike stumbled to his feet, the portal wavering at his touch. "Master, I...I can't stabilize the portal. My connection to the lab...it's gone." Fear tinged his voice, the portal flickering ominously.

With a jolt, they found themselves back in the designated landing point, but what greeted them was not the majestic sprawl of the Imperial Realm, but a desolate wasteland. Buildings lay in ruins, dust swirling through empty streets like ghosts of a forgotten city.

"This...this isn't the Realm," Jayden breathed, his voice choked. "Where are we?"

Fike, his confidence shattered, stammered, "I...I don't understand. I opened the portal using signature detection, it has to be right...but this..."

But before he could finish, a chilling voice echoed through the desolate landscape. "Well, well, you've arrived earlier than I expected."

They spun around, hearts pounding in unison. A black portal tore open in the sky, and from its depths stepped Luke Imperia, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

Jarad, his hand gripping his staff, met the Shadow Imperial's gaze with a defiance born of desperation. "Luke Imperia," he rasped, "what have you done?"

Luke's smile widened, cold and predatory. "Just a little...redecoration," he purred, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling power. "Welcome to the ruins of the Imperial Realm, gentlemen. Enjoy your stay."

And as the darkness of the wasteland settled around them, the trio knew their fight had just begun. The game had changed, the stakes had risen, and the fate of Alex, and perhaps the entire realm, hung precariously in the balance.

This revised passage injects more descriptive details, heightens the emotional tension, and deepens the mystery surrounding Luke Imperia's motives. It also introduces a new element of intrigue: the desolate Imperial Realm. Is it a consequence of Luke's actions? A clue to his ultimate plan? This leaves the reader eager to find out more and see how the trio will navigate this unexpected turn of events.

HEY THANKYOU FOR READING!! THAT'S THE END OF CHAPTER 17!!