Kael woke to the sound of water dripping.
For a moment, he didn't move. He lay perfectly still, breath shallow, unsure whether he was truly awake,or trapped within another vision. His body ached like it had been carved open and stitched together with fire, and his thoughts were little more than shattered fragments.
When he tried to sit up, a sharp clink of iron stopped him cold.
Chains.
His arms were shackled to stone. Cold metal cuffs encircled his wrists, humming faintly with an unfamiliar energy. He blinked through the haze. The room around him was dim and quiet, lit only by a pale, soft-blue lantern swaying from the ceiling. The scent of dust and incense lingered, grounded by the stillness of ancient stone.
The walls were smooth too perfect to be natural. Symbols, etched deep into the rock, glowed faintly. Not magical, not alive, but something older. They pulsed in a rhythm that didn't match breath or heartbeat.
Kael's mouth was dry. His voice cracked as he spoke.
"Where am I?"
"You are safe," a voice replied.
Kael turned his head.
A man sat across the room. He wore the same familiar white robes Kael remembered,soft, frayed at the edges, yet somehow untouched by dirt or time. His face remained hidden beneath a hood, his posture unthreatening. There was no blade in sight. No menace. Just stillness.
Kael glanced down at the cuffs. "Why am I chained?"
The man reached beside him and placed a small wooden box on the ground. His voice remained calm.
"When you were found, you were thrashing. Unconscious, but violent. The chains kept you from hurting yourself or anyone else."
Kael lowered his gaze to his arm. The mark pulsed faintly beneath the skin. No longer burning, but still present. Still waiting.
"And you are?"
"A witness. A keeper of this place. And today… perhaps an investor."
Kael frowned. He didn't like riddles, especially from people who kept him shackled
'Ah, riddles. Of course. Another one of the cultists, perhaps. '
His body tensed ever so slightly.
He'd been encountering too many lately. That couldn't be coincidence.
Kael sighed inwardly.
Great. Another cryptic sermon. Well... not much I can do right now. Might as well bear with it,and squeeze out what info I can.
"Investor?"
The man didn't answer right away. Instead, he gently lifted the box beside him.
"This is an Oathbound Relic. It grows alongside the one who carries it. Slowly. Dangerously. It takes the shape of your burden. And you, Kael, are burdened more than most."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Why me?"
"Because you are waking. And the world is shifting."
Kael's suspicion deepened. He glanced toward the door, then back to the box. He didn't trust this place. Or this man. But he wasn't in a position to fight. Not yet.
"If I refuse?"
"You leave. Rested. Fed. No obligations. No chains."
"And if I take it?"
"Then you carry more than the mark. You carry with purpose."
Kael's gaze lingered on the box. A choice, presented too cleanly. Too early. He had questions. He had wounds that hadn't closed.
"I need time to think," he said at last.
The man said nothing, but he didn't protest. He closed the box and placed it back on the floor beside him.
"You were seen," he said. "There was a relay embedded in your robe. Where did you get it? You don't seem wealthy enough to buy something like that."
A flicker of confusion passed through Kael's eye—his only eye,before it vanished without a trace. His tone was cold and unreadable.
"What relay? I don't know anything about that."
The man's expression shifted. His gaze sharpened beneath the hood, studying Kael more closely.
"Strange," he murmured. "Someone or something—was definitely watching you. The Relay recorded it. Fragments of the visions you saw. Not enough to form a whole, but enough to know they weren't hallucinations."
Kael's voice dropped. Cold. Sharp. "Did you see it too?"
The man chuckled, dry and humorless. "What if I did?"
Silence lingered between them.
Kael didn't press. His thoughts turned inward. The visions still lingered, etched behind his eyelids. He remembered the girl with the dead stare, her fingers burning the mark into his flesh.
The man spoke again, his voice softer now. "You owe your life to someone."
Kael looked up.
"She carried you out of the Reliquary.Aeris ,You were bleeding black. The mark was consuming you. If she had hesitated even a little longer..."
