The chamber rang with silence.
Veylan lay on the ground, breathing heavy, Kael's sword just shy of his throat. Blood ran down Veylan's cheek where the dagger had cut him. But his grin—bloody, smug—was unwavering.
"She's alive," he said again, quieter now.
Kael didn't move.
His mind screamed to finish it. To end Veylan, here and now. But his heart—the last piece that hadn't turned to steel—held him back.
"Where?" he asked.
Veylan chuckled. "You think I'd just tell you?"
Kael pressed the blade slightly deeper, enough to draw a drop of blood.
"You will."
A Deal With the Devil
Veylan laughed bitterly.
"She's in Black Hollow."
Kael's eyes narrowed. That place was a myth. An abandoned sanctuary past the Veiled Expanse, swallowed by time and storm.
"Liar."
"She was taken, Kael. Not killed. We needed leverage. Insurance. She's been alive this entire time—hidden, chained… waiting for you to come back from the dead."
Kael's hands trembled. Anger. Hope. Doubt.
"You knew this all along?"
"I orchestrated it," Veylan hissed.
Kael's sword slid downward—not in mercy.
He stabbed Veylan's leg, pinning him to the stone floor.
"You'll lead me there."
Chains of the Past
Kael left the chamber with Veylan wounded but alive—dragging him by the collar, past the corpses of the Court of Ghosts.
He didn't look back.
His mission had changed.
Revenge hadn't ended—it had evolved. He had one last name to cross off.
But now, he had a life to save.
And the price for it would be everything.
Elsewhere – Black Hollow
A woman opened her eyes.
Her wrists were raw from iron bindings. Her breath was shallow. Her voice cracked as she whispered into the darkness:
"Kael..."
And somewhere, a shadow stirred.
To be continue...