Emberfang Woods

Here is Chapter 3 of Rise of the Arcane King — a longer chapter, (approx. 1,500+ words):

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Chapter 3: Emberfang Woods

The scent of scorched earth lingered long after the fight. Kai stood over the body of the great beast—a bear the size of a wagon, its dark brown fur matted with blood and ash. Its red eyes had dimmed at last. His chest still heaved from the exertion, the blue glow in his hand flickering out like a dying star.

Elyra stepped beside him, eyes narrowed. "That wasn't just any wild beast. Its hunger… its fury—it was unnatural."

Kai looked down at his hands. “I didn’t mean to burn it like that. I just—reacted.”

She turned toward him. “That wasn’t a beginner's spell. That was shaping raw mana into intent. It’s something even trained mages struggle with.”

He didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure what to make of it himself.

They gathered what little they could salvage—some beast hide, the creature’s fangs, and a few pouches of crushed herbs Elyra insisted were valuable. As they moved deeper into the forest, the trees grew thicker, the light thinner. Emberfang Woods was ancient—untouched even before the world fell.

“Why did we come here again?” Kai asked as he ducked beneath a twisted root.

Elyra, walking ahead with the grace of a dancer, replied, “Because if you're to survive, you need training. And the only place safe enough for that is Elderglen Sanctuary.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Safe? With giant demon bears wandering around?”

She smirked. “That was a welcome gift, compared to what waits deeper.”

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By midday, the two emerged into a glade veiled in fog. Towering trees formed natural arches, and strange blue lights danced just out of reach.

“We’ll rest here,” Elyra said, kneeling to begin a small campfire. “Mana flows thick in this place. You'll feel it.”

Kai sat on a smooth stone, feeling the hum of the earth beneath him. It was subtle but present—like a whisper brushing against the skin. Ever since the Genesis Shard embedded in his chest, the world had become louder. Colors were sharper, and his dreams were filled with stars.

He looked to Elyra. “Why are you helping me?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she fed kindling to the fire and said, “I saw the way the shard reacted to you. There are many Shardborn, but very few who resonate with the core. It means you're… significant.”

Kai laughed under his breath. “Significant. Right. I was nobody before this.”

Elyra met his gaze. “That’s why you’re dangerous.”

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They ate in silence—preserved bread, dried fruit, and a strange meat that Elyra insisted wasn’t poisonous. When the fire began to die down, she spoke again.

“There’s something you should see.”

He followed her beyond the glade, through twisted brambles until they reached a grove of stone pillars—half-buried ruins etched with glowing glyphs.

“This was a watchpost,” Elyra said. “From before the fall. When humans, elves, and the scaled kin ruled side by side. Before the shard… broke everything.”

Kai ran a hand over the glowing stone. “What happened to them?”

“They tried to control it. The shard was a seal—placed there by the Ancients to keep something out. Or maybe in. When it fell, the seal shattered. Magic returned… but so did the nightmares.”

As she spoke, the fog thickened.

A low growl rumbled in the distance.

Elyra tensed. “We’re not alone.”

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From the shadows, they came.

Humanoid forms cloaked in ragged black, eyes glowing yellow. Their flesh was pale, their teeth too sharp. They moved like beasts—but worse—like things that remembered being human and hated it.

“Wraithkin,” Elyra hissed.

Kai raised his hands, energy already building. “How many?”

“Too many. We run.”

They turned, racing back through the trees. The wraithkin gave chase, snarling and shrieking like mad dogs. Kai stumbled once, nearly falling, but Elyra caught him, yanked him upright.

They burst back into the glade—but the creatures followed.

“Nowhere to run,” Kai growled, turning. “Then we fight.”

Elyra began chanting, vines erupting from the soil. Kai formed another sphere of energy, but this time it pulsed—brighter, wilder. One of the wraithkin lunged—and Kai released the spell.

It hit like a cannon blast, tearing through the creature and sending two more flying.

But more came. From every angle.

Elyra was surrounded—her staff glowing as she spun, launching thorns and flame.

Kai roared, surging forward. Every movement of his body seemed to ripple with energy. He was faster. Stronger. Not normal.

He punched one of the creatures so hard it shattered against a tree.

But they kept coming.

One grabbed Elyra, another slashed at Kai’s side. Blood sprayed. Pain surged.

They were going to die.

Until the sky broke.

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A wave of light crashed through the glade.

The wraithkin shrieked—flesh burning, smoke rising—and scattered like shadows.