The first light of dawn barely touched the Veilwood when Kaelen and Elowen emerged from the Sanctum.
The world felt different now.
Kaelen could feel the forest breathing — the slow, ancient pulse of roots beneath the soil, the whisper of wind in the high branches. He could sense faint threads of magic twisting around every living thing.
But beyond that beauty lurked something darker.
From the northern horizon came a tug — a thread of blackness, cold and vile, pulling at his senses like a thorn in his skin.
The Ashen Court's corruption.
"We're close," Kaelen said, gripping his Warden Blade tighter.
Elowen nodded, her golden eyes hard. "There's an outpost hidden in the ruins ahead. Old magic still clings to it. If the Ashen Court has begun their infection here, that's where it will take root."
Kaelen's heart pounded. His first real trial as a Warden — no more running, no more hiding.
They moved swiftly through the trees, their steps near-silent.
After an hour's trek, the trees thinned, revealing a crumbled village swallowed by vines and moss. The remains of stone cottages slumped under the weight of centuries.
But even from a distance, Kaelen could see it: a black mist curling around the broken stones, thick and sluggish, poisoning the air itself.
"Stay sharp," Elowen said, drawing her sword.
Kaelen nodded and summoned the Flame within him — a flicker of blue light that wrapped around the Warden Blade, humming softly.
They stepped into the ruins.
Almost immediately, Kaelen's breath caught in his throat. The air was colder here, heavy with the stench of rot. Shadows slithered at the edges of his vision.
Then he heard it — a low growl.
From behind a fallen wall, a creature emerged.
It had once been a stag — Kaelen could see the twisted remnants of antlers jutting from its skull. But its flesh was warped and blackened, patches of bone visible through sickly skin. Its eyes glowed with a hollow, crimson light.
"A Blightborn," Elowen hissed. "Corrupted beast. Fast. Deadly."
Kaelen raised his blade, muscles tense.
The Blightborn charged.
Kaelen barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side as the beast slammed into a shattered pillar, sending stone flying.
He came up in a crouch, heart hammering.
The stag turned, snarling, black ichor dripping from its jaws.
Kaelen gritted his teeth. He could feel the Warden Flame surging in his veins — but it was wild, unfocused.
"Come on," he thought. "I need more."
The Blightborn charged again.
Kaelen stood his ground.
At the last moment, he sidestepped, slashing out with the Warden Blade. The edge carved through corrupted flesh, sending up a spray of dark blood.
The beast howled in rage and spun, faster than Kaelen expected.
A hoof slammed into Kaelen's ribs, sending him sprawling across the ground.
Pain exploded through his side. He gasped, struggling to rise.
The Blightborn lowered its head, preparing for the killing blow.
Kaelen squeezed his eyes shut, reaching deep inside — deeper than he ever had before.
And something answered.
A hidden well of power surged up from the depths of his soul.
A Voice.
"Embrace the flame. Shape it. Bind it."
Kaelen opened his eyes — and for a moment, the world froze.
He could see the Blightborn's body glowing with threads of dark corruption — and the vulnerable points where the threads frayed and weakened.
Instinctively, he moved.
He dodged the charge by a hair's breadth, spun, and drove his blade into the creature's side — precisely at a frayed node of corruption.
The Warden Blade flared bright blue, and the Blightborn shrieked.
The corruption unraveled, the beast collapsing into a heap of rotted flesh and bone, the black mist hissing away into nothingness.
Kaelen stumbled back, breathing hard.
The Warden Flame within him pulsed warmly — approvingly.
Elowen approached, her sword lowered.
"You've unlocked your first Sight," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "The Warden's Sight — the ability to perceive corruption at its core."
Kaelen blinked. His ribs ached, his arms shook with exhaustion, but beneath it all he felt alive.
"I... I didn't even think," he said. "It just... happened."
Elowen smiled slightly.
"That's how it begins. Skill follows instinct. Control follows will."
She knelt beside the fallen Blightborn, examining its remains.
"The Ashen Court is pushing harder than we thought," she said grimly. "This corruption is advanced. They must have sent an envoy here."
Kaelen wiped blood from his mouth.
"An envoy?"
"One of their Blightcallers. Sorcerers who sow the seeds of corruption. If one is nearby..." Her gaze hardened. "We must find it before it spreads further."
Kaelen nodded, tightening his grip on the Warden Blade.
He wasn't ready. Not truly.
But he didn't have the luxury of waiting anymore.
The world was already burning — and he was the only Warden left to stop it.
Together, they moved deeper into the ruins, the lingering mist swirling around their feet, the hunt just beginning.