Shadows Beneath Elderglen

Here is Chapter 5 of Rise of the Arcane King — blending adventure, danger, and growing emotional bonds between Kai, Selene, and Elyra.

---

Chapter 5: Shadows Beneath Elderglen

The river had long since faded behind them, swallowed by ancient trees and creeping vines. Sunlight pierced through the forest canopy in golden shafts, dappling the overgrown path ahead. Birds called overhead, but there was something unnatural in the silence between each cry.

Kai walked in the lead now, his boots crunching softly against moss-covered stone. The arcane mark on his hand pulsed faintly—warm, alive, as though guiding him.

Behind him, Elyra hummed a tune, but even she couldn’t hide her nervous glances toward the trees. Selene, ever silent, walked a few steps behind them, her veilblade strapped across her back, and her gaze sharp as ever.

“Kai,” Elyra said, brushing leaves from her hair, “we’re close. Elderglen’s protective magic is thin here. I can feel it.”

“So can I,” Kai muttered. “Something’s watching us.”

---

They reached the shattered gates of Elderglen Sanctuary by midday. What should have been a sacred haven for ancient spellcasters was now a ruin of mossy stone arches and broken crystal spires. Faint glyphs glowed along the shattered walls—wards, long faded.

And then the shadows moved.

A monstrous shape surged from the darkness of the old temple. A feline beast, twisted by Void corruption, emerged with eyes glowing like molten amber. Its body was sleek and jagged, like smoke held together by shadow and bone. Tentacles writhed from its back, dripping black mist onto the ground.

“Wraithpanther,” Selene growled, unsheathing her blade. “It shouldn’t be here. They’re never this far east.”

Elyra stepped beside Kai, drawing a circle in the air with her fingers—light blooming from her palm. “It’s feeding on the sanctuary’s magic. If it finishes, it’ll be unstoppable.”

Kai’s heart pounded. “Then we don’t give it time.”

---

The fight erupted.

Selene darted in first, a flash of silver steel. Her movements were precise, honed by years of battle. The wraithpanther roared, claws crashing against her blade in a flare of sparks. Its tendrils lashed out—but Elyra was faster, raising her staff and whispering an incantation.

“Sylvara!”

A surge of vines erupted from the ground, tangling the beast’s limbs. Kai ran forward, hand blazing with arcane light. As he leapt, a memory surged through him—not his own, but a Shardborn’s echo. He twisted midair, landing on the panther’s back, and slammed his palm down.

“Infracta Lux!”

Blue lightning burst from his hand, searing through the creature’s smoky form. It screeched, stumbling back—wounded but not dead.

Selene landed beside him, blood trickling from a cut on her cheek. “You’re getting stronger.”

Kai offered her a grin, even as his legs shook from the magic drain. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Elyra joined them, chanting again, her eyes glowing. “We finish it together!”

---

The final blow came like thunder. Selene sliced through the creature’s neck, Elyra’s magic binding its soul, and Kai drove the arcane shard into its heart. A shockwave pulsed outward, scattering the mist and silence followed.

The Wraithpanther crumbled into dust.

Breathing hard, Kai dropped to one knee. Selene caught his shoulder, steadying him.

“Hey,” she said softly, “don’t push so hard next time.”

He looked up at her, surprised at the gentleness in her voice. “I had to. You both were in danger.”

Elyra knelt beside them. “And we’ll be in danger again, Kai. That’s what this journey is. But we’re stronger together, remember?”

He looked between them—Selene’s solemn steel, Elyra’s warm fire—and nodded.

---

That night, they camped inside the sanctuary ruins. The stars shone brighter here, magic humming faintly in the walls.

Elyra leaned against a broken column, watching the stars. “Did you know this place was where the first Core-bearer meditated? They say love bloomed here between him and a Sentinel.”

Kai chuckled. “You mean one of you is about to fall in love with me?”

Selene rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her amusement. “Don’t get cocky, Arcane King.”

Elyra winked. “You are kind of cute when you’re bleeding and noble.”

Kai blushed and turned away, but warmth blossomed in his chest.

For once, despite the darkness surrounding them, he felt the faintest spark of something he thought he’d lost forever:

Hope.

---

End of Chapter 5

Would you like Chapter 6 next — maybe introducing a third girl into the story? Or perhaps delving deeper into Kai’s arcane abilities and the ancient magic tied to the shards?

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***