Margaret paced back and forth in the Ravol family’s grand living room, her face flushed with anger. “This is all your fault, Holsten! You’re the one who insisted on making Kael our son-in-law! Look at what he’s brought us. I wouldn’t have even hired him as a servant, and now he’s nothing but trouble!”
Holsten, slumped in a chair, rubbed his temples. “Enough, Margaret. It’s not the time to argue. The biggest gang in the city has been provoked because of him. They won’t just let this go. Retaliation is inevitable.” Evangelene, sitting quietly by the window, wrung her hands nervously. “What do we do now? Who will save us from this mess?” Kael, leaning casually against the doorframe, remained calm. His lips curled into a faint smirk. “I’ve already told you, I can handle it.” Margaret turned on him with a venomous glare. “Handle it? You? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve done nothing but cause problems since the day you stepped into this house. Leave it to someone capable, like Mike.” At that moment, Mike stepped forward, adjusting his suit with an air of self-importance. “Mrs. Ravol, Evangelene, don’t worry. I can resolve this situation. The Smith family has extensive connections in this city. With just a few calls, I’ll have everything under control.” Evangelene’s eyes lit up with hope. “Really, Mike? You can fix this?” Margaret nodded in agreement. “I knew we could count on you. Unlike some people who only know how to bring ruin,” she sneered, casting a disdainful glance at Kael. Kael chuckled softly, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Oh, please, Mike. The thugs who just beat you to a pulp didn’t seem to care about your Smith family connections. What makes you think they’ll listen now?” Mike’s face turned red with anger. “You…! Don’t underestimate me, Kael. I’ll show you what real power looks like.” Margaret waved her hand dismissively at Kael. “Shut your mouth! Let Mike handle this. At least he’s doing something, unlike you.” Kael’s eyes darkened, but his composure remained intact. He pulled out his phone and tapped out a message. Without another word, he pressed send and pocketed the device. “What are you doing now?” Evangelene asked suspiciously. Kael glanced at her briefly. “Making sure the situation is resolved.” Mike scoffed. “Oh, really? Sending text messages? That’s your grand plan? Laughable.” Before Kael could respond, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, his expression calm as he answered the call. “Kael, sir, I swear I had nothing to do with this!” a panicked voice erupted from the speaker. The room fell silent as everyone’s attention turned to Kael. He stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding. “Marcus. Explain.” Marcus, the head of the biggest gang in the city, stammered on the other end. “It… it wasn’t me, sir! One of my men betrayed me. He’s joined forces with another gang and acted without my permission. They were the ones who targeted Miss Evangelene.” “And why would they do that?” Kael’s tone was sharp. “They wanted to kidnap her and deliver her to a big shot in the city,” Marcus admitted, his voice trembling. “This big shot promised to help them take over my territory in return. Please, Kael, I had no part in this. Spare me.” Kael’s expression remained unreadable. “Send me the address of this big shot. Now.” “Y-yes, sir. Right away,” Marcus replied before the call ended. Mike as he paced back and forth, holding his phone to his ear. Evangeline, Margret, and Holsten watched him closely, their expressions filled with trust. They had no reason to doubt him—yet. "Are you sure about this, Mike?" Evangeline asked, her voice laced with concern but trust. "You said you could handle Marcus's gang, right?" Mike gave her a reassuring smile, sweat beading on his forehead. "Of course. Just leave it to me. I’ll have everything under control soon." Margret nodded in agreement, though she couldn’t mask the anxiety in her eyes. "We believe in you, Mike. You’ve always been able to get us out of tight situations." Mike took a deep breath, straightening his back and lifting his phone again. He dialed a number, his fingers trembling slightly as he placed the call. The seconds ticked by, stretching the silence. “Hello?” he finally said, his voice steady and authoritative, like he was speaking to someone very important. “This is Mike. I need your help with a... sensitive matter. Yes, it’s urgent. The Ravlor family is in danger, and I need your resources. I don’t care how much it costs—just get it done.” He paused, listening intently, his brow furrowing. “Marcus’s gang, huh? Yeah, we’ve got a score to settle. Make sure you pull out all the stops, I’ll take full responsibility.” Mike hung up and immediately dialed another number. His heart was racing, but his face remained calm. "Mike," Holsten interrupted, stepping closer, "is it really working? Are they going to help us?" Mike didn’t miss a beat. "Of course, they are. These people owe me, Holsten. You’ve got nothing to worry about." His voice was smooth, even though his mind raced to keep up the act. He shot a quick glance at Evangeline, who was still watching him intently. He had to make them believe. The second call picked up. “Hello, this is Mike. I need your full support. The Ravlor family is at risk, and I need backup. No, don’t ask questions. Just bring everything you’ve got. I’ll handle the negotiations later. Get it done, or there will be consequences." Mike’s words were