2025-08-12 23:34:56
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Chapter 249
The cavern shook as something heavy moved in the dark. Each step made the ground tremble, and loose stones rolled across the floor. The air itself seemed to grow thick and heavy, as if it were harder to breathe. Shadows stretched long, bending in strange shapes, until finally the creature came into view. The Reaver.It was far larger than the stalkers they had fought before. Its body was like twisted bone wrapped in black muscle. A jagged mask covered its face, carved with glowing runes that pulsed an angry red. Black mist seeped from the cracks in its armor, hissing as it touched the ground.The rebels froze where they stood. Their voices caught in their throats. Some stepped back without realizing it. Others gripped their weapons with shaking hands. Mara whispered, almost breathless, “It’s different.”The fear spread like fire. Garrick, the rebel leader, stepped forward, gripping his greatsword with both hands. His face was pale, but his eyes burned with defiance. “Stand firm!” h
Chapter 248
The cavern was quiet, but it was not a peaceful quiet. It was the kind of silence that made the skin prickle and the heart beat too fast, like the air before a storm.The rebels sat in uneven circles around the fire. Some sharpened their blades. Some kept their hands on their weapons, as if expecting an attack even from their own allies. Others only muttered, whispering so low that the sound was like the crawling of insects along the stone. No one trusted anyone anymore.Ever since Ryn’s failed attempt to stab Elias in his sleep, the whole camp had cracked like glass under pressure. Half of the men whispered about curses. The other half whispered about mutiny.Oliver felt all of it pressing on him. He felt it in the way their eyes slid toward him when they thought he wasn’t looking. He felt it in the heavy pause whenever he spoke. Even Garrick, who had fought at his side for weeks, kept staring at him too long, as if weighing whether to strike or stay his hand.By the fire, Elias sa
Chapter 247
The fire had burned down to embers. Most of the rebels slept in uneasy silence, their bodies curled in cloaks and blankets against the cavern’s cold breath. But the air was heavy, thick with fear. Even in sleep, men twitched, women muttered, and hands gripped blades beneath covers.Oliver couldn’t sleep. He sat with his sword across his knees, staring into the dying glow of the fire. The shadows twisted at the edges of his vision, whispering like voices he could almost hear. “They do not trust you. They will not forgive the boy. They sharpen their knives even now. Strike before they do.”His hands clenched the hilt of his blade until his knuckles whitened. He forced a slow breath, shaking his head. “Not yet,” he whispered to himself. “Not ever.”Beside him, Elias stirred in his sleep. The boy whimpered, his small body shaking. Threads flickered faintly around him, like cobwebs in moonlight, clinging to his skin. Oliver leaned closer. “Elias,” he murmured. “Wake up.”The boy jolted a
Chapter 246
The campfire was still burning when Oliver, Mara, and Elias returned. The night was heavy and cold, the flames casting long shadows across the cavern walls. Most of the rebels were awake now, stirred by the distant rumbling that had shaken the stone during the fight below. They stood in tense groups, hands on weapons, eyes flicking nervously to the dark tunnels.When the three of them stepped back into the camp, every head turned. Oliver felt the weight of those stares pressing against his skin. His clothes were torn, his face streaked with sweat and black ichor. Mara’s knives were still in her hands, her arms marked with shallow cuts. Elias’s torch was gone, his wide eyes glowing faintly with something that wasn’t just reflected firelight.The whispers coiled in Oliver’s head. “They see you. They know. They will not trust you. Strike first. Burn their doubt before it burns you.”He clenched his jaw, fighting it down. Garrick, the grizzled leader of the rebels, pushed forward thro
Chapter 245
The chamber shook as if the earth itself was waking. Roots smashed against stone, and the glow of the crystal filled every shadow. The Vessel loomed over them, tall and faceless, its chest pulsing like a second heart in the dark.Oliver’s sword trembled in his grip. He could see every thread, the ones binding the Vessel together, the ones running into the walls, and even the thin lines tied to Mara’s strength and Elias’s courage. They all pulled at him, demanding a choice. The whispers in his head were no longer soft. They roared. “Strike it. Claim it. I am already inside you. Why resist what you are becoming?”His chest heaved. Sweat rolled down his temple. He felt caught between fire and stone, unable to breathe.Mara’s voice cut through the chaos. She stood with knives flashing, her hair wild, her face fierce. “Oliver! Listen to me! If you give in now, you’re lost! Don’t you dare let it take you!”Elias clung to his torch, his eyes wide but glowing faintly, reflecting threads onl
Chapter 244
The chamber shook again. Dust fell from the ceiling, drifting through the torchlight like falling ash. The roots along the walls pulsed brighter, black veins crawling faster across the stone.The vessel at the center of the room was no longer still. Its faceless head tilted with a creaking sound, slow and deliberate. The crystal in its chest beat like a heart, light throbbing in a steady rhythm. Elias stumbled back, clutching his torch. His face was pale, his lips trembling. “It’s alive.”Mara’s knives slid free, twin blades gleaming in the sickly glow. Her voice was sharp and low. “It’s waking. We need to move. Now.”Oliver didn’t move. His eyes were locked on the crystal. His Echo Sense flared, threads exploding in his vision, hundreds of them, tangled, snarling, all connected to that single glowing heart.The whispers poured into his mind. “Strike it. Cut it. The power is yours. One blow, and the camp above will bow to you. They will see you as a savior. As king.”His breath came
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