2026-01-05 21:17:28He stopped as he began to sense something was wrong.
The squad, seven figures in identical uniforms, stood in a line, perfectly still. Too still. They weren't talking, weren't moving, weren't doing anything a group of warriors on an active monster hunt should be doing.
They were just... standing there. Watching him.
"Sir?"
Kael's voice came out smaller than he intended. "What's going on? Why aren't they…"
"Kael."
The voice came from the line of squad members. A woman's voice. Familiar and beloved and currently devoid of all warmth.
Lyanna stepped forward from the group.
She looked different in the Elite Squad uniform. More dangerous. Her golden hair was pulled back in a practical braid, and her sky-blue eyes, those eyes he'd stared into last night while making love, regarded him with the cold assessment of a butcher examining meat.
"Lyanna!"
Relief and confusion warred in Kael's chest.
"Thank gods you're here. Something's wrong, I think we need to…"
"Nothing's wrong, darling."
The endearment should have sounded sweet. Instead, it sounded like mockery.
"Everything is going exactly according to plan."
Kael's hand tightened on his knife.
"What plan? What are you talking about?"
Behind him, Kael heard movement. He spun around and saw Marcus backing away, back toward the tunnel they'd entered through. The captain's expression was neutral, professional, as if he were simply completing a routine task.
"Sir? Where are you going? The monster.. "
"There is no monster, Ashford."
Marcus's voice echoed in the chamber.
"Well, not the kind you're thinking of, anyway."
Cold dread began spreading through Kael's veins like poison. He looked from Marcus to Lyanna to the rest of the squad, his mind refusing to accept what his instincts were screaming at him.
"I don't understand.”
"Of course you don't."
Marcus had reached the tunnel entrance now. He stood in the opening, backlit by the faint light from beyond, his face cast in shadow.
"You were always too trusting. Too naive. Too... weak."
That word, weak, hit Kael like a physical blow.
"We're leaving now."
Marcus continued.
"Our work here is done. Squad, fall back."
"No."
Kael took a step forward, reaching out as if he could physically stop what was happening.
"Wait. You can't just, there's a mission. We have to…"
The squad began moving, filing past Kael toward Marcus and the exit tunnel. They moved in perfect synchronisation, trained warriors following orders. Not one of them looked at him. Not one of them hesitated.
Except Lyanna. She paused beside him, so close he could smell her perfume, the same perfume she'd worn last night.
"Lyanna, what's happening?"
Kael's voice cracked.
"Why are you…"
"This was fun while it lasted."
She said softly, her lips curved in a small, sad smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"You were actually quite sweet. Better in bed than I expected, too."
The words were knives sliding between his ribs.
"What?"
"But business is business, darling."
She reached up and patted his cheek, the gesture almost affectionate.
"No hard feelings."
"Lyanna, please. I don't…”
"Goodbye, Kael."
She walked past him without looking back.
"Die well, darling."
The words, HIS words, the ones he'd said to her in happiness just yesterday, spoken back to him with such casual cruelty, broke something fundamental in Kael's chest.
He stumbled after her, reaching out, desperate to understand, to fix this, to wake up from whatever nightmare this was.
"LYANNA!"
She didn't turn around. She joined the rest of the squad at the tunnel entrance, and they began filing out one by one. Marcus stood aside, letting them pass, his expression still professionally blank.
"WAIT!"
Kael ran toward them, panic and confusion making his movements clumsy.
"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE! WHAT ABOUT THE MISSION?! LYANNA! LYANNA, PLEASE!"
The last squad member disappeared into the tunnel. Only Marcus remained, standing in the entrance. He looked at Kael with something that might have been pity or satisfaction or both.
"Your parents will be glad you died."
Marcus said, his voice echoing in the chamber.
Then he stepped backwards into the darkness.
And a massive iron gate slammed down, sealing the tunnel entrance with a deafening CRASH that made the crystals rattle.
Kael ran the last few steps and crashed into the gate, his hands wrapping around the cold iron bars.
"NO! NO NO NO! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY PARENTS…”
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CHAPTER 80
The journey back to the Duskborne estate was heavy with the silence of the night. Kael rode ahead of the wagon with his shadow magic hiding their presence from the King's scouts still lurking around the bushes.When they finally arrived, the massive stone gates of his home opened slowly, revealing the dark courtyard. The odd smell of old magic and dried blood still hung in the air from the basement where his parents almost died for him. He could feel it with his magic, that familiar scent that reminded him of the sacrifice they made.Lord Severin and Lady Morrigan were waiting for them in the main hall. They looked tired but their eyes widened when they saw Kael walking in with the violet flames dancing softly around his shoulders. He was no longer dying, he was pumped up and ready to strike the people who ruined his life. His mother ran to him and hugged him tightly, shedding tears of relief on his dark robes. Kael held her and a soft smile curled across the corners of his lips.
