All Chapters of Born From Ruin (Rebirth): Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
84 chapters
Chapter 51: Words Over Swords
The council hall smelled of incense and iron.Kael had always hated the place. Every breath inside it carried the weight of politics disguised as order — polished lies traded like currency between men too cowardly to bleed for what they ruled.He stood at the far end of the room now, cloak still damp from rain, the case from the archives clutched in one hand. Around him, guards lined the walls, their faces blank, their armor shining like the truth they pretended to protect.At the center of the chamber sat three figures — the interim council. The Emperor was “indisposed,” or so they said. That alone told Kael how deep the rot went.“Kael Ardent,” one of them said, voice sharp as a drawn blade. “You stand accused of espionage, theft of Imperial property, and the attempted revival of treasonous propaganda. Do you deny these charges?”Kael let the question hang in the air. Then, very calmly, he placed the case on the council table and unlatched it.“I do,” he said. “And I brought your pr
Chapter 52: The Code of Silence
Rain whispered against the stone rooftops of the capital — a quiet that didn’t belong in a city about to tear itself apart.Kael Ardent moved through the alleys with his hood drawn low, Seris close behind him. Every shadow felt alive. Every sound — a step, a breath, a door closing too quickly — might have been a listener.“The Emperor won’t stay silent,” Seris murmured. “You humiliated him before the council. He’ll tighten his grip before dawn.”“He’ll try,” Kael said, eyes scanning the narrow street ahead. “But fear doesn’t hold when people start talking. The more he silences, the more voices will rise.”Seris gave a humorless smile. “You sound like you’ve forgotten what the Inquisition does to voices.”Kael didn’t answer. He hadn’t forgotten — not the screams, not the disappearances, not the letters burned before they could reach the people. The Empire had built its rule on silence, and breaking that code came with a price.The rain thickened, hissing on cobblestone. Somewhere nearb
Chapter 53: Threads of Lies
The fire in the small room burned low. Kael sat by it, rubbing his hands together, though he wasn’t cold. He just needed something to do — something that wasn’t thinking.Seris was quiet in the corner. She hadn’t spoken much since they left Mera’s safehouse. Her eyes followed the fire too, but Kael knew her mind wasn’t there.Daren had gone to check the outer walls, leaving them alone. The silence was thick, heavy with all the words they weren’t saying.Finally, Kael broke it.“You’ve been off since last night.”Seris blinked, looked up. “Just tired.”“No,” he said. “You’re hiding something.”She turned away. “You think everyone’s hiding something now.”“I have to,” Kael said. “It’s how we stay alive.”Seris gave a small, bitter laugh. “Maybe that’s why no one trusts you anymore.”The words hit harder than she meant them to. Kael didn’t reply right away. He just watched the fire eat the last of the wood.“What did Mera tell you?” he asked quietly.Seris froze.He caught it — that half
Chapter 54: The Shadow Guild
The fog didn’t lift that morning. It hung over the city like a secret no one wanted to tell. Kael walked through it with Seris at his side, both silent, both thinking about Daren.He was gone — just like that. No fight, no goodbye. Just a trail of footprints fading in the mist.Seris finally spoke. “You think he’s with them now?”Kael didn’t answer right away. “He already was.”She looked down, pulling her cloak tighter. “Then we’re back to two.”“Two’s enough,” Kael said, though he didn’t believe it.They reached the lower quarter — a place where the Empire’s light didn’t reach. Narrow alleys, broken doors, the smell of oil and rot. People here didn’t look at you long. They’d learned not to.Seris stopped in front of an old tannery. “This is the place?”Kael nodded. “If the rumors are right.”She gave a small, nervous laugh. “When are they ever right?”“Once in a while,” he said. “That’s enough for me.”He knocked three times on the wooden door — short, sharp, the way the old codes s
Chapter 55: Echo Training
The tunnels under the palace felt alive. Every sound carried too far — a drop of water, a step, a breath. Kael didn’t like it.They’d been down there for hours, following Toren through the maze of stone. The deeper they went, the colder it got. The light from Seris’s lantern trembled in the damp air.Finally, Toren stopped in front of a small iron door marked with three slashes. “This is it,” he said. “Old training room. Used to belong to the Echo Division.”Seris frowned. “Echo what?”Kael’s stomach turned. “They were assassins. The Emperor’s ghosts. Trained to mimic voices, faces, even thoughts. I thought they were all wiped out.”Toren gave him a look. “Guess not.”He pushed the door open. The smell hit first — old dust and something like burnt iron. Inside, the room stretched wide, filled with old weapon racks, cracked mirrors, and circles drawn on the floor.“Echo training,” Kael murmured, stepping inside. “Where they learned to kill and forget.”Seris looked uneasy. “Why would
