Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chains of Doubt

Dawn's light filtered through the Abyssal Caves' exit as Ethan, Lila, Kael, and Ella emerged, their clothes tattered, their bodies aching. The four Blades at Ethan's hip hummed weakly, their runes dimmed—using their combined power against Varen had left a lingering toll, a cold heaviness in his bones that even Ella's herbs couldn't fully ease.The academy grounds were in chaos. Smoke curled from the east wing, and patrol mages in black robes raced through the corridors, shouting orders. Mia and Jax sprinted toward them, their faces ashen."The Shadow Coven attacked while we were gone," Mia panted, gripping her wind staff. "Seraphina led them—they burned the archives, stole relics, and told everyone you're traitors. The council's calling an emergency session. They want to arrest you."Ethan's stomach dropped. "Arrest us? We just stopped Varen—stopped the Void Gate from opening!"Jax shook his head. "Seraphina twisted the truth. She said Varen was a pawn, and you're the ones who freed him. That you're after all seven Blades to take over the academy." He glanced at the four Blades at Ethan's hip, his eyes filled with unease. "Half the students believe her. Woss's loyalists are stirring up panic. The council's split—but the hardliners are in charge."Lila clutched her mother's journal to her chest, her knuckles white. "We have proof. This journal—my father's confession. It will clear us."But when they reached the council chamber, their hopes shattered. The room was packed with mages, their faces cold and hostile. Council Leader Thorne, a tall woman with iron-gray hair and a staff topped with a blood-red gem, stood at the front, her gaze like a blade."Ethan Cross, Lila Varen, Kael Rainer, Ella Marlow," she intoned, her voice booming. "You stand accused of consorting with dark mages, attacking the academy, and stealing forbidden relics. How do you plead?"Lila stepped forward, holding out the journal. "We're innocent. This journal proves it—Varen was the leader of the Shadow Coven. Seraphina lied. We stopped him from opening the Void Gate."Thorne didn't even glance at the journal. "A convenient story. You expect us to believe the son of a Fallen Knight, the daughter of a traitor, and two renegades?" She nodded to two guards, who stepped forward, their staves glowing. "Confiscate the Blades. Lock them in the dungeon until we've conducted a full investigation."Kael stepped in front of Ethan, his fire magic flaring. "You can't do this! They're heroes!""Heroes don't bring war to our doorstep," Thorne snapped. "The Shadow Coven never attacked before you arrived. You're a curse—all of you."The guards lunged. Ethan tried to draw the Blades, but the cold heaviness in his bones flared, slowing his movements. The Blades' runes flickered, as if struggling to respond. One guard's staff slammed into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground. The Blades slipped from his grasp, clattering across the stone floor.Lila screamed, summoning runes to fight back, but another guard's dark magic wrapped around her wrists, binding her. Ella tossed a smoke bomb, but it was swatted away by Thorne's staff. Kael unleashed a wave of fire, but it was extinguished by a wall of water summoned by a council mage.In seconds, they were all restrained—hands bound by anti-magic cuffs, the Blades locked in a steel chest carried by the guards."You're making a mistake," Ethan gasped, the cold spreading to his lungs. "Seraphina will come back. She has the Shadow Coven. She'll open the Void Gate—"Thorne leaned down, her face inches from his. "Then we'll deal with her. Without your help. The Blades are too dangerous in the hands of children and traitors."They were dragged to the dungeon—dark, damp cells carved into the academy's lowest level. The anti-magic cuffs drained their powers, leaving them weak and helpless. Ethan's cell was across from Lila's, next to Kael's and Ella's, separated by iron bars that hummed with warding magic.The hours dragged by. Ella tried to pick the cuffs with a hairpin she'd hidden, but it snapped against the anti-magic field. Kael paced, his jaw tight with rage. Lila sat on the stone floor, staring at her mother's journal, tears streaming down her face."I'm sorry," she whispered. "This is my fault. My father's actions, my family's legacy—you're all paying for it."Ethan shook his head. "It's not your fault. Thorne's blind. She'd rather blame us than face the truth." But even as he spoke, doubt gnawed at him. The Blades had failed him in the council chamber. His body was failing him. Maybe Thorne was right—maybe he was too weak to wield them.A soft clink echoed down the corridor. A guard approached, but it wasn't one of Thorne's men—it was Mia. She slipped a small key through the bars of Ethan's cell."Jax and I stole this from the armory," she whispered, her voice urgent. "We believe you. But you have to go—now. The council's voting to destroy the Blades at sunset. And Seraphina's men were spotted outside the academy walls. They're coming for the Blades too."Ethan's heart raced. "The Blades—where are they?""Locked in the council's vault," Mia said. "But the vault's warded with dark magic. Only someone with a connection to the Fallen Knights can bypass it. Lila—your mother's journal has a ward-breaking spell. Use it." She glanced over her shoulder. "I can't stay. If I'm caught, they'll execute me. Good luck."Mia vanished down the corridor. Ethan unlocked his cuffs, then quickly freed the others. Lila flipped through her mother's journal, her hands shaking."Here," she said, pointing to a page with