The marshland stretched before them like a graveyard drowned in mist.Rotten trees jutted from black, stagnant water, their twisted branches clawing at the pale dawn sky.The air stank of decay, every breath heavy with the weight of corruption.Adrian crouched behind a fallen log, scanning the ruined fortress in the distance.The once-proud bastion now loomed like a corpse, its crumbling towers shrouded in creeping vines and shadows that seemed to breathe.Crimson lights flickered within its walls, glowing like open wounds.“Patrols,” Adrian murmured, his sharp eyes tracking the movement of corrupted soldiers along the outer walls.“They rotate every seven minutes. Two on the north side, four on the east.”Selene crouched beside him, silent but trembling with barely contained emotion.The sight of this place, knowing Liora was inside, twisted her stomach into knots.Adrian glanced at her, his voice low and steady.“Breathe, Selene. Stay focused.”She nodded, forcing herself to inhale

The Iron Vale stretched before them like a wound carved into the earth.Jagged spires of blackened rock jutted into the sky, their edges sharp enough to slice the clouds.A constant, metallic hum vibrated in the air, setting Selene’s teeth on edge and making Vael clutch his staff more tightly.The land itself seemed poisoned.No grass grew here, no birds sang.The soil was a strange red-black, as though steeped in blood and ash for centuries.And the smell — cold iron and something fouler, like rotting magic — clung to their throats with every breath.Selene stared into the vast chasm ahead, her shadows curling around her ankles as though seeking comfort.“This place…” she whispered. “It feels alive.”Vael’s eyes darkened.“It is. The Iron Vale was once the heart of an ancient battlefield, where sorcery ran wild and unchecked. The magic here never faded. It… remembers.”Adrian scanned the horizon, his sword already drawn, the blade humming faintly with restrained power.“Memories don’

They made camp in a hollow alcove carved into the catacomb wall, its narrow entrance shielded by Selene’s shadows and reinforced with wards from Vael’s staff.For a moment, there was blessed stillness.Selene lay on a bed of tattered cloth and furs, her skin pale and damp with sweat.Her breathing had steadied, but every so often she winced, clutching at her ribs where the creature’s blow had struck.Adrian sat beside her, refusing to move, his ash-scorched hands trembling slightly as he adjusted the blanket over her shoulders.“You should rest too,” Selene murmured weakly, her voice rough.“I will,” Adrian said, though he never looked away from her.“After you’re safe.”Selene’s lips curved faintly. “Stubborn.”“You love it,” he said, and for the first time since the trial, a hint of warmth returned to his voice.Her eyes closed, a small, weary smile lingering on her face.Adrian’s chest tightened painfully, but he held his silence, brushing a strand of hair from her brow.Across the

The mirrored chamber seemed to stretch into infinity, its walls humming with a low, resonant vibration.The dagger floated at the center like a star trapped in glass, casting sharp beams of light that fractured across the reflective surfaces.But Adrian barely saw it.He only saw himself — or rather, the version of himself that should not exist.The reflection’s grin was sharp, cruel, and eerily familiar.Its skin was cracked like charred stone, veins of glowing ash pulsing beneath the surface.Its eyes burned with black fire, hungry and endless.Selene clutched Adrian’s arm, her voice trembling.“Adrian, don’t listen to it. This is the labyrinth’s final illusion.”The reflection tilted its head.“An illusion? Oh, sweet Selene…” it purred.“Do you truly believe that? You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The darkness in him.”Selene’s breath caught, but she said nothing.The reflection’s gaze shifted back to Adrian, cutting like a blade.“Every time you used the ash, you fed me.I am not a tri

The tunnel was cold and silent, save for the ragged sound of their breathing.The faint light from Vael’s vanished staff had left behind only shadows, pressing close and heavy.Adrian stood apart from Selene, his back to the wall, staring at his ash-stained hands.The black veins crawling beneath his skin pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat not his own.He could still hear Kael’s words.If I have to kill you to stop that, so be it.Adrian’s teeth ground together.Betrayal was a bitter taste, but this… this was poison.Selene knelt nearby, clutching her cloak tightly around her as if she could hold herself together by sheer will.Her face was streaked with tears, her shoulders trembling from the weight of Vael’s death.The silence between them was unbearable.Finally, Selene spoke, her voice hoarse.“We need to rest, Adrian. We’re hurt, exhausted—”“No,” Adrian cut in sharply.“There’s no resting. Not until I find him.”Selene’s head snapped up, her shadows flaring briefly in alarm.“Adri