The team assembled at dawn.
Valdris, Ronan, Yuki, Lia, and twelve Guards. Plus Kaelen, wearing his compliance collar like a brand.
"Rules are simple," Valdris said during briefing. "We track Marcus's cell, gather intelligence, engage only if we have overwhelming advantage. This isn't assault—it's reconnaissance with teeth. Kaelen, you provide detection and backup. You do not engage independently. Understood?"
"Understood," Kaelen replied.
They moved out, heading east toward territories where Marcus had been sighted. The landscape changed as they traveled—organized farmland giving way to rougher country, settlements becoming sparse.
"He's choosing ground carefully," Ronan observed. "Remote enough that kingdom authority is weak, populated enough to recruit from. Classic insurgent territory."
"How many has he recruited?" Lia asked.
"Intelligence says fifty confirmed, maybe double that as sympathizers." Ronan studied maps. "Not enough for direct assault on Eredor, but enough to cause significant disruption."
"What's his goal?" Kaelen asked. "Marcus escaped, but the convergence ritual was stopped. What's his next move?"
"Unknown. But he's planning something. You don't rebuild forces just to hide." Valdris pointed to marked locations. "He's hit three settlements in past two weeks. Each attack took supplies, recruited people, and left shadow corruption behind. Pattern suggests he's preparing another major operation."
"Another convergence attempt?" Yuki suggested quietly.
"Possibly. Or something we haven't anticipated." Valdris looked at Kaelen. "Your job is detection. Find their camp, identify force composition, assess threat level. No heroics."
"Got it," Kaelen said.
---
They reached the target zone on day three.
Kaelen's transformed senses picked up shadow signatures immediately. Multiple sources, spread across several square miles, all connected by faint corruption trails.
"Found them," he reported. "Maybe sixty individuals, three distinct groups. Central camp here—" he pointed "—with outlying positions for security."
"Composition?" Valdris asked.
Kaelen extended his perception, reading the signatures. "Forty cultists, mixed skill levels. Ten corrupted creatures. At least five high-level mages. And..." He focused harder. "Two Forbidden Blade signatures. Marcus and Seraphina, definitely. Possibly a third, but it's faint."
"A third blade?" Ronan asked sharply. "Are you sure?"
"Not certain. Could be artifact or just residual energy. But it feels like blade-consciousness."
If Marcus had access to three Forbidden Blades, the threat level escalated dramatically.
"We observe only," Valdris decided. "No engagement unless absolutely necessary. We need this intelligence back to Isabella before acting."
They established observation posts overlooking the cultist camp. Kaelen used his senses to monitor movements while others handled physical surveillance.
The camp was organized. Not rabble—trained fighters with clear hierarchy and discipline. Marcus had rebuilt faster than anyone expected.
"He's not just recruiting," Lia observed. "He's training them properly. That takes resources, time, expertise. Someone's funding this beyond just looted supplies."
"Follow the money," Ronan said. "But whose money? Marcus's noble connections were severed after his arrest."
"Not all of them," Yuki said quietly, studying camp through distance-enhancing spell. "That banner—that's House Mordaine colors. They're one of the minor houses that supported Aldric. If they're backing Marcus..."
"Then the conspiracy goes deeper than we thought," Valdris finished. "This isn't just cultist remnants. This is organized opposition with noble funding."
That changed everything. Marcus wasn't isolated terrorist anymore—he was figurehead for broader movement. Taking him out wouldn't end the threat.
"We need prisoner for interrogation," Valdris decided. "Someone from the camp who can confirm the funding source. Kaelen, Yuki—you two are our infiltration specialists. Can you extract a target without alerting the entire camp?"
"Depends on the target," Yuki said.
Kaelen studied the camp layout. Identified a cultist on perimeter patrol, isolated from support. "That one. Far eastern position. If we time it right, we can take him during rotation, before relief arrives."
"Do it," Valdris ordered. "Rest of us provide overwatch and covering fire if things go wrong."
---
They moved at midnight.
Yuki took point, her movements almost invisible in darkness. Kaelen followed, his transformed senses tracking the target's position.
The cultist was competent but not exceptional. He swept his patrol zone methodically, watching for external threats, not expecting attack from seasoned infiltrators.