glowing runes. "But it requires blood—my blood. My mother's bloodline is tied to the Fallen Knights' wards."They snuck through the dungeon's shadows, moving slowly—Ethan's legs still ached, the cold weight in his bones slowing him down. The academy was quiet, most students confined to their dorms, most mages gathered in the council chamber.The council's vault was in the west tower, a steel door etched with anti-magic runes. Lila sliced her palm with a shard of stone, pressing her blood to the runes. She chanted the spell from the journal, her voice trembling.The runes glowed red, then faded. The door rumbled open.Inside, the four Blades rested on a stone pedestal, locked in a glass case. But as they stepped closer, Ethan froze. The Blades' runes were dark—completely silent. He reached for the Cursed Blade, but when his fingers touched the glass, a jolt of pain shot through him."They're dying," he whispered. "The anti-magic wards are draining their power. If we don't get them out soon, they'll be useless."Ella pulled a vial of glowing green liquid from her satchel—her last vial of Blade-repair salve. "This might buy us time. But it won't last."She sprinkled the salve on the glass case. It melted, and Ethan grabbed the Blades, slipping them into his belt. But the moment he touched them, the cold weight in his bones exploded into agony. He collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood."Ethan!" Lila knelt beside him, her hands glowing with rune magic. "What's wrong?""The Blades," he gasped. "Four of them—they're too much. My body can't handle the strain. Varen's shadow magic… it's still in my veins, fighting the Blades' power."Kael helped him stand, supporting his weight. "We need to leave. Now. The council's vote will be over soon, and Seraphina's men are coming."They stumbled out of the vault, but as they reached the tower's exit, a familiar voice echoed through the corridor."Leaving so soon?"Seraphina stood at the end of the hall, flanked by half a dozen Shadow Coven mages. Her ice magic swirled around her, and in her hand, she held a small, glowing object—Ella's mother's pendant, the one that had guided them to the Frost Blade."You stole it," Ella snarled.Seraphina smiled, twisting the pendant in her fingers. "A useful little trinket. It not only guides you to Blades—it unlocks the Void Gate. And now that I have it… and soon, the four Blades… your little rebellion is over."The Coven mages lunged. Kael summoned a wall of fire, but it was shattered by a Coven mage's earth magic. Ella tossed smoke bombs, but the mages waved them away with wind spells. Lila fought with runes, but there were too many—one of them struck her in the shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground.Ethan tried to swing the Blades, but the pain in his bones was unbearable. The Blades' runes flickered, their power sputtering. He managed to slice at one mage, but the strike was weak, barely grazing his arm.Seraphina laughed, stepping forward. "Look at you—broken, weak, betrayed by the academy you tried to save. You thought you could be heroes? You're just children playing with power you don't understand."She raised her hand, ice magic forming a spear aimed at Ethan's chest. "Give me the Blades, and I'll make your death quick."Ethan closed his eyes, the weight of failure crushing him. They'd found the Balance Blade. They'd had proof. They'd had a chance. But now, they were trapped—no power, no allies, no hope.But then, he heard Lila's voice, weak but fierce. "No."He opened his eyes. Lila was on her feet, her bloodied palm pressed to the wall, chanting a spell from her mother's journal. The corridor shook, and runes blazed across the stone walls—warding runes, ancient and powerful."The journal's not just clues," she shouted, her voice cracking. "It's a weapon. My mother's final gift—runes that bind Shadow Coven magic!"The Coven mages screamed as the runes wrapped around them, burning their skin. Seraphina's ice spear shattered, her magic nullified by the wards."Run!" Lila yelled. "The wards won't hold them long!"Kael grabbed Lila's arm, Ella supported Ethan, and they sprinted down the corridor, leaving the screaming Coven mages behind. But as they reached the academy's west gate, they froze.Thorne and a squad of council mages stood there, their staves glowing. Behind them, the sky was darkening—black clouds swirling, the air humming with the faint, menacing pulse of the Void Gate."Traitors," Thorne said, her voice cold. "You've attacked the council, stolen the Blades, and aided the Shadow Coven. There's no mercy for you now."Ethan looked at his friends—Lila bleeding from her shoulder, Kael breathless with rage, Ella clinging to her empty satchel. He looked at the Blades, their runes still dim, their power fading. He looked at the darkening sky, the approaching storm of Shadow Coven magic.They were surrounded. Outnumbered. Outmatched.Seraphina's laughter echoed from behind them, growing closer. "Well done, Thorne. You've cornered them for me. Now, hand over the Blades—and I'll let you live."Thorne's eyes narrowed. She glanced at the swirling clouds, then at Ethan. For a split second, doubt flickered across her face. But then she raised her staff."Attack."Ethan closed his eyes. The cold weight in his bones, the pain in his chest, the sound of approaching footsteps—all of it merged into a single, overwhelming sense of defeat.They'd tried. They'd fought. But in the end, they were just as powerless as the day Ethan had fallen into this world.The mages charged. The Blades hummed weakly, as if mourning.And somewhere in the darkness, the Void Gate began to open.