2025-08-18 05:21:50
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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
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The streets of the old quarter were quiet, but the air felt different now, thicker, heavier, as if the city itself knew a predator had entered.Aiden walked at the front, the hood of his cloak pulled low. Beside him, the hooded stranger kept their pace steady, eyes scanning every shadow. Kylian trailed a step behind, glancing back every so often. The morning sun had barely risen above the rooftops, but the alleys were still cloaked in half-darkness.They didn’t speak at first. Only the sound of their boots against the uneven cobblestone broke the silence.Finally, Kylian muttered, “We’re not being followed, right?”The stranger didn’t look back. “We’re being watched.”Kylian stiffened. “From where?”The stranger’s gaze shifted briefly toward the rooftops, then forward again. “Too far to see. But the feeling is there.”Aiden said nothing, but his senses were sharp. He could feel it too, an unseen weight pressing down on them.High above, crouched on the edge of a slanted roof, the hun
CHAPTER TWELVE
The war room was dark except for the glow of a single oil lamp burning in the corner. Shadows stretched across the stone walls like black vines, and the air was heavy with the smell of smoke and steel.Philip stood stiffly near the center table, his hands resting on the edge, his knuckles pale from the grip. His mind was still burning with the memory of Aiden’s face, the man he thought was dead standing alive, stronger, and bolder than ever.The crimson-armored man across from him was motionless. He stood tall, his helmet hiding his face, a dark slit where his eyes should be. But even through the mask, a sense of danger radiated from him like heat from a forge.When he finally spoke, his voice was deep and unnatural, a tone that seemed to echo as if it came from more than one place at once. “You failed,” the armored man said. “Twice.”Philip’s throat tightened. “I, I didn’t expect him to have such strength. The last time I saw him, he was nothing. A worm. He should have died in that
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