The dagger in my grip tightened. "He's stronger than you think."
"And yet so fragile," Calgrace said, eyes gleaming. "Like you. That beauty mark just beneath your collarbone? It's lovely. A shame you wear it like armor, when it was meant to invite adoration."
I flinched, just enough for him to see. His grin widened.
"And that," he said, "is why you're interesting."
Behind me, the girl whimpered.
Without thinking, I shifted my stance, shielding her completely — preparing to fight. But every instinct screamed this wasn't a man I could stab and be done with. There was something wrong about the air around him. Thicker. Hungrier.
He was watching me not like a man watches prey — but like a creature remembering hunger.
"Go," I whispered to the girl. "Back down the hall. Hide. Run when you hear fighting."
"She's already seen too much," Calgrace said smoothly. "As have you. But… I suppose that's why you're here, isn't it? To see what lies behind the mask."
His pupils dilated — slitted and inhuman.
I stepped forward with the dagger, even as my heart pounded like a war drum.
And then — a roar.
Far below, the manor shook. A wave of raw, primal magic surged through the stone like a living thing. The torches flickered. A crack splintered the marble beneath my feet.
Calgrace turned his head, frowning slightly. "...Ah."
I used the moment.
I threw a dagger, low and fast, not to hit him — but to shatter the oil lantern on the wall. Fire blossomed between us. Smoke curled thick.
I grabbed the girl and ran.
Behind me, I heard a sound — like silk tearing, and something inhuman laughing in the dark.
Smoke curled thick and heavy around me as I fled, the girl clutching my hand like a lifeline. Every step pounded in my ears—echoes of chaos, fire, and that deep, otherworldly laughter haunting my every breath.
I didn't dare look back, but I felt him behind me—the chill of Lord Silas Calgrace closing in like a shadow made flesh.
A sudden, sharp pain exploded in my side before I could react. My breath hitched as I stumbled forward, heart lurching.
Something cold, unyielding—like iron wrapped in shadow—had sliced through my ribs, leaving a burning trail of agony.
"No!" I gasped, clutching my side as the world tilted.
Pain bloomed and spread, sharp and relentless.
I stumbled against the stone wall, breath ragged, but there was no time to fall. The girl's frightened eyes searched mine, silent but desperate.
Summoning every shred of strength, I pushed forward.
Behind me, a low, cruel chuckle echoed.
"Such spirit," Calgrace's voice whispered like a curse. "But even the fiercest flame can be snuffed out."
A scream tore from my throat—half agony, half defiance. It shattered the night and reached far below.
I barely registered the pounding footsteps racing toward me—Eiran's voice breaking through the smoke and shadow.
"Hold on, Auralia!"
Pain blossomed anew as I pressed onward, the cold bite of my injury threatening to pull me under. But I couldn't stop. Not yet.
For the boy. For Eiran. For us.
The roar had torn through my very soul—a raw, primal sound that shattered all restraint. My vision blurred as the wild, untamed power inside me surged beyond control, transforming flesh and spirit alike.
I could feel it—the ancient, dark strength of the Hellforged awakening beneath my skin, reshaping me into something monstrous, something unstoppable.
Flames licked the walls and smoke choked the air, but I barely noticed the destruction. My senses narrowed to a single, burning purpose: find her. Auralia.
Every step shook the manor's foundations as I tore through corridors, the rune tattoos blazing fiercely along my arms like living fire. The warrior's power surged, wild and untethered, my breath ragged with fury.
Then, I heard it again—her scream.
A raw, desperate sound that set my blood ablaze.
I crashed through the heavy door at the end of the hallway and saw her—bloodied, faltering, but alive.
Before me stood Lord Silas Calgrace, a cruel smile twisting his pale lips, eyes glowing faintly red in the dim light.
He had underestimated me.
I growled low, a sound not entirely human, and surged forward, claws and arcane fire flaring, the Hellforged within fully unleashed.
This night would not be his victory.