Duke Harrow’s army slammed against the defenses like a silver tide. Holy banners waved high, torches burned bright, and the sound of boots and war horns filled the air. Kane stood on the battlements, golden flecks already dancing in his eyes. Seraphine stayed behind him with Lily strapped to her chest, shadows ready. The baby fussed softly, sensing the danger. “This ends today,” Kane said, voice low. “No more running.” Vesper gripped her blade beside him. “He brought everything. We’re outnumbered.” “Then we make them regret it,” Kane replied. The charge started. Bone Wraiths surged forward from the ground, meeting the Church soldiers head-on. Kane led from the front, summoning storms of bone and blood. Greater Blood Tithe ripped life force from entire squads, leaving withered bodies in his wake. The power felt good, too good, but he held back just enough to stay himself. Seraphine fought from the walls, shadows whipping out to trip knights and shield their daughter. “Lily, sta

Seraphine sat quietly at the edge of the bed in the dimly lit room, her arms wrapped tightly around little Lily as the baby continued to cry in a way that sounded far too heavy for something so small. The sound carried pain that felt almost unnatural, as though her tiny body was struggling against forces that had already begun shaping her from within even before she could understand the world she was born into. Each time Lily moved, faint shadows flickered around her fingers like restless ink in water, twisting and tightening against her skin as though they had minds of their own, while small bone-like sparks burst across her arms in short painful flashes that made her flinch and cry harder. Seraphine rocked her gently, whispering soothing words through trembling lips, but her own eyes were already filled with tears because she could feel something inside her daughter resisting itself. “Shh, my love, please calm down,” Seraphine whispered softly, pressing Lily closer to her chest

Outside the room, everyone was already awake.Boots echoed through corridors. Servants hurried between staircases carrying supplies. Somewhere in the distance, metal clanged against metal as final preparations were completed.The quest was beginning–whether they were ready or not.Seraphine slowly rose from the bed and adjusted Lily against her shoulder. The child settled quickly, pressing her face against her mother's neck.For a brief moment, she looked like any ordinary baby.For a brief moment, it was easy to forget the curse trying to tear her apart from the inside.Then a faint shadow slipped across Lily's wrist.The reminder was immediate and that time was running out.An hour later, everyone gathered inside the strategy chamber.A large map covered most of the central table. Additional scrolls had been spread across the surface, held down by daggers, books, and pieces of polished stone.yElias stood beside the map with several documents in his hands while the others took their

The northern road stretched ahead like a long silent promise, winding through open land that slowly became rougher the farther they traveled.Seraphine adjusted her grip on Lily as they walked, still unable to shake the memory of the moment the curse had erupted, because even though it had calmed now, it no longer felt like something predictable or safe inside her daughter.Lily slept again, but not peacefully in the way normal babies slept. Her breathing came in soft uneven patterns, and sometimes her tiny fingers would twitch as though she was dreaming of something heavy and unfamiliar. Seraphine kept watching her closely, afraid that even blinking too long might allow something to happen without her noticing. Beside her, Elias walked with a slow thoughtful pace, his mind clearly still trapped in the moment of the curse reaction earlier, replaying it again and again as if trying to find a hidden answer inside it.Vesper walked slightly ahead of them, her eyes scanning the environme

Kane and Mira moved carefully between them, avoiding contact as much as possible while trying not to disturb the strange rhythm of the battlefield, but even so the presence of the Echoes made every direction feel uncertain, as though stepping in the wrong place might suddenly turn them into part of the memory. Hours passed like that, with the two of them navigating between spectral armies and broken terrain while the sun, or what passed for it beneath the fractured sky, slowly began to sink toward an invisible horizon. The battlefield did not change as night approached, but something in the air shifted, making the Echoes appear slightly more defined, their forms sharper and more noticeable than before.It was during this slow progression that Kane noticed something unusual. Among the endless repetition of Echoes, one figure stood apart from the rest.It wasn’t moving, fighting or participating in the endless cycle of war. It was simply standing on a distant ridge overlooking the batt