CHAPTER 79
Marcus charged forward, his fire sword cutting through the cold air, but the guards slept peacefully far away, forgetting that the shadow and devil they had made now walked among them. While men slept, the enemy attacked and Kael was pumped up and ready to strike. The odd smell hit Marcus first, the smell of pure overwhelming power.Old paper, dry and heavy with dust that dated back centuries, surrounded Marcus, choking his fire magic. He could feel it with his magic and beneath it was something else, it felt like dried blood, that metallic scent filled the air. He knew of course that shadow magic always carried a strange aura even when it was old and unknown, but this was the power of a Prince reborn, a power he could not match. And somehow, it felt like its presence was here, apart from the ones he knew, crushing his confidence completely.But of course, darkness couldn't be owned by men who just wanted it for pleasure, it needed men who had the grit to do whatever it takes to pr
CHAPTER 78
The guards slept peacefully in the fortress they had just conquered, forgetting that the shadow and devil they had made now walked among them, and was leaving them behind. While men slept, the enemy attacked and Kael was pumped up and ready to strike, but there was no enemy left in the stone walls now. He walked out of the broken gates with Elira and Cassidy, moving his fingers carefully in the cold night air.The odd smell hit him first.It was not the smell of the dungeon anymore, it was like old paper, dry and heavy with dust that dated back centuries, coming from the dark forest ahead of them. He could feel it with his magic and beneath it was something else. It felt like dried blood, that foul scent filled the air of the woods, wrapping around the trees. He knew of course that shadow magic always carried a strange aura even when it was old and unknown, but this was different, this felt like danger that was hiding. And somehow, it felt like its presence was here, apart from th
CHAPTER 77
Elira lay curled up in the corner of the wet cell and she was shivering uncontrollably. Her wrists were bleeding from the tight ropes and her face was covered in dirt and bruises. Cassidy was lying beside her and the old healer was breathing very heavily. They looked broken and defeated. They were actually dying in this terrible place because they tried to save his life.Kael did not waste any time. He grabbed the iron bars of the cell door and he pulled. The metal bent and snapped under the sheer force of his shadow magic. He threw the broken door aside and he stepped into the small space.The sudden noise woke Elira up. She raised her head weakly and she covered her eyes at the bright violet light that filled the dark room. Her green eyes widened in absolute shock as she saw him. She thought she was hallucinating or maybe she was finally dead."Kael," she whispered and her voice was heavy and no longer sassy as it used to be, and it hurt him badly. "Is it really you?” She asked.
CHAPTER 76
The night was cold and heavy with the smell of death and anticipation. Kael Duskborne walked out of the basement and left the Duskborne estate behind him. He was no longer the weak boy who was dying on the altar. He was a force of nature now and he was pumped up and ready to strike. The shadow magic inside him was no longer a chaotic storm but a pure violet flame that burned away his pain and his fear. He did not need a wagon or a horse. He had the shadows and the shadows listened to him completely. He moved through the darkness like a ghost and the miles between his home and the fortress in the North disappeared under his boots.He thought about the king and the anger boiled inside him again. King Aldric thought he had won the game. The king thought he could crush the Oak Flower and leave Kael to rot while he sat on his throne of cheap iron and fur. But the king was playing chess with a cheater. Kael was the devil they made, and he had the grit, courage, and strength to do whatev
CHAPTER 75
The battle inside Kael was merciless and shook the walls of his mind. The poison was heavy and boldly written across his soul and it wanted him dead. It burned like fire and it tore at his magic trying to destabilise the room of his heart, his very core. Of course, that was why the magic was very strong and effective. It excelled at destroying its victim from the inside out and leading it his or her death.But Kael was no longer afraid of the fire. He was the devil they made and he had the courage and evil to do whatever it takes.He pushed the shadows forward and they clashed with the poison. It was a terrifying process. He could feel every ounce of pain inflicted by the toxic poison that was unwilling to let go. It felt like needles piercing his soul but he did not pull away. He remembered the words of the Whore Spirit. He remembered the vision of the king sitting on the throne and laughing at his death."You are a threat to the throne," the king had said."I am the end of the thron
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