2026-09-13 07:10:45For several seconds after Titus finished speaking, the tent was completely silent.
Patrick stared at the medallion in his hand.
It no longer glowed.
The strange light that had appeared across its surface had faded, leaving behind the same dull metal that had followed them out of the other dimension.
But the feeling it had created remained.
Something had changed.
Patrick could feel it.
Not inside the medallion itself, but inside th
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For several seconds, nobody moved.The crack in the floor continued to widen beneath their feet, spreading through the stone in thin, jagged lines while dust drifted down from the ceiling and disappeared into the darkness below. Patrick could hear the slow groaning of the fortress around them, the sound of ancient stone adjusting to something that had been disturbed after remaining still for far too long.His sister's hand was still wrapped around his arm.“They said you wouldn't be the one choosing what happens next,” she repeated, quieter this time.Patrick looked at her.“What exactly did they say?”She shook her head.“I don't remember everything.”“Try.”She swallowed.“They were talking about the medallion. About you. They said you'd eventually find your way back here, even if you didn't know where you were going.”Patrick glanced at the medallion hanging from his hand.Its light had faded.But it remained warm.“They expected me.”“Yes.”“Why?”“I don't know.”Patrick studied h
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“Patrick. Welcome back.”And for one terrible second Patrick forgot how to breathe.It was Kael.Not similar to Kael, not merely a voice with the same tone, but close enough that every instinct in Patrick's body reacted as though the creature he had killed was standing on the other side of the door.His hand tightened around the hilt of the Blazing Sword.Behind him, Lucy had gone completely still.Heather raised her bow.Borius stepped forward, spear already in his hands, while Seth moved instinctively closer to the wall, his eyes fixed on the door with the particular expression he wore whenever the world had presented him with something he deeply wished it hadn't.Titus did not move.Patrick glanced at him.The general's face had lost its colour.“You said he was dead,” Patrick said quietly.“He is.”Titus's answer came immediately.Patrick stared at him.“Then who is that?”“I don't know.”The voice beyond the door laughed.It was a short, dry laugh.Kael's laugh.Patrick's stomach
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVEPatrick barely remembered leaving the battlefield.One moment he had been standing beside Titus and the next he was running up the narrow trail with the others behind him, every thought in his mind reduced to two words that refused to leave him.His sister.At the fortress.Alive.Or at least Titus believed someone had taken her there.Patrick didn't know which possibility frightened him more.He pushed harder.The mountain path twisted between steep cliffs, forcing them into single file. Titus led them, moving with the confidence of someone who had traveled the route many times before.Patrick stayed directly behind him."How long?""To the fortress?""Yes.""Two hours if we move quickly."Patrick grabbed Titus's shoulder and forced him to stop.The others nearly collided with them."You're going to explain."Titus turned."There isn't time.""There is now."Patrick's voice was low."You told me my sister is at that fortress."Titus looked at him.
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For several seconds after Titus finished speaking, the tent was completely silent.Patrick stared at the medallion in his hand.It no longer glowed.The strange light that had appeared across its surface had faded, leaving behind the same dull metal that had followed them out of the other dimension.But the feeling it had created remained.Something had changed.Patrick could feel it.Not inside the medallion itself, but inside the connection that had formed between the object and the five of them.The silver mark on the back of his hand was warm.Lucy noticed it too.She looked down at her own hand.Her expression changed."The mark."Patrick looked at her.It was faintly glowing.Heather and Borius checked theirs.Seth held up his hand and stared at it with growing alarm."Mine too."Titus watched all five of them."What happened to you
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Patrick did not sleep that night.The others tried.Seth actually managed it, which Patrick found almost impressive considering everything they had learned, while Heather sat with her back against a tree and kept her eyes closed for long stretches without ever truly relaxing. Borius remained awake, sharpening the edge of his spear with slow, deliberate movements.Lucy sat beside Patrick.Neither of them spoke.The map lay between them.Patrick had unfolded it several times already, even though he had memorized the marked location after the first reading.It showed a mountain pass several hours west of their current position, followed by a narrow trail leading toward an abandoned fortress.Patrick didn't recognize the fortress.That bothered him.He had spent enough time around the Royal Army to know most of the important military strongholds in the Empire, and yet this one wasn't familiar.Perhaps it had been abandoned long before he became involved with the Empire.Or perhaps Titus h
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Patrick had learned a long time ago that silence could be more dangerous than noise.Noise told you where the enemy was.Silence made you wonder.They spent the remainder of the night moving through the ravine, keeping as far away from the Imperial patrols as possible, and although nobody complained, Patrick could feel the question hanging between them with every step.Where was General Titus?More importantly, what had happened to him?Patrick remembered the last time he had seen the man.Titus had been proud, stubborn and infuriatingly confident, the sort of man who seemed to believe that every room belonged to him simply because he had spent enough years commanding people inside it. Their first encounters had been anything but friendly, and Patrick had never forgotten the way Titus had looked at him when they fought.Not with fear.Not even with hatred.With the certainty that Patrick was a problem that could eventually be dealt with.Yet circumstances had forced them into an allia
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