confident, yet inside, he was desperately trying to stall, buying time while he thought of a way to get out of this mess. He ended the call and looked up at Evangeline, who was still waiting for results. "Everything’s in motion," he assured her, though his words felt hollow even to his own ears. Evangeline’s gaze softened. "I trust you, Mike. I really do." Margret chimed in, her voice warmer. “Mike, we know you’ve always been able to turn things around. We’re counting on you.” Mike gave a tight smile, feeling the pressure. "Don’t worry. This gang won’t know what hit them. I’ll handle Marcus, you’ll see." Kael, who had been quietly observing from the corner of the room, suddenly shifted. No one noticed him at first, too focused on Mike and his “calls.” He had heard enough. Kael glanced at the group, noticing how they hovered around Mike like he was their savior. Without a word, he turned and walked out of the room. Kael navigated the dimly lit streets, his steps steady and purposeful. His phone buzzed, and he checked the message. It was the address from Marcus. Kael’s eyes narrowed as he memorized it. “Time to end this,” he muttered to himself. Back at the Ravol residence, Margaret noticed Kael’s absence. “Where did that troublemaker go now?” she asked, irritation lacing her voice. Evangelene glanced around, her brow furrowing. “He’s gone. Why does he always run away when things get serious?” Mike seized the opportunity. “Exactly! He’s nothing but a coward. Trust me, Evangelene, I’ll handle everything.”
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The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Nine
Kael stepped out of the taxi, immediately taking in the military vehicles and armed personnel surrounding the mansion. Before he could fully assess the situation, a familiar voice cut through the air."What the hell are you doing here?" Selena's sharp tone matched her frown as she strode toward him.Her eyes tracked the departing taxi, and something shifted in her expression. "A taxi... interesting," she muttered, more to herself than to him. "And here I thought... but no, Marcus's people only travel in those custom Rolls-Royces.""Is there a law against taking taxis now, Selene?" Kael asked mildly."Don't play games with me. Why are you here? Following me again?" She crossed her arms, her military uniform crisp in the afternoon sun. "This isn't some casino where you can hide behind your cards when things get rough. We're about to take down Victor 'Crocodile' Nelson."Kael's eyebrows rose slightly at the name. "Nelson?""Yes, Nelson. The most dangerous criminal in the city." She sneer
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Ten
Kael shook his head, the corners of his lips curling into a slight smirk as he walked to a secluded corner away from Selena’s troops. They were busy trying to break through the defenses of Victor’s manor, but for Kael, it was a trivial matter. “Attack again!”The heavily guarded mansion didn’t even faze him. It was like a playground to him, a place he could come and go without breaking a sweat.He slipped through the shadows with ease, dodging the few guards who were too distracted by their orders to notice his presence. “Try harder!”The soldiers outside were busy trying to breach the gates, leaving the manor’s interior nearly deserted. Kael grinned to himself as he moved through the corridors, his footsteps silent, his body a blur as he navigated the mansion.Eventually, he found his way to the innermost room, a large, lavishly furnished space. At the center of it sat a fat man—Victor Nelson himself. He was lounging in a leather chair, a cigar dangling from his mouth, looking e
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Eleven
Kael's footsteps echoed through the silent room as he walked toward the door. At the threshold, he paused for a final glance.One of his dying victims gasped out, "Who... what are you?"Kael didn't answer, simply letting the heavy door close behind him.Selena paced outside under the dim light of the streetlamps, her boots crunching against the gravel. She muttered under her breath, her hands twitching at her sides. “What’s taking so long? There should’ve been resistance by now. This quiet is unnatural.”One of her soldiers approached, saluting sharply. “Commander, the perimeter is secure. No signs of movement inside.”Selena narrowed her eyes. “No signs? That doesn’t make sense. Victor wouldn’t give up without a fight. Did anyone even hear gunfire?”The soldier hesitated. “No, ma’am. Not a single shot. It’s... eerily quiet.”Her jaw clenched. “Eerily quiet isn’t what I want to hear. Get ready. We’re going in.”“Yes, ma’am.” The soldier stepped back, issuing orders to the rest of the
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Twelve
Selene stood among her troops, surveying the aftermath with a frown still trying to figure things out. The entire operation had concluded with almost no effort on their part—a fact that didn’t sit well with her.“Commander,” her assistant chimed in, practically bouncing with excitement, “you know what this means, don’t you? What if a A war god must have intervened! Someone powerful and deeply in love with you has cleared the path for us!”Selene rolled her eyes, waving a dismissive hand, but her cheeks burned faintly. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said sharply, though her heart fluttered at the thought. A mysterious warrior, so skilled and powerful, secretly enamored with her? The idea was impossible… and yet, strangely satisfying.“Still,” she added, regaining her composure, “I want a full report. Sweep the scene, gather intel, and determine exactly what happened here. No excuses.”Her assistant saluted eagerly, but Selene’s thoughts wandered. For a brief moment, she considered Kael—but
