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Home / Urban / THE FORGOTTEN SON-IN-LAW / Chapter One hundred and forty-four
Chapter One hundred and forty-four
Author: Sugar boy
last update2025-09-30 20:47:22

The great hall of Wyrmspire Keep smelled of smoke and old stone. Adrian stood at the center, his cloak damp from the storm outside, his eyes sweeping over the gathered leaders who had answered his call.

They were few — a smattering of village elders, two seasoned captains, a disgraced noblewoman, and a priest whose faith had not yet crumbled with the covenant.

It wasn’t much. But it was a beginning.

Selene placed a map upon the table, her slender fingers tracing the jagged line of provinces now claimed by Darius’s Empire of Will.

“He tightens his grip by the day,” she said quietly. “If we don’t move now, his shadow will cover the realm before spring.”

The priest, Father Rowan, lifted his head, his voice steady though his robes were threadbare.

“The people still whisper Adrian’s name with hope. They say he walks not with chains, but with truth. That is power no tyrant can smother.”

A bitter laugh rose from Captain Ryn, scarred and battle-weary. “Hope won’t hold a sword, Father. Dari
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  • Chapter One hundred and ninety-four

    The Path of Ash and SilenceThe road east of Veyne was unrecognizable.Once a trade route lined with orchards and vineyards, it was now a scar across the land — trees turned to blackened silhouettes, their branches clawing at the sky like desperate hands. The air shimmered faintly with heat, though no flame burned. Every so often, the wind carried whispers — too soft to catch, too human to ignore.Adrian walked ahead of Kael, his cloak trailing over the charred earth. He hadn’t slept since the night of the uprising. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Selene’s face — sometimes serene, sometimes twisted with grief — always watching.Kael followed, hand on his sword. “You’ve been silent for hours.”Adrian didn’t slow. “There’s nothing left worth saying.”“That’s not true,” Kael said. “You’re thinking of her again.”Adrian stopped abruptly. The faint mark on his palm glowed through his glove. “She’s close.”Kael frowned. “How can you tell?”Adrian lifted his hand, and the air around

  • Chapter One hundred and ninety-three

    The Ash and the PulseVeyne was burning again.Not with the clean, devouring blaze of war, but with something stranger — something that breathed and moved like a living thing.The fires spread without wind, threading along streets like veins of molten light, leaving behind ash that shimmered faintly red in the dark.Adrian stood at the edge of the old citadel wall, staring down at the chaos below. The city’s cries echoed against the stone — not all from fear, some from ecstasy. The people had begun to worship the flame that consumed them.Kael joined him, face drawn. “It’s spreading faster than we thought.”Adrian didn’t turn. His hands were clasped behind his back, but his knuckles were white. “It isn’t just fire anymore.”“What do you mean?”He raised one hand. The faint mark burned on his palm — the serpent’s spiral, pulsing with dim light.“This isn’t rebellion. It’s resonance. The same power Selene woke… it’s answering here.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “You’re saying she caused thi

  • Chapter One hundred and ninety-two

    The World RemadeThe wind outside the mountain was wrong.It no longer carried the crisp bite of frost, nor the scent of pine. It smelled like rain that hadn’t fallen yet — electric, metallic, alive.Selene stepped through the mouth of the cavern, her boots crunching over shards of crystal that hadn’t been there before. The sky above the Vale was veined with crimson light, streaks that pulsed faintly, like the heartbeat of something vast beneath the clouds.Eryk followed close behind, shielding his eyes. “By the gods…”The valley that had once been green and cold was now something else entirely. The trees below had turned black, their leaves edged with a faint golden shimmer. The river, once sluggish with ice, now glowed with faint warmth — as if lit from below by dying embers.Selene stared in silence. The world seemed to breathe with her, each exhale sending ripples of energy across the land.“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “And wrong.”Eryk nodded grimly. “The serpent’s pulse

  • Chapter One hundred and ninety-one

    The Council of SmokeThe council chamber smelled of burnt parchment and fear.The long table that had once gleamed with the polish of diplomacy now bore maps half-scorched, ink still bleeding into the wood.Candles trembled under unseen drafts, and the twelve councilors of Veyne argued in voices so loud the marble itself seemed to vibrate.“Close the ports!” one shouted. “Before the fire reaches the coast!”“You fool,” another snapped. “If we close them, we starve! Trade is the only thing keeping this city alive!”“The Flame Unbound has returned,” whispered a third. “The omens are clear — this isn’t rebellion. It’s punishment.”The room erupted again.Adrian stood at the head of the table, silent, his gloved hand resting against the hilt of his sword. Kael lingered behind him, watchful as ever, his eyes scanning the room for threat — but the real danger wasn’t steel. It was panic.“Enough,” Adrian said quietly.No one heard him.He raised his voice. “I said enough!”The command crac

  • Chapter One hundred and ninety

    The Council of SmokeThe council chamber smelled of burnt parchment and fear.The long table that had once gleamed with the polish of diplomacy now bore maps half-scorched, ink still bleeding into the wood. Candles trembled under unseen drafts, and the twelve councilors of Veyne argued in voices so loud the marble itself seemed to vibrate.“Close the ports!” one shouted. “Before the fire reaches the coast!”“You fool,” another snapped. “If we close them, we starve! Trade is the only thing keeping this city alive!”“The Flame Unbound has returned,” whispered a third. “The omens are clear — this isn’t rebellion. It’s punishment.”The room erupted again.Adrian stood at the head of the table, silent, his gloved hand resting against the hilt of his sword. Kael lingered behind him, watchful as ever, his eyes scanning the room for threat — but the real danger wasn’t steel. It was panic.“Enough,” Adrian said quietly.No one heard him.He raised his voice. “I said enough!”The command crac

  • Chapter One hundred and eighty-nine

    The Heart Beneath the FlameThe mountain breathed.Selene could feel it in the stone beneath her boots — a slow, rhythmic pulse, like the heartbeat of a creature too vast to comprehend. The tunnels had once been cold and silent, but now the walls glimmered faintly, veins of molten light crawling through the rock like fire caught in glass.Every step deeper made the air hum. Every breath carried the taste of iron and heat.Eryk walked ahead, his torch unnecessary; the mountain lit itself. His silhouette was carved in flickering amber, the light catching the edge of his silver hair.“Don’t lag behind,” he said, voice taut with a restraint she hadn’t heard before. “The path isn’t stable anymore.”Selene managed a small, humorless smile. “Neither am I.”Her voice came out quieter than she intended. Her hand brushed her chest — where the scar still glowed faintly, resonating with the hum of the stone.The power that had once burned her now felt almost… familiar. Like a pulse she couldn’t

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