Chapter 56: The Flicker Within
The climb back to the surface wasn’t hard. It was what waited above that made Kael’s chest tighten.The city was quiet, too quiet for morning. Smoke still hung in the air from the fires two nights ago. The people had gone back to their houses, but their fear hadn’t. It clung to every wall.Seris walked beside him, hood up. Toren followed close, scanning the alleys. “You sure this is smart?” he muttered.Kael didn’t slow. “No. But it’s necessary.”They moved toward the east quarter — the one closest to the palace. That was where the Blades had started taking people. They called it “screening.” Kael called it cleansing.At the corner, Seris caught his arm. “You need rest.”He shook her off. “Rest won’t change what’s happening.”She stepped in front of him. “You’re shaking.”“Then I’ll shake while moving.”Toren sighed behind them. “You two argue like you’re married.”Kael gave him a look that shut him up fast.They reached an abandoned blacksmith’s shop by noon. The smell of oil and bur
Chapter 57: Ghosts of the Court
The palace was never quiet. Even at night, it breathed — guards’ boots, whispers in corridors, the low hum of power hidden behind marble and gold. Kael remembered that sound from his old life — before the exile, before the rebellion. Back when he was just another weapon wearing honor like armor. Now he was a shadow moving through the cracks of that same world. Seris and Toren followed close. The tunnels under the south wing smelled of old incense and rot. The air carried the faint trace of something burned long ago — maybe truth, maybe bodies. Toren ran his hand along the wall. “You sure about this path?” Kael nodded. “The court archives are three levels above us. The Emperor keeps his secrets close — we’re not taking the front door.” Seris gave him a look. “We never do.” They climbed the narrow stairs, careful to stay silent. Faint light filtered through the cracks — enough to see, not enough to feel safe. At the top, they reached an iron gate. Rust had eaten through most of
Chapter 58: The Painted Smile
The palace changed faces with the sun.By daylight, it was all gold and calm — banners waving, guards standing tall, nobles drifting through the halls like they owned the air. But Kael knew what lay beneath it: fear wrapped in silk.He’d worn that smile once.Now, as he moved through the servants’ corridors with Seris, he watched how the same lie played again — laughter hiding tension, perfume covering blood.“Strange,” Seris whispered. “Everyone’s pretending nothing’s wrong.”Kael kept his hood low. “That’s how they survive. The Empire trains them to smile while bleeding.”They reached the grand ballroom doors. Behind them, voices rose in laughter. The Emperor had called a celebration — something about peace with the border clans.But Kael knew better. Peace wasn’t his style.He adjusted the mask Daren had forged for him — smooth silver, plain enough to blend in. Seris wore one too, painted with faint gold lines. To anyone else, they were just two more courtiers drawn by wine and rum
Chapter 59: Nobles’ Feast
The feast smelled of wine, honey, and rot.Kael sat at the long table among the Empire’s finest liars. Every laugh felt rehearsed. Every toast carried a secret.The Emperor’s celebration hadn’t ended with the ball — it had only changed masks. Now, the men who owned half the capital were pretending to be friends.Silver plates gleamed. Roasted swan, glazed fruit, endless wine. The food was perfect — like everything else the nobles touched — and just as poisonous.Seris sat beside him, silent but watchful. Across the table, Daren leaned against his chair, trying not to look like a soldier surrounded by snakes.Lord Therin spoke first, his smile sharp. “To the Empire’s peace,” he said, lifting his cup. “May the whispers fade and loyalty shine again.”Kael raised his cup too but didn’t drink. “To peace,” he said flatly. “However long it lasts.”The nobles laughed, though a few looked away.The Emperor hadn’t shown up. That meant this wasn’t about him. This was about the men beneath him —
Chapter 60: A Game of Names
The next morning, the palace halls smelled of ink and fear.Kael walked through them like a shadow, silent under the banners of men long dead. His boots echoed once, twice, then faded. No guards stopped him. They were too busy looking the other way.Every noble had spent the night whispering, trading names like currency. The Inquisition had called it a test of loyalty. Everyone knew it meant choose someone to die before they choose you.Seris caught up beside him. “You didn’t sleep.”Kael gave a half smile. “No one does when the knives come out.”They turned a corner and entered the lower wing — the records hall. Stacks of scrolls, sealed letters, broken wax. Every secret the nobles ever sold, kept here like trophies.Daren was already waiting, hood drawn low. “The list came out an hour ago,” he said. “Half the council’s under suspicion.”Kael took the paper from him. His eyes moved down the names — old allies, rivals, ghosts from wars past. Then one stopped him cold.Seris Vale.Seri