Kael didn't know what hurt more—the bruises across his ribs or the silence that followed the failed interrogation.
The warehouse still smelled of burnt ink and broken magic from the glyph trap they escaped last night. Shadows clung to the corners like they were listening. Even the dust felt heavy, weighed down by the tension hanging between him and Lyra.
Lyra stood across the room, her back to him, tracing floating runes with her fingers. She looked calm. Too calm. That was her danger mode.
"So," she said finally, voice steady, "House Varyn sent assassins for you."
Kael exhaled slowly. "Then they're either stupid… or desperate."
Lyra turned, eyebrow raised. "You think nobles are stupid?"
"I think fear makes even powerful people act like cornered animals," Kael replied. "And someone is afraid of me."
"Or what you'll become," she added.
Her gaze dropped to his chest—specifically the faint, pulsing mark beneath his shirt. The Mark of the Eclipse. His curse. His advantage. His unknown.
Kael crossed his arms, trying to hide how sore his body was. "They should be afraid."
Lyra's lips twitched, almost fondly. "Confidence looks good on you. Arrogance doesn't."
He opened his mouth to reply—but the ground beneath them shivered. A low hum rippled through the air, like the earth was trying to speak.
Lyra froze. "Kael… your Mark—"
A sudden flare of heat tore through his chest. Kael gasped, stumbling back as pain surged through his veins, sharp like splintering glass.
The Mark burned.
Not like before. This was worse. Deeper. Wild.
"Lyra—" he choked—but the words melted into a cry as he collapsed to his knees.
Instantly she rushed to him, catching his shoulders. "Kael! Look at me. Stay conscious!"
Her voice echoed strangely, warped by the pressure building inside him. His vision blurred; the world twisted around the glow expanding beneath his skin.
Kael felt it—
The Mark evolving.
No—awakening.
Again.
His heartbeat thundered like war drums. Every pulse sent raw power exploding through his muscles.
Not yet—
Not here—
Not like this—
Kael tried to control it, to breathe, to steady himself, but the Mark didn't care. It clawed at him, demanding release.
"Kael! Listen to me!" Lyra cupped his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You have to anchor yourself!"
The world flickered violently—
light
dark
light
dark—
like the universe was blinking.
Kael forced out a strangled breath. "I—I can't—"
"You can," Lyra said, voice breaking for the first time. "You survived betrayal. You survived death. Survive this."
Her hand squeezed his tightly.
And that simple touch—
warm, grounding—
dragged him back from the edge.
But the Mark wasn't done.
Light erupted from Kael's chest, flooding the room in violent waves. Lyra shielded her eyes as the ground cracked beneath them. The air roared, crackling like some ancient beast awakening from a centuries-long sleep.
Kael screamed as something unlocked inside him.
A sound like a thunderclap.
A flash like a dying star.
Then—
Silence.
A terrifying, absolute silence.
Kael collapsed forward, breathing hard, sweat soaking his shirt. His vision stabilized slowly, shapes returning, color bleeding back into the world.
Lyra crouched beside him, eyes wide with fear and awe. "Kael… what was that?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because he was staring at his hands.
Faint threads of shadow clung to his fingers—alive, twitching, like miniature serpents of darkness. When he moved, they followed.
Kael swallowed hard. "The Mark… changed."
"No," Lyra whispered. "It evolved."
She reached out hesitantly, touching the edge of the shadow curling around his wrist. It reacted—flaring, swelling, then receding gently as if recognizing her.
Kael stared. "…It can sense you."
"It can sense everything," Lyra murmured. "Emotions. Intent. Danger." She held his wrist firmly. "Kael, this… this is a Second Awakening. Most people don't even survive the first."
Kael's voice came rough. "Why me?"
Lyra hesitated. A rare thing for her.
"You're tied to the Eclipse," she said finally. "In ways you don't understand yet."
Kael's breathing steadied, the pain fading. Something else replaced it—a clarity. A terrifying, exhilarating sharpness. His senses were heightened: every sound sharper, every breath colder, every shadow deeper.
He felt alive. Too alive.
Lyra watched him carefully. "Do you feel… stable?"
"For now," Kael said. "But the Mark feels… hungry."
Lyra exhaled shakily. "Then we have a problem. A big one."
Kael stood slowly. "Just one?"
"No," she admitted. "More like twenty."
THE COUNCIL MOVES
Lyra led him outside, into the foggy alley behind the warehouse. Morning light struggled through the clouds, painting everything grey.
"Kael," Lyra began, pulling a sealed parchment from her cloak, "this arrived an hour ago. A raven from the inner city."
He opened it. His jaw clenched.
The Noble Council has declared Kael of the Lower Quarter a threat to the stability of the kingdom.
House Varyn, House Serak, and House Damaris have mobilized units to capture him alive.
Execution rights pending.
—Signed, High Regent Lorian.
Kael crushed the parchment in his fist.
"They're moving fast," he said. "Too fast."
"They're scared," Lyra corrected. "And when nobles panic, they unite before they tear each other apart."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "If they want fear… I can give them a reason."
Lyra stepped in front of him. "No. Not now."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Stopping me again?"
"I'm protecting you," she said quietly.
For a moment, neither looked away.
Then Lyra sighed, pacing. "We need information. House Varyn won't stop. They'll send more assassins. Stronger ones."
"Let them come," Kael