Chapter 10: The First Fracture

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The First Fracture Dawn came red and wrong. The sky above the western forest was cracked with streaks of angry orange. Birds didn’t sing. The wind was too still. Kai Veyron stood just outside the perimeter of the camp, rubbing his eyes. Sleep hadn’t come. Not after everything that had been said. Not after what hadn’t been. [System Status: Passive Instability Detected] Mana Regulation: 19% Emotional Spike Interference: HIGH Risk of Magic Outburst: ELEVATED Behind him, the others were stirring. Elira finished sharpening her blade. Yulia was already brewing her morning tea. Lira sat silently, cleaning her daggers. Virela emerged from her tent in a loose robe, stretching with a predator’s calm. Kai didn’t greet them. He didn’t need to. He could feel it. The tension. The suspicion. The pressure. He was a fuse. And something was about to light him. Ten Minutes Later — Forest Path The group headed east, toward the last known location of the demonic warband. Kai walked in the center — where they always put him now. He hated it. It wasn’t protection. It was containment. Suddenly, Lira raised a hand. "Stop," she whispered. The air changed. So did the light. From the shadows, figures stepped out — wearing dark robes, twisted armor, and carrying weapons coated in black crystal. Kai’s heart dropped. "Those aren’t demons," he muttered. "No," Elira said, drawing her sword. "They’re worse." Cultists. Worshippers of forbidden gods. Traitors to every kingdom. Some of the only humans more feared than demons themselves. The cult leader stepped forward — face hidden, voice thick with false reverence. "Hero," he said, bowing mockingly. "We come to liberate you. The world does not deserve your power." Kai raised his hands. "Look, I don’t know what you heard, but my powers mostly involve sneezing and tripping at high velocity—" The cultist held up a hand. The entire forest trembled. [System Alert: Mass Ritual Magic Detected] Warning: Forbidden spell signature... familiar. Yulia stepped back. "They’re channeling something old. Something unstable." Lira growled, knives at the ready. "They’re trying to trigger a full eruption." Elira looked at Kai. "We have to get you out of here. Now." But it was already too late. The cultists raised their hands, and Kai’s chest ignited. [WARNING: HERO CORE OVERLOADING] Mana Output: 783% Stability: CRITICAL Trigger: Emotional Surge + External Interference His vision blurred. His heart raced. He heard voices — all around him — whispering names he hadn’t said in years. "Kai... remember us..." "You were supposed to save us..." "You’re not a hero..." He screamed. Then the world exploded. A column of golden light ripped through the trees, incinerating the entire front line of cultists in a single, deafening blast. The shockwave leveled half the forest. Trees snapped like toothpicks. Rocks shattered. Wind blasted outward like a hurricane. The group was thrown backward. Lira slammed into a tree. Yulia’s barrier shattered. Elira barely managed to drag Virela behind cover before the full blast hit. Kai stood at the center, surrounded by fire. Eyes glowing. Hair floating. Breathing like a god waking from a nightmare. And then — it stopped. The light faded. The forest burned. And Kai collapsed to his knees. [System Update: Cataclysm Pulse – Triggered] Result: 57 hostiles neutralized Collateral Damage: Moderate Ally Status: 1 Critical Kai turned. One of them wasn’t getting up. Yulia. Her body lay still, robes scorched, chest rising only barely. Kai stumbled toward her. "No—no, no, no—" Elira knelt beside her, already casting healing magic. "She’s alive," she snapped. "But barely." Virela was silent. Lira stared at Kai, unmoving. He couldn’t stop shaking. "I—I didn’t mean to—" "We know," Elira said, not unkindly. But not gently either. [System Message: Your power has harmed someone who trusted you.] Guilt Threshold Reached. Trait Unlocked: Haunted You will now relive this moment in dreams. Kai sat beside Yulia for hours as the others made camp again. She didn’t wake. Not that day. Later that night, Lira approached him while the fire crackled low. "You’re losing control," she said simply. "I know." "Next time it might not be her." He didn’t look up. "Would you kill me if it happened again?" he asked softly. She paused. Then walked away without answering. That silence said more than words. Across the camp, Virela watched the firelight dance in Kai’s hollow eyes. She smiled. Not with joy. But with certainty. The fracture had begun. The hero’s heart was cracking. And when it finally broke... They’d all bleed.