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Thirteen
The heavy silence that followed Marcus’s exit was almost suffocating. Evangeline stared at the door, her mind racing to process what had just happened. Marcus—the infamous mafia boss, a man who commanded fear across Cresmont—had bowed to her. Worse, he had apologized to her as if she held power over him. It didn’t make sense.Margaret was the first to recover. She spun around, her sharp gaze landing squarely on Mike. “Mike! That was incredible!” she exclaimed, rushing to his side.Evangeline blinked, finally snapping out of her stupor. “It was you, wasn’t it?” she said, her voice rising. “You convinced Marcus to fix everything!”Mike froze, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for words. “Well, I—” he started, only to be cut off by Margaret’s enthusiastic praise.“You’re a genius!” she declared, clutching his arm. “The way you handled this behind the scenes, without even mentioning it… Mike, you’re exactly the kind of man this family need
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Fourteen
The aftermath of the Victor Nelson operation left Selene restless. The debriefing room was silent save for the soft buzz of the projector replaying static-laden footage. Selene sat at the head of the table, her sharp eyes fixed on the frozen screen.“No struggle. No prolonged gunfire. No visible entry or exit,” she murmured, her fingers tapping against the cold metal of the table. “And the cameras just… stopped working.” she rolled her eyes an tutted as she mused.Her assistant, seated beside her, shifted nervously. “It’s like… like a ghost went in and wiped them all out,” he ventured, his voice low.“A ghost doesn’t leave a room full of dead bodies,” Selene shot back, but the sharpness in her voice faltered.The assistant leaned forward, his face lighting up with the fervor of a conspiracy theorist. “Or a war god just like I had told you,” he whispered excitedly. “You heard what the troops said—no one saw anything. Someone powerful and unseen did
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter Fifteen
The streets of Cresmont were unusually quiet at this hour. The glow of streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement as Kael stepped out of the Ravol estate, his presence as unhurried as ever. He walked with confidence—the kind that was neither forced nor exaggerated, but imbued. Yet, beneath that composed demeanor, his mind was already moving ahead, calculating his next move. At the street corner, Marcus leaned against his car, arms crossed. The moment he spotted Kael, he straightened—like a soldier snapping to attention before his superior. “Where to?” Marcus asked, already reaching for the door handle. Kael’s response was calm, deliberate. “Dream Hill.” Marcus hesitated—just a fraction of a second—but Kael caught it. Dream Hill wasn’t just another wealthy neighborhood. It was the pinnacle of Cresmont’s elite, where the most powerful, most untouchable figures resided. People didn’t just visit Dream Hill. They either belonged there… or they didn’t. Without a word, Marcus n
The Death Lord Is Back Chapter sixteen
Morning sunlight streamed through the high glass buildings of Cresmont, illuminating the imposing headquarters of Northland Enterprises. Once an unstoppable force in the business world, the company now teetered on the brink of collapse—a decaying empire barely held together by its young and unyielding president, Pamela Northland. And today, Kael had come to collect a debt. He adjusted the cuffs of his black shirt as he approached the grand entrance, his steps unhurried. The moment he reached the door, two uniformed security guards stepped into his path. One of them smirked. “Lost, are we?” His gaze dripped with condescension as he eyed Kael’s attire—clean, but utterly unremarkable. No designer labels, no tailored suit. Nothing to indicate wealth or status. His partner scoffed. “This isn’t a place for beggars. Try the back alley if you’re looking for food scraps.” Kael tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable. He could have ended this a dozen different ways. But instead,
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The walls of the Archive began to twist.Not crumble—twist.Time peeled away in sheets, collapsing inward as the group ran, each step falling on ground that might not exist in the next breath. Fragments of timelines flickered all around them—ghostly versions of themselves trapped in loops, echoes of choices they never made screaming like haunted shadows.Pamela grunted as another burst of gravity cracked the hallway open. “Move, move, move!”Marcus was limping behind her, his arm torn and shoulder blackened with some kind of residue from the Warborn’s psychic bleed. “I’m trying! I only have one functioning leg right now!”Kael stumbled, hand gripping the corridor’s wall as it rippled under his fingers like water. He could feel the Archive rejecting them—like it knew they didn’t belong anymore. His entire body hummed, sparking faint pulses of energy that didn’t feel like his own.Selene’s form hovered beside him—bright, fading, flickering.She wasn’t running.She wasn’t solid.“Kael!”