Yuki struck first—blade to nerve cluster, instant paralysis. Kaelen caught the collapsing cultist before he made noise. They dragged him into the forest before anyone noticed his absence.
"Clean," Yuki observed.
"Almost too clean," Kaelen replied. His senses were screaming warning. "Something's wrong."
"Always," Yuki said. But she was scanning too, looking for the trap they'd walked into.
It revealed itself seconds later.
The "prisoner" opened his eyes—not paralyzed, not injured. Bait.
"Hello, Champion," he said, and shadow magic exploded from his body.
Not attack—signal. Bright, obvious, alerting the entire camp to their location.
"Run!" Kaelen shouted.
They ran, but cultists were already moving to intercept. Twenty attackers, coordinated, blocking escape routes.
And Seraphina, stepping from the shadows with Nightfall drawn.
"Marcus said you'd come," she said. "Predicted you'd try infiltration rather than direct assault. So we prepared appropriately." She smiled. "Valdris's caution made you predictable. Disappointing, really."
Kaelen and Yuki stood back-to-back, surrounded.
*Let me handle this*, Soulrender urged. *Full integration. We can fight through.*
"No," Kaelen said. "Partial integration. I maintain control."
*They'll kill you*, Soulrender warned.
"Then I die as myself," Kaelen replied.
He called on blade-power, but filtered through his conscious will. Not overwhelming force, but directed skill. Yuki matched his stance, her blade ready.
"Last chance to surrender," Seraphina offered.
"Not really my style," Kaelen replied.
"Mine either," Yuki added.
They fought.
It was immediately clear they were outmatched. Twenty cultists plus Seraphina was too many, even with Kaelen's enhanced capabilities and Yuki's exceptional skill.
But Valdris's team wasn't idle. Covering fire from their overwatch position disrupted the cultist formation, created openings.
"Extract!" Valdris's voice through communication crystal. "Fighting retreat, northwest quadrant!"
Kaelen and Yuki disengaged, running while defending. Cultists pursued, but carefully—they'd learned to respect the Champion's capabilities.
Seraphina didn't pursue. She watched them retreat with calculating expression.
"Let them go," she called to her forces. "We accomplished our objective—confirming their force composition, testing their tactics. The intelligence is worth more than capture."
They escaped, but barely. Regrouped with Valdris's team two miles from the camp.
"Mission compromised," Valdris reported grimly. "They knew we were coming. Prepared countermeasures. This wasn't coincidence—they have intelligence on our operations."
"A spy," Ronan said. "Someone in our command structure is feeding Marcus information."
"Or our communications are compromised," Lia suggested. "Could be magical surveillance we haven't detected."
Either way, the mission had failed. They'd gained intelligence but lost tactical advantage. Marcus now knew their capabilities, their tactics, their limitations.
"We return to Eredor," Valdris decided. "Report this to Isabella. Let her decide next steps."
---
The journey back was tense.
Kaelen replayed the fight, analyzing every decision. He'd maintained control, hadn't surrendered to Soulrender completely. But had that restraint cost them? Would full blade-integration have let them capture the spy, extract better intelligence?
*You're questioning yourself*, Soulrender observed. *Wondering if autonomy is worth the price.*
"Always," Kaelen admitted.
*Then let me simplify. Full integration wins battles. Partial integration maintains principles. Choose which matters more.*
"Can't I have both?" Kaelen asked.
*Not reliably. This is the compromise—effectiveness or autonomy. You can't optimize both simultaneously.*
It was frustrating because Soulrender was right. Every time Kaelen prioritized control over power, he became less effective. Every time he prioritized power, he risked losing himself.
There was no perfect balance. Just constant trade-offs.
"I'll figure it out," Kaelen thought stubbornly.
*Or you'll die trying*, Soulrender replied. *Either way, interesting to watch.*
They reached Eredor five days after departing, carrying intelligence that raised more questions than answers.
Marcus wasn't just rebuilding. He was preparing something bigger.
And the kingdoms had a spy problem that could prove fatal.
The war wasn't over. It had just entered a new, more dangerous phase.
And Kaelen was stuck in the middle, trying to be both weapon and person.
Neither role fitting quite right anymore.