2025-08-26 21:47:55
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
The shimmer of the hidden road twisted and groaned, like fabric tearing. Then the hunters stepped through.Kael emerged first, his red blade glowing like a burning brand, every step slow and deliberate. The green spear-bearer followed, poison dripping in sizzling drops onto the grass. Last came the violet-blade warrior, their weapon pulsing in sickly waves of light.All three spread out across the cliffside. Behind them, the shimmer of the road sealed shut, cutting off escape.The warm sunlight did nothing to soften their presence. Even here, in open air and clear sky, they carried the stench of shadows.Kael’s masked face tilted toward Aiden, who lay in Kylian’s arms, pale and trembling. His voice carried easily over the sound of the river. “You’ve run far enough. Vermillion blood cannot hide from the hunt.”Kylian gritted his teeth, clutching Aiden tighter. “Stay back!” His voice cracked, but he forced himself to raise his sword.The stranger stepped in front of them, daggers drawn
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The altar’s silver veins pulsed like a heartbeat, each throb shaking the black stone platform. The whispers grew louder, echoing in every ear: “One must bleed. One must fall.”Aiden staggered toward the altar, one hand pressed to his wound, the other gripping his sword like a lifeline. His steps were slow, heavy, but determined.Kylian lunged after him, catching his arm. “Stop! You can’t do this!”Aiden’s eyes were glassy with fever, but his voice was steady. “I’m already dying. Let it be me.”“No!” Kylian’s grip tightened, his voice breaking. “Don’t you dare leave me like this. You think I can just, just watch you give yourself up?” His eyes shone wet in the pale glow. “I won’t let you.”Elara stood near the altar, her silver gaze sharp. “The road will take someone, whether you choose or not. The longer you hesitate, the more it hangs. Already the shadows stir.”The stranger’s voice cut in, cold and even. “Then maybe it should be me.”All eyes turned to them. The hooded figure steppe
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The forest pressed in on all sides as they stumbled through the undergrowth. The mist was thinner here, but it clung stubbornly to the ground, curling around their boots as if unwilling to let them go.Aiden leaned heavily on Kylian, his breath shallow. Every step sent fire lancing through his side where the green hunter’s spear had pierced him. Black lines crept outward from the wound, crawling like veins across his skin. His sword hung limp in his hand, dragging faintly against the dirt.Kylian’s voice trembled as he spoke. “He’s getting worse. We need to stop.”“No stopping,” Elara said sharply. She moved at the front, her white cloak brushing against branches, her bow always in hand. “If we stop, he dies.”The stranger walked close behind, scanning the trees with a tense stillness. Their dagger dripped with black smoke from the shades they had cut earlier, but their attention was no longer on monsters. It was on the boy they were trying to keep alive. Aiden’s head lolled forward
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The red mist swirled thick around the clearing, swallowing the trees and smothering the air. It carried the smell of iron and ash, sharp enough to burn the back of the throat.Kael stepped forward, his crimson blade glowing brighter with every breath he took. On either side of him, the two new hunters moved into view. The one on his left carried a curved spear that dripped with green light, each drop hissing as it struck the ground. The one on his right held a long, jagged blade pulsing violet, the glow faint but unsettling, like a dying star.Aiden’s chest tightened. One hunter had nearly been too much. Now there were three.Beside him, Kylian muttered, “We’re dead. We’re so, so dead.” His hand shook as he gripped his sword.“Not if we keep moving,” the stranger said, voice low and sharp. They pulled their remaining dagger free and shifted into a stance that screamed readiness.Elara stepped forward, bow raised, her white cloak billowing faintly in the mist. Her silver eyes locked
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The forest was quiet again, but the quiet was not peace. It was the kind of silence that came after a storm, when every branch seemed to hold its breath and every shadow felt alive.Aiden sat against the roots of the great oak, his sword laid across his lap. Sweat clung to his brow, and his arms ached from the clash with the hunter. Lightning still prickled faintly in his veins, like his body hadn’t yet decided to let go of the fight.Kylian was sprawled on the ground beside him, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He pressed a hand against his ribs and winced. “I'm not built for this much running.”“You’ll live,” Aiden muttered, though his tone lacked its usual sharpness. He was too busy replaying the fight in his head, the red blade, the endless shades, the way the hunter’s voice had carried weight like a curse.The hooded stranger stood a little apart, back straight despite the exhaustion that pulled at their limbs. Their eyes scanned the dark forest, every rustle of le
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The red glow from the hunter’s blade lit the mist like a fire in the dark. Aiden barely had time to bring up his own sword before the strike came. The force of the blow sent a shudder through his arms, the shock traveling into his shoulders. His boots slid back across the damp earth, leaving shallow grooves in the dirt.The hunter didn’t pause. His second swing came low and fast, the red light slicing through the fog. Aiden jumped back, the blade missing his knees by inches.The stranger darted in from the side, twin daggers flashing, aiming for the hunter’s ribs.The hunter turned with inhuman speed, blocking both blades with a single sweep of his sword. The impact sent the stranger skidding back a step, the red light from the weapon casting their hooded face in harsh shadow. “You can’t win,” the hunter said, his voice echoing through the mask. “Not here.”Aiden tightened his grip on his sword. “We’ll see about that.”Kylian circled to the hunter’s flank, moving low and fast. He dr
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