Chapter 25
For six months, the illusion Kael had woven had been enough.
An older face, darker hair, a few subtle lines—no one had ever guessed the truth.
But hunters weren't fools.
They had noticed, again and again, the "coincidences": tensions erupting wherever this discreet merchant appeared, unexplained disappearances near his shop, whispers of a man manipulating shadows.
And most of all… some of them had acquired a mage specialized in revelations.
One evening, in the common room of the inn, Kael felt a chill run down his spine.
A handful of men entered, feigning nonchalance. One among them, an old man with clouded white eyes, began to chant softly, his finger tracing invisible runes in the air.
The world seemed to twist around Kael.
His illusion fractured. His hair returned to its true shade, his features sharpened, his face reshaping into the one plastered on bounty notices.
A heavy silence filled the inn.
Then someone spat between their teeth:
"It's him. The Shadow Devourer." That's what they nicknamed him.
The Pack Unleashed
Before Kael could react, a storm of blades and bolts rained down.
He hurled himself backward, illusions shattering like shards of glass to deflect the attacks. But the hunters had learned from his tricks: they ignored the doubles and focused their strikes on him.
A dagger tore into his side.
An axe split through his energy barrier, throwing him into a wooden table that shattered beneath him.
The inn became a battlefield.
Patrons screamed, rushing for the exits, while hunters closed in.
Kael spat blood, a bitter smile on his lips.
"So… you finally found a way to tear the mask."
A Bloody Escape
He unleashed a surge of illusions, twisting the room into a maze of shifting corridors. The hunters faltered for a heartbeat—just enough for Kael to smash a window with his hand and hurl himself into the night.
But he was not unscathed.
His steps were heavy, his breathing ragged. Every movement ignited the burning pain of his wounds.
Through the narrow alleys of Calvenne, hunters pursued him without pause. Torches lit the rooftops, shadows leapt from every side.
Kael staggered, his illusions flickering, fragile as glass about to shatter.
An arrow pierced his shoulder.
He fell, rolling through the mud, then dragged himself back to his feet, gasping.
Behind him, the inn's lights faded into the distance.
Selene was nowhere.
No sign, no cry.
So that's how it is… he thought, the pain in his chest deeper than his wounds.
The Wounded Predator
At last, he collapsed into a deserted alley, pressing against a wall.
Blood streamed down his side, his fingers trembled.
Never had he come so close to defeat.
Yet in his eyes, a fire still burned.
He raised his hand, weaving a veil of mist to cloak his presence, and whispered through clenched teeth:
"You think you've hunted me… but this is only the beginning."
The mask had been shattered.
Kael could no longer hide.
And in the city's shadows, the hunter had become the prey… but a prey ready to turn into a beast.