Ashen Ascension: The Divided Flame-Chapter 54: The Final Witness

Ryker’s composure was gone now. Sweat ran down his temple as he came in again, his next slash fast and low, meant to cut across Ivor’s legs and end his mobility.

But Soul Sense caught the shift before the strike completed. Ivor noticed more than just the angle of the blade; he saw the slight heaviness in Ryker’s movement after the dash, the fraction of delay that followed the explosive burst. Even the boy on the right hesitated for a breath, unsettled by the sudden brutality of the exchange and unsure of when to commit.

That hesitation was enough.

Ivor let Ryker’s blade skim past by the width of a finger and stepped through the opening. He drove his sword forward and buried it cleanly into the shoulder of the nearest boy. The steel punched through muscle, and the boy cried out as his arm went slack.

Ivor did not waste time pulling the weapon free. He released it where it was lodged and immediately lowered his center of gravity, surging forward into the remaining attacker who simply watched eyes wide.

They collided and hit the ground hard.

Ivor mounted him before he could recover and brought his fist down once, then again. The second punch landed squarely across the bridge of the boy’s nose, and the crack of bone breaking was clear even over the chaos. Blood spilled across the dirt as the boy’s resistance faltered.

A sharp warning flared in Ivor’s senses. He rolled away just as Ryker’s blade stabbed into the earth where his head had been, the tip sinking deep into the soil.

On the other side of the clearing, Luna drove her knee upward into the face of the boy she had been fighting. Blood sprayed as he collapsed. Before she could reset, three more closed in on her from different angles.

Ivor caught the change at once. The balance of the fight had tilted toward Luna, and three of the remaining boys were closing on her together. Without giving Ryker the satisfaction of a direct exchange, Ivor shifted his path and sprinted toward her instead, trusting his awareness to track the others.

"Watch out!" Ryker shouted, realizing the intent a moment too late.

Ivor had already committed. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He reached the nearest boy just as the latter began to turn, confusion still crossing his face. Ivor’s foot drove into the center of the boy’s back with full force, and the impact sent him stumbling forward into Luna’s range.

She did not waste the opening. Her body turned smoothly, and her heel snapped across the boy’s temple with precise control. The strike landed clean, and the boy collapsed instantly, his body folding to the ground without resistance.

Another fighter down.

Across the clearing, Ryker’s restraint fully snapped, and the controlled edge he had maintained since the start finally gave way.

"Attack!" he shouted.

The remaining boys surged forward in a loose wave.

Ivor bent and snatched up the fallen sword beside him. His eyes tracked every movement rushing in, aided by Soul Sense spreading ten feet around him. Blood ran warm down his back, soaking into his torn pants, but he did not slow.

He shifted slightly toward the thinner side of the formation where only two boys stood between him and open ground.

"Come with me," he muttered to Luna without looking at her. And then he charged into them.

The two boys stood shoulder-width apart, blades angled inward to seal the gap. One guarded the right, the other the left, both expecting Ivor to commit directly into their steel.

He did.

He charged toward the boy on the right. At the same moment, Luna broke toward the one on the left. Halfway through his sprint, Ivor did something neither of them expected. Instead of striking, he hurled his sword across his body toward the boy on the left.

The blade spun through the air.

The boy flinched instinctively and brought his weapon up to block the incoming steel, knocking it aside in a hurried parry. That single reaction was enough.

Luna’s skill flared beneath her feet. She burst forward in a straight dash and leapt, her body twisting mid-air as her heel drove into the boy’s chest. The impact lifted him off his feet and sent him stumbling backward, air exploding from his lungs as he crashed into the undergrowth.

Ivor did not slow.

He continued charging toward the boy on the right, lowering his center as if preparing to tackle. The boy braced and raised his sword high for a downward strike. Just before the blade descended, Ivor shifted sharply left, then immediately cut back to the right, forcing the boy to track him and overcommit his swing.

Behind him, Luna recovered the fallen sword in one smooth motion and threw it toward the boy again. The flying weapon forced him to step aside and abandon his downward cut. His footing shifted. His stance opened.

Ivor closed the final distance.

The boy reacted in panic and slashed downward anyway, but the strike came late and off line. Ivor stepped outside the arc and drove a tight hook straight into the side of the boy’s head. The impact snapped his head sideways and staggered him.

Before he could regain balance, Luna came in from the side and delivered a sharp kick into his ribs. The force spun him and dropped him heavily onto the ground. Ivor rolled forward, scooped up his sword in the same motion, and surged back to his feet.

He did not look at the fallen boys. He accelerated into the trees at full speed, and Luna followed close behind him.

They burst through.

Behind them, Ryker shouted, and several boys gave chase. Ivor did not look back. He cut sharply between trees, forcing tight turns and uneven footing. Luna followed closely, matching his changes in direction without question. They zigzagged through the forest, using trunks and thick roots to break line of sight.

Footsteps pounded behind them for several seconds more.

One of the boys running beside Ryker spoke through labored breaths. "We need to get the injured back. If they bleed out, there’ll be trouble."

Ryker did not slow at first. His focus remained fixed ahead, eyes locked on the retreating figures weaving through the trees. His own breathing had grown heavier, but he pushed forward regardless.

"Ryker," the boy urged again, this time almost pleading.

Ryker halted abruptly.

For a moment he stood there, chest rising and falling, staring at the fading backs of Ivor and Luna as they disappeared deeper into the forest. The space between them widened with every second.

Then Ryker turned sharply and struck the boy across the face. The slap cracked through the trees, sharp and humiliating.

"I want to know everything about him," Ryker said, his voice hard as he looked over the remaining boys. "Who he is and where he came from. Find out."

He did not wait for a response. He turned and ran back toward the clearing where the injured lay, and the others followed without argument.

Far ahead, Ivor felt the rhythm of pursuit change. The pounding footsteps thinned, slowed, and then faded completely into the distance.

Ivor kept running for several more breaths to be certain. Only when the forest quieted behind them did he slow. He stopped behind a thick tree trunk and braced one hand against the bark, breathing hard. Luna came to rest against another trunk opposite him, her chest rising and falling just as sharply.

After a moment, Soul Sense faded. The awareness withdrew, and his head was aching, like a muscle pushed too far. He ignored it.

He straightened and looked at her.

Luna met his gaze. For a few seconds neither spoke. Then she gave a faint, almost incredulous smile.

"You fight well," she said between breaths. "Did you train somewhere?"

Ivor did not answer. His eyes shifted past her shoulder.

"Nara."

Luna frowned slightly and turned her head to look behind her. In that instant, Ivor stepped forward and drove the sword ahead without hesitation. The blade passed cleanly through her chest, piercing straight through her heart. The force of the strike pushed her a fraction backward before she went still.

Her eyes widened.

Slowly, she turned back toward him. Shock replaced the last trace of expression on her face. Then her gaze dropped downward to the steel protruding from her body, blood already spreading across her clothes.

Silence settled between them, broken only by the faint sound of their breathing.