Chapter 165
The chamber pulsed with dying light.Kael stood in the center, swaying like a man on the edge of drowning. His body crackled with unstable energy—residual sparks from the Warborn still peeling off him like pieces of an old skin. His breaths were sharp, ragged, like each inhale was trying to convince his lungs they still belonged to him.Across from him, she stood.Selene.But not the same.Her form shimmered—less a solid person, more a flame made of memory and presence. Her hair drifted like smoke, her eyes glowing with the same soft defiance he remembered. But her voice, when she spoke, wasn’t just sound—it was feeling.“You pulled me back,” she whispered. “Through pain. Through everything.”Kael stepped forward, his legs heavy. “You… I saw you die.”“I did,” she said. “But not all of me went with it.”Pamela watched from behind him, frozen in awe and disbelief. “How… is this even possible?”Selene turned her gaze to her, smiling faintly. “Because he never let go. Kael refused to for
Chapter 164
The Archive was burning from the inside out.Not with fire—but with collapsing timelines, pulsing memories, fractured light. Every wall breathed with images too fast to process—Kael’s pasts, his futures, twisted and overlapping in a storm of identity.And at the center of it all stood Kael—or what was left of him.One half darkened by the Warborn’s presence. Cold, hollow-eyed. Fingers curled like blades of glass. The other side—his side—trembled, flickering, as though it was being overwritten pixel by pixel.Pamela didn’t wait for permission.She sprinted toward the central console.“Pamela!” Elias barked. “Don’t you dare—”“I’m not losing him again!”The Archive tried to reject her. The control panel was alive, wired to Kael’s neural stream. It surged with volatile energy. She bit back a scream as pain lanced through her arm—veins lit up with neon fire.Still, she didn’t let go.“I can stabilize him,” she gasped. “I have to anchor his memory. Give him a reason to stay who he is.”“Yo
Chapter 163
Kael’s knees hit the floor first.Then his hands.Then his breath—ragged, slipping, strangled in his throat.The Archive trembled around him, colors bending where they shouldn’t exist, time distorting into knots of light. The energy in the room was crushing. It wasn’t pain—it was something worse.Unmaking.Pamela screamed. “Kael!”He could barely lift his head.The Warborn stood over him, not gloating. Not laughing. Just calm. Focused. His hand hovered inches above Kael’s chest. Tendrils of dark light stretched out from his palm—threading into Kael’s ribs like wires.“You feel that?” the Warborn murmured. “The unraveling? That’s your soul, Kael. Peeling apart. Making room for me.”Kael gritted his teeth, hands clawing at the floor, dragging himself back inch by inch.“I… won’t let you.”The Warborn leaned closer. “You already are.”Across the room, Marcus was on the ground, convulsing. His fingers clawed at his head, eyes wide open but seeing too many things at once.“No… I’m not supp
Chapter 162
Kael stared at himself.Not a mirror. Not a reflection. Not some symbolic ghost of who he might have become. No—this was real.He was staring into the eyes of himself—a version untouched by Selene’s compassion, unbroken by Elias’s betrayals, unbent by loss. A version born not from survival, but domination. A creature sharpened by war and polished in darkness.The Warborn Kael smiled. It wasn’t a smirk or a grin—it was something hollow, something stretched across a face that had forgotten how to feel.“I used to think you were the worst of us,” he said quietly, walking in slow, measured steps. “The soft one. The one who got too close to the fire and came back afraid of the heat.”Kael clenched his fists. “I’m not afraid.”“No,” the Warborn said. “But you’ve become… inconvenient.”Pamela stepped in front of Kael before he could respond, her weapon raised.“Back away from him,” she warned. “I don’t care what version of Kael you are. You’re not touching him.”The Warborn tilted his head.
