The Falor of Khaleus: Blade of the Empress

Chapter 15

The Minotaur roared, its mechanical bellow tearing through the night, shaking the very air around us. I grit my teeth and tightened my grip on Draeca, muscles straining against the overwhelming force of each of its attacks. Every swing of that monstrous axe whistled past me like a deadly comet, close enough to feel the sheer power behind the strikes.

It was fast—too fast for something so massive. Every time I thought I had its rhythm down, it would switch up its attacks, pounding the ground with its hooves or swiping at me with a punch that could crumple a truck. One wrong move and I'd be turned into a smear on the pavement.

I darted left as the creature's hoof smashed down, the ground splitting beneath it. "Damn it," I muttered, sweat stinging my eyes as I swung Draeca in a desperate counter-strike. The blade glanced off its armored hide, barely scratching the surface. "What are you made of?"

The creature didn't respond—not that I expected it to. Instead, it snorted, thick, black smoke hissing from its nostrils as it straightened. The red glow of its eyes flared, and I had only a second to react before it reared back, opening its mouth wide—

—and a torrent of fire erupted from its maw.

"Holy—!" I barely managed to throw myself to the ground, the blast of flame scorching the air above me. I rolled to my feet, panting, my heart hammering in my chest as the inferno passed.

The Minotaur stomped forward, its hooves shaking the earth, the heat still radiating off its body in waves. It lunged at me again, swinging that massive axe down in a crushing blow. I scrambled back, trying to gain some distance, but its hind legs kicked out, one massive hoof catching me square in the chest.

"Gah!" The impact sent me flying, my ribs screaming in protest as I crashed into the cobblestone street. Pain flared through my entire body, and I coughed, gasping for breath as I struggled to push myself up.

But the Minotaur wasn't giving me time to recover. It charged, closing the distance in an instant, its axe raised high—

And then it brought the blade down.

I rolled to the side, but not fast enough. The axe clipped me, its edge slashing across my face in a searing line of agony. Pain exploded in my skull, blinding me as I felt something tear—a deep, brutal cut that went from my temple to my cheek, bisecting my right eye.

I screamed, the world blurring and spinning as I staggered back, one hand pressed to my ruined eye. Blood poured down my face, warm and sticky, and I felt something inside me twist—fear, anger, desperation all boiling together.

I was losing. I was actually going to die.

No, I thought fiercely, gritting my teeth. I couldn't give up. Not here. Not now.

The Minotaur bellowed, the sound like a victory cry, and I looked up through the haze of blood and pain. It loomed over me, axe raised for the final blow, its fiery breath hissing between its jagged teeth.

"Not... yet," I rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper. My vision was going dark, the edges of my sight fading, but I could still see the beast, still see that mocking, red-eyed gaze.

And then I felt it. A familiar, dark presence stirring in the back of my mind.

"Do you want to live, Adrian?" Khaelus's voice reverberated in my mind, deep and chilling, like a whisper from the abyss. "Do you want to win?"

"Yes!" I gasped, gripping Draeca tighter. "Please...!"

A low, dark chuckle resonated in my head. "Then take this spark, boy. Accept it—and keep it alive, grow that spark into a raging inferno."