The night was colder than before. The fire in the ruined barn had long since burned down to faint embers, leaving only thin smoke curling toward the broken roof.
Adrian's eyes opened. Something felt wrong.
Not sound. Not sight. A presence.
The Null Sigil burned faintly in his chest, a pulse that told him danger was near.
He rose quietly, careful not to wake Serenya. Kaelen was already awake, bow in hand, crouched near the doorway like a wolf ready to spring. Lyra slept light, one eye half-open, while Finn snored softly against a sack of grain.
Kaelen's voice was a whisper, sharp as an arrowhead.
"They've found us."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "How many?"
Kaelen tilted his head, listening. "At least six. Trained. Moving quiet."
Adrian closed his eyes. His power stirred like a tide, urging him to unleash it. But the thought of using it carelessly… of letting it consume more of him… made his chest ache.
The barn creaked.
Then a blade slipped through the slats of the wall—metal glinting faintly in the moonlight.
"Wake them," Adrian hissed.
Kaelen kicked Finn's leg. The boy jolted awake with a muffled gasp. Lyra rolled over lazily, but the second she saw Adrian's face, her smirk vanished.
"Ah. So the game begins."
The barn door crashed open. Shadows surged in.
Six soldiers, cloaked in black, blades drawn. They wore no insignia, but their movements were sharp, disciplined—the Emperor's silent hunters, the Umbral Guard.
The lead soldier pointed his blade at Adrian. His voice was flat, merciless.
"By order of the Crown, surrender. The girl comes with us. Resist, and die."
Serenya stirred at the sound, confusion flashing in her sleepy eyes. Adrian stepped forward, shielding her with his body.
"Over my dead body."
The soldier's eyes glinted coldly. "As you wish."
Steel clashed.
Kaelen loosed an arrow that struck the first assassin square in the chest, dropping him instantly. Lyra was already moving, twin daggers flashing as she danced into the fray with a grin that looked far too delighted for the situation.
"Finally! Some excitement!"
Finn scrambled for a broken plank of wood, gripping it like a sword, trembling but standing his ground.
Adrian raised his hand. The Null Sigil throbbed. The nearest assassin swung his blade down—only for it to dull mid-strike, the sharp edge vanishing into useless steel. The man stumbled, eyes wide in horror.
Adrian's voice was low, steady.
"You chose the wrong prey."
The assassin's courage cracked. His stance faltered, his breath shallow. Adrian stepped forward, his presence pressing down like a storm. One by one, the Umbral Guard hesitated, their strength slipping away under the weight of the Null Sigil's suppression.
But Adrian's chest burned hotter, as if the sigil itself was hungry. The more he erased, the more it demanded.
Kaelen shouted over the clash, sweat streaking his brow.
"Adrian! Whatever you're doing—finish it fast!"
Lyra spun, kicking a soldier into a beam with a laugh.
"Or you'll burn out before they do!"
Adrian clenched his teeth. He could feel it—the pull of the void, begging him to let go completely. To smother everything. Friend and foe alike.
Serenya's voice pierced the haze.
"Adrian!"
Her eyes were on him. Trusting. Afraid, but trusting.
Adrian forced the power back, cutting it short before it swallowed him whole. The remaining assassins, shaken and disarmed, stumbled toward the barn door, retreating into the night.
For a long moment, only the sound of heavy breathing filled the barn.
Finn dropped the plank, chest heaving.
"W-we did it."
Lyra smirked, wiping her blade clean. "Not bad for our first night as comrades. Guess we're officially in this mess together."
Kaelen didn't smile. His eyes remained on Adrian, studying him like a puzzle he wasn't sure he wanted to solve.
Adrian pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the faint burn of the Null Sigil. He knew this was only the beginning.
The Empire had found them once.
They would find them again.
And next time, it wouldn't be six.
It would be an army.