2025-08-26 17:42:03
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Chapter 64 – The Awakening Beneath
The ruins of the capital lay like a skeleton in the moonlight, its broken towers jutting against the sky like blackened teeth. Eldrin and Isolde pushed forward with their war-weary band, every step sinking into ash. The silence here was not peace it was anticipation, as if the stones themselves were holding their breath.A low hum rippled through the ground. Eldrin froze, hand tightening on the hilt of his blade. The soldiers behind him shifted nervously, muttering prayers under their breath.Then the earth shuddered.At first, it was a faint tremor, like the heartbeat of something buried. But the pulse grew stronger, rattling shattered columns, sending dust clouds spiraling into the air. The very bones of the fallen city seemed to groan.“Do you feel that?” whispered one soldier.Eldrin’s jaw clenched. “He’s begun.”Isolde’s eyes darted to him, fear and recognition flashing in equal measure. “The beast of the old blood…”They advanced cautiously until the ruins split open before them
Chapter 63 – Shadows of Doubt
The campfire burned low, its embers glowing like dying stars. No one slept. Men huddled in whispers, the weight of fear pressing down heavier than armor. Every eye flicked toward the tent where Alaric lay, bound in chains at Eldrin’s command not to punish him, but to contain the curse crawling across his veins.Yet to the soldiers, chains were chains.“He’s one of them,” a man muttered, voice sharp as a knife. “That mark same as the commander’s.”“Keep your tongue,” another hissed, though his gaze lingered uneasily on Eldrin’s tent. “If he hears you“Then let him hear!” the first spat. “How long before he turns on us? We followed him because he swore to save us. But what if he’s the very thing damning us?”The whispers grew, spreading like a sickness. Trust eroded in the dark.Inside his tent, Eldrin sat alone, sharpening his blade. The steel caught the light, gleaming red with reflection from the fire outside. His hands moved automatically, but his mind churned. He heard them their d
Chapter 62 – The Beast Beneath the Ruins
The camp was divided. Torches flickered in unsteady hands as soldiers circled Alaric’s unconscious body. His chest heaved in shallow breaths, the black mark of the curse crawling like fire across his skin.“Kill him before it spreads,” one soldier hissed, raising his spear.“Lower it,” Isolde snapped, stepping in front of her brother. Her voice cracked, but her eyes blazed. “He’s not the enemy. He’s family.”Murmurs rose among the men. Some shifted uneasily, others stared at Eldrin. They wanted his command, his judgment.Eldrin stood motionless, his blade still slick from the battle. The mark on Alaric’s chest glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. He saw in it a mirror of his own affliction the curse that had nearly consumed him hours ago. The weight of their stares pressed against his back.“Commander,” one soldier spoke, trembling, “if he carries the same corruption… what makes you any different?”The words cut sharper than steel. A ripple of distrust spread like poison. Eldrin
Chapter 61 – Shattered Loyalties
The battlefield still smoldered with the stench of blood and smoke. The Riders of Ashen Flame had retreated into the night, leaving broken steel and scattered corpses in their wake. Eldrin stood over the ruins, chest heaving, his blade slick with gore. Around him, soldiers moaned in agony, clutching wounds that would never heal.Yet it wasn’t the carnage that hollowed his chest it was the look in Isolde’s eyes. The look of betrayal.She hadn’t spoken a word since the commander’s mask was torn away to reveal her estranged brother, Alaric the very man Eldrin swore to destroy. Her silence gnawed at him more than any wound.“Isolde…” Eldrin rasped, stepping closer.But she turned away, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. “Don’t. Not now.”Her words cut deeper than a blade. For the first time since the kingdom fell, Eldrin felt utterly alone.The camp was eerily quiet that night. Soldiers whispered among themselves, their faith shaken. Some no longer looked at Eldrin with the same re
Chapter 60 – Riders of Ashen Flame
The night split open with the roar of hooves and fire. From the far ridge, shadows surged like a tide, their flames licking the black sky. The Riders of Ashen Flame had come at last, their steeds snorting embers, their swords burning like brands pulled from the heart of a forge. Ash drifted down like snow, and the valley below became a stage set for blood.Eldrin stood atop the battered wall of Kaelthorn’s outer gate, his cursed blade humming restlessly in his hand. Every beat of its pulse rattled through his bones, urging him toward violence, promising strength if he would only surrender. The defenders around him farmers clutching spears, grizzled veterans gripping shields, even boys with slings—looked to him as if he were their salvation. He wondered if they knew he was only a heartbeat away from becoming their doom.“Hold steady!” Eldrin barked, though his throat was dry. “Shields high brace for the charge!”The first Riders broke through the mist, fire trailing from their swords.
Chapter 59 – Ashes of Victory
The battlefield was strangely quiet. The clash of steel, the cries of men, the roars of warhorses—gone, replaced only by the moaning wind drifting across the ruined plain. The Warlord’s body lay still at Eldrin’s feet, his massive blade shattered beside him like a broken crown.Eldrin stood over him, chest heaving, his sword dripping crimson. His hands trembled, not from exhaustion but from the curse. The black fire inside him pulsed violently, demanding more blood. Each heartbeat hammered against his skull as if it wanted to split him apart.“You’ve done it…” Isolde’s voice came, soft but edged with disbelief. She approached slowly, her armor dented, her braid loose from battle. Her eyes flicked from the corpse to Eldrin’s pale, strained face. “The Warlord is dead.”“Dead,” Eldrin repeated hoarsely. The word felt empty. Victory should have tasted like triumph, but instead, he tasted ash. He raised his sword slightly, staring at his reflection in the blood-slick steel. His eyes weren’
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