Chapter 161
The walls began to breathe.Not metaphorically—literally. The inner structure of the alien station pulsed like the inside of a lung, as if it were inhaling their presence. Bioluminescent veins of silver and violet light flowed through the walls like liquid circuitry. Every time Kael took a step, the floor rippled gently beneath him, as if the station recognized his weight, his identity… his blood.“Do you feel that?” Pamela whispered.“I feel like we’re inside a heart that’s still beating,” Marcus said, raising his weapon, unsure what to aim at.Kael didn’t speak. He couldn’t. His mind was no longer anchored to the present. Flashes. Echoes. Fragments. Not of this room—but of countless others. Countless lifetimes.The station wasn’t dead. It was dreaming. And those dreams were made of him.Suddenly, columns of light erupted from the walls, forming shapes—human at first, then mutating, then solidifying. Pamela gasped and reached for her gun, but Kael held out his hand.“No,” he said. “T
Chapter 160
“Kael?” Pamela’s voice was shaky. Soft. Too soft for this place.Kael stood there in the dim red light of the stasis chamber, shirtless, barefoot, eyes wide open. But they weren’t the same eyes. Not anymore.They were glowing.Not with light. With memory.With power.His chest rose and fell slowly, like he was learning to breathe again. His fingers twitched. Then his neck turned. Mechanical. Sharp. He looked at Pamela, then Marcus, then Elias… and said nothing.“Kael,” she tried again, stepping closer. “It’s me. It’s Pamela.”He blinked once. “Pamela,” he repeated, flatly. The name came out like data being processed. Not remembered.Her heart broke on the spot.Marcus reached for his weapon on instinct, but Pamela raised a hand. “Don’t,” she whispered. “He’s… he’s confused.”Kael tilted his head, like he was hearing a sound no one else could hear.Then he said, “Define ‘confused.’”Pamela flinched.Marcus stepped forward anyway. “Alright. What do you remember?”Kael’s eyes didn’t blin
Waking the Warbringer
The sirens started first. Low, deep, unnatural. Like the heartbeat of something ancient waking from centuries of silence. Pamela was already at the console, her hands flying across glowing controls she barely understood. “Marcus!” she shouted over the blaring sound. “It’s a timed lock—ten minutes until total purge!” “Total purge?” he echoed, pushing aside a half-melted panel. “What does that mean?” “It means if we don’t get him out of there…” Pamela’s voice caught. “He’s gone. For good. Nothing left.” The containment chamber hummed louder. Kael hung motionless inside—suspended by threads of energy that pulsed with symbols no human language could read. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t moving. But something inside the glass was growing brighter. Then came a sound behind them. Boots. A slow, steady walk. They turned as Elias entered the room, calm as ever, his hands behind his back. “You came,” Pamela said, surprise flashing in her eyes. Elias gave a slow nod. “I said I wou
The Mirror of the Forgotten
The station was no longer still. It pulsed like a living thing, walls breathing, lights flickering like a dying heartbeat. Pamela pressed her palm to the console. It didn’t respond. “Marcus,” she whispered. “Something’s wrong. The layout’s changed.” He looked around. “This corridor wasn’t here before.” The walls had shifted again, swallowing the exit behind them. They were trapped. No alarms. No sirens. Just silence. A silence so heavy it made the air hard to breathe. Then the lights cut out completely. For a moment, they were blind. Then came the voices. Familiar. Terrifying. Echoes. “Pamela…” a voice murmured. Her blood froze. It was Kael. But not the Kael she knew. This voice was broken. Empty. She turned. And there it was. A door. Just standing in the hallway. A frame of rusted metal and shimmering glass. No hinges. No logic. Just… waiting. Marcus stepped forward. “Don’t.” Pamela didn’t listen. She opened the door. And walked into her past. The world aro
