2025-10-23 02:23:05
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Chapter 63 : Echo of Doubt
Rain beat down on the rooftops again — heavy, endless, and cold. It was the kind of weather that washed away footprints, blood, and the little courage left in the streets.Kael stood near the edge of the old bell tower, watching the city lights blur beneath the storm. He should’ve felt safe up here, above the chaos, but his chest was tight — not from fear, but from doubt.Below, soldiers moved in pairs through the alleys. Searchlights swept over rooftops. The Empire wasn’t sleeping tonight.Seris climbed up beside him, soaked and shivering. “They’ve doubled patrols on every gate,” she said. “And they’ve started paying for tips. Twenty silver for anyone who gives your name.”Kael didn’t move. “That means they’re scared.”“That means they’re getting close.”He turned slightly. “You sound worried.”“I am. You should be too.”They went back inside, where the others waited — Daren, still bandaged from their last raid; Mira, the quiet scout who barely spoke; and three new faces Kael didn’t
Chapter 62 : The Hollow Win
The news of the breakout hit the city like a heavy storm. By dawn, the markets buzzed with half-truths and fear. People spoke in whispers — about soldiers gone missing, prison fires, and a group that moved in shadows.Kael stood at the edge of the plaza, watching the posters go up. Each bore the same mark — traitors to the crown.Daren’s face was among them. So was Seris’s. And Kael’s, painted in black ink, with the words Ardent Conspirator written underneath.Seris pulled her hood tighter. “They didn’t waste time.”“They never do,” Kael said quietly.Behind them, bells rang from the central tower. The Empire was calling for calm — which always meant the opposite.That night, the group met again at the tower ruins. The mood was tense. Everyone knew what the posters meant — their network had been exposed, at least in part.Daren slammed his fist on the stone table. “We risked everything for that boy, and now half the city thinks we’re killers.”Kael didn’t look up. “They were always go
Chapter 61 : The First Exposure
The morning was cold and gray over the capital. The streets were quieter than usual , too quiet for a city that claimed to be at peace.Kael walked through the lower market with his hood up, Seris beside him. Her eyes kept flicking toward the rooftops.“They’re watching more openly now,” she said under her breath.“I know,” Kael replied. “Means they’re nervous.”The smell of wet stone and smoke filled the air. People moved fast, avoiding eye contact, pretending not to notice the Imperial patrols that now guarded every corner.Rumors had started spreading — whispers about lost soldiers, secret prisons, letters from the dead. Someone had begun talking, and the Empire didn’t know who.That was the plan.Kael stopped at a fruit stall, handed the old vendor a coin, and took an apple. The man didn’t look up, but his fingers brushed Kael’s hand — two quick taps, one long.A signal.Kael turned away casually. “We’ve got one.”Seris followed as he walked toward an alley between two shops. Insi
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
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 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
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