Kael looked away, jaw clenched.
He had walked into that place with fire in his chest, convinced he would find the relic , instead he'd collapsed momments after the vision.
The shame burned hotter than the mark.
'Passed out like a fool the moment it mattered.'
He exhaled slowly, hiding the flicker of embarrassment behind a mask of indifference.
Kael felt something twist inside his chest.
The girl.
Aeris.
The name echoed. She had looked barely alive, but her steps were steady. He remembered her cold hands and her strange certainty. She had chosen to save him.
"...Where is she now?" Kael asked.
The man rested his hand atop the box.
"She's gone. To the capital. Eldwyrth."
Kael's thoughts stilled.
The name Eldwyrth carried immense weight. This was no ordinary city; it was the sole Tier-5 Sanctum, the primary reason humanity had endured in this cursed world. A Tier-5 Sanctum represented the highest possible tier of a known sanctuary, capable of repelling creatures that could even slay gods.
Eldwyrth had been conquered through an immense sacrifice. All of humanity's champions, encompassing both government forces and powerful clans, had united for its taking, and most had perished in the brutal process. It was originally a reliquary, a place of immense power and peril, and its reclamation had cost dearly.
Sanctums ranged from Tier-Zero, offering minimal protection, all the way up to Tier-5. Claimed reliquaries could also be repurposed as sanctums.
Access to Eldwyrth was a privilege earned by blood and coin. Only the most wealthy and influential individuals were permitted inside its walls.
And yet, burdened were permitted too, Not all but those who has potential, should they pass the trial..
Which tier was The Hollow Crown? Kael shivered at the thought. It was definitely above Tier-Zero.
"Why did she go there?" he asked, his tone cautious.
"She is a burdened," the man replied. "Those who carry burdened power are watched. Recruited. Judged."
Kael didn't respond for a while. His gaze shifted to the side, eyes distant, before settling back on the man with forced indifference.
"You seem to know a lot about her."
The man smirked behind the hood, the expression unreadable. "I know enough."
Kael's eye narrowed. "Enough to trust her?"
"Enough to not stop her," the man said simply.
A pause settled between them, thick with unspoken thoughts.
"That doesn't answer the question," Kael said.
"No," the man admitted, "but then again, you didn't really ask one."
Kael looked away again. "She didn't strike me as someone who follows orders."
"She doesn't," the man replied, his voice quieter now. "But she's walked farther into the dark than most would dare. And came back carrying someone like you."
Kael's jaw tensed, but he said nothing.
"She saw something in you," the man continued. "And she acted. We didn't question her choice. Not because of who you are, but because of who she is."
Kael's voice was quieter now. "You still haven't told me what she is."
"A survivor. Like you," the man said. "But with more to lose."
Kael gritted his teeth and glared at the man.
This man was speaking in riddles.
Does he think it's cool or what?
The thought slipped through Kael's mind like a blade of irritation. He didn't know what bothered him more,the cryptic tone or the calm way the man acted like he knew everything. If Kael had the strength, he would've punched him right then and there. But alas, he didn't want to die just yet. Especially not after what he had seen.
As the memory of the visions stirred, a fresh wave of pain surged behind his eye. His head throbbed like something inside was trying to crawl out.
"When can I leave?" he asked, not looking at the man.
"When you have recovered enough," the man replied flatly.
Kael clenched his jaw. "Then can you kindly unchain me? It's uncomfortable."
There was a pause. Then, the man stood and walked over without a word. The cuffs unlocked with a faint click, and Kael's arms dropped to his sides, sore and heavy. He flexed his fingers, the lingering ache pulsing through his wrists.
"Rest," the man said simply. "You'll need it."
Kael didn't respond. He lay back slowly, eye on the ceiling, one hand over the mark that now sat beside the relic.
The man left without another word.Kael closed his eye, but sleep didn't come.The relic pulsed faintly inside the closed box, as if aware.The world was stirring again. And this time, Kael would have to move with it,whether he wanted to or not.