Chapter 34
The night stretched long over Calvenne, but Kael found no rest. The words he had overheard in the tavern echoed like a blade against his thoughts: Sir Dorian, Maelis, Thorne, Isolde… These names he had not forgotten.
They were the echo of his first downfall, the cruel reminder of his past limits.
He settled on the edge of a window in his hideout, gazing at the lights of the city below. The wind carried with it the whispers of the night market, furtive footsteps, and the low rumble of schemes that never slept.
The Veil of Illusions
Since the bounty hunters' attack, Kael had recognized his weakness.
His former illusion had masked his features, yes… but it had not fooled the sharpest eyes.
They had noticed his distinct gait, the cold weight of his stare, and worst of all, the aura of mana that bled through despite his disguise.
So he had changed.
His new veil was no longer just a mask of flesh.
It altered his voice, the resonance of his aura, even the cadence of his movements.
He could appear older, more weary, sometimes even slightly hunched.
To passersby, he was nothing but a forgettable merchant—polite, plain, unremarkable.
Nothing of a fugitive worth a fortune.
It was more than a mask.
It was an identity crafted by sheer will.
The Threads of Noxtera
Later that night, a discreet messenger knocked on his door. One of his agents, cloak soaked through, handed Kael a small sealed scroll.
Kael broke the seal and scanned the lines quickly.
Noxtera was thriving. The order established by his ally was consolidating.
But the scroll also spoke of the first stirrings of discord:
merchants unsettled by rising levies, guilds dissatisfied with strict discipline, and whispers of plots brewing against the administration.
Kael set the parchment down with a thin smile and say :
"Perfect. Even in my absence, the cycle moves forward. When chaos comes, it will be a storm I planted from afar."
A Confidence to Nerya
The next day, he went to Nerya. The healer raised an eyebrow when she saw him, as if she sensed an unusual tension within him.
"You seem… different today," she said softly.
Kael turned his eyes away, then answered in a low voice:
"I Heard of old enemies. Specters from the past I once thought extinguished."
Nerya frowned.
"And does that frighten you ?"
A brief, bitter laugh slipped from Kael's lips.
"No. Not fear. Anger. Impatience."
She studied him for a long moment, as if trying to decipher the man behind the words.
The Dilemma
That night, alone in his hideout, Kael recalled the flashback scene. The flames he had sought to dominate, the body that betrayed him, and the heroes who struck him down.
He was no longer that arrogant being. Yet he could not ignore the emotion boiling inside him.
Anger. Wounded pride. And a strange, dangerous excitement.
He clenched his fists.
If they still walk this world… then sooner or later, they will cross my path. And this time, they will learn that even light can be extinguished.
A Silent Decision
At dawn, Kael walked out, his illusion still in place. He blended into the crowd of the market, not to sow discord as usual, but simply to observe. He passed faces young and old, innocent and corrupt.
And despite himself, a question gnawed at him:
Was he still the vengeful shadow who dreamed only of ruin… or was he becoming something else?
For a moment, he found himself smiling at a child who reminded him of the boy in the tunnels.
Then his gaze hardened again.
"Not yet," he whispered. "Not before my vengeance is complete."
But within his heart, the fissure kept growing.