Chapter 57: Road of the Unnamed
The forest thinned by morning. The burnt remains of Vaelith's descent still stained the valley behind them. Smoke lingered like a haunting memory.
Andrew walked at the front, Ashren strapped to his back. The sword's aura had settled—but it was always there now, whispering at the edges of his mind.
"Do you feel it?" he asked Elira beside him.
She nodded. "Yes. Something's watching."
Behind them, Mihai kept pace, hand on his dagger. "We're being followed. Not gods. Something lesser—but quick."
The Assassins of Hollow Mercy
By midday, they entered a canyon carved by time. That's when they struck.
Dark-cloaked figures descended from the cliffs—silent, trained, and utterly deadly. Three assassins, each marked with silver sigils etched into their flesh.
"Apostates," Mihai spat. "The gods' disposal unit."
The ambush was surgical. One assassin aimed straight for Andrew. Another engaged Mihai. The third tried to slit Elira's throat before she lit herself on fire.
Andrew's attacker moved like liquid—blades dipped in black ichor. Every parry rattled Andrew's arms. The assassin's voice was metallic, not human:
"The Fifth has returned. You must die before you remember more."
Andrew's eyes narrowed. He drew Ashren—and the air cracked.
Shadow pulse.
With one swing, the blade devoured the assassin's dagger in mid-air—and took his arm with it. The man screamed as his body began to fade into smoke.
"You're too late," Andrew whispered. "I've already remembered enough."
Aftermath and Unease
The group gathered around the smoldering remains of the assassins. Elira wiped blood from her temple.
"Apostates don't miss. They were stalling."
Mihai nodded grimly. "Trying to weaken us before we reach the citadel."
Andrew sheathed Ashren and looked toward the northern horizon.
"Then we get there faster."
In the Distance: The Citadel Revealed
By nightfall, they reached a high cliff. Below them lay the Citadel of Exiles—a fortress of black stone carved into a glacier, with towers glowing from within like veins of blue flame.
Horned warriors patrolled the walls. Winged figures soared above. And strange, ethereal lights danced in the air.
Elira stepped forward, visibly tense.
"Welcome to the one place the gods can't touch."
Mihai added, "And the last place they want us to be."
Andrew stared at the gates below, his reflection shimmering in Ashren's dark steel.
"Then let's knock."
Chapter End Hook: The Citadel's Watcher
Far inside the citadel, in a room of mirrors, a woman with glowing silver eyes turned from her scrying pool.
"So… the Shadow King walks again."
Behind her, three more cloaked figures emerged from the darkness.
"Shall we greet him, Lady Lys?"
She smiled thinly.
"No. We wait. If he's worthy of his past… he'll survive what comes next."