The cold air inside the east tower stung Aiden’s skin as the guards rushed in. The torchlight from the hall cast flickering shadows on the cracked stone walls, making the room feel smaller, tighter like a trap slowly closing.The stranger who had summoned him was gone, vanished into the shadows above the stairs as though the night had swallowed them whole.Only Aiden remained, standing in the middle of the dusty floor with moonlight streaming in through the shattered windows. Around him, blades gleamed as Philip’s guards fanned out, boots clanging against the floorboards.“Arrest him!” Philip barked from the doorway, his voice thick with triumph. “He’s a traitor to the crown! Take him alive if you can… but I don’t care if you break him in the process.”The guards didn’t hesitate. Steel sang as swords left their scabbards. Aiden’s hands curled into fists. His mind was calm, but his body was coiled, ready to move.Kylian wasn’t here. He was alone. And the stranger who had promised him

The streets of the old quarter were quiet, but the air felt different now, thicker, heavier, as if the city itself knew a predator had entered.Aiden walked at the front, the hood of his cloak pulled low. Beside him, the hooded stranger kept their pace steady, eyes scanning every shadow. Kylian trailed a step behind, glancing back every so often. The morning sun had barely risen above the rooftops, but the alleys were still cloaked in half-darkness.They didn’t speak at first. Only the sound of their boots against the uneven cobblestone broke the silence.Finally, Kylian muttered, “We’re not being followed, right?”The stranger didn’t look back. “We’re being watched.”Kylian stiffened. “From where?”The stranger’s gaze shifted briefly toward the rooftops, then forward again. “Too far to see. But the feeling is there.”Aiden said nothing, but his senses were sharp. He could feel it too, an unseen weight pressing down on them.High above, crouched on the edge of a slanted roof, the hun

The forest was quiet again, but the quiet was not peace. It was the kind of silence that came after a storm, when every branch seemed to hold its breath and every shadow felt alive.Aiden sat against the roots of the great oak, his sword laid across his lap. Sweat clung to his brow, and his arms ached from the clash with the hunter. Lightning still prickled faintly in his veins, like his body hadn’t yet decided to let go of the fight.Kylian was sprawled on the ground beside him, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He pressed a hand against his ribs and winced. “I'm not built for this much running.”“You’ll live,” Aiden muttered, though his tone lacked its usual sharpness. He was too busy replaying the fight in his head, the red blade, the endless shades, the way the hunter’s voice had carried weight like a curse.The hooded stranger stood a little apart, back straight despite the exhaustion that pulled at their limbs. Their eyes scanned the dark forest, every rustle of le

The forest pressed in on all sides as they stumbled through the undergrowth. The mist was thinner here, but it clung stubbornly to the ground, curling around their boots as if unwilling to let them go.Aiden leaned heavily on Kylian, his breath shallow. Every step sent fire lancing through his side where the green hunter’s spear had pierced him. Black lines crept outward from the wound, crawling like veins across his skin. His sword hung limp in his hand, dragging faintly against the dirt.Kylian’s voice trembled as he spoke. “He’s getting worse. We need to stop.”“No stopping,” Elara said sharply. She moved at the front, her white cloak brushing against branches, her bow always in hand. “If we stop, he dies.”The stranger walked close behind, scanning the trees with a tense stillness. Their dagger dripped with black smoke from the shades they had cut earlier, but their attention was no longer on monsters. It was on the boy they were trying to keep alive. Aiden’s head lolled forward

The shimmer of the hidden road twisted and groaned, like fabric tearing. Then the hunters stepped through.Kael emerged first, his red blade glowing like a burning brand, every step slow and deliberate. The green spear-bearer followed, poison dripping in sizzling drops onto the grass. Last came the violet-blade warrior, their weapon pulsing in sickly waves of light.All three spread out across the cliffside. Behind them, the shimmer of the road sealed shut, cutting off escape.The warm sunlight did nothing to soften their presence. Even here, in open air and clear sky, they carried the stench of shadows.Kael’s masked face tilted toward Aiden, who lay in Kylian’s arms, pale and trembling. His voice carried easily over the sound of the river. “You’ve run far enough. Vermillion blood cannot hide from the hunt.”Kylian gritted his teeth, clutching Aiden tighter. “Stay back!” His voice cracked, but he forced himself to raise his sword.The stranger stepped in front of them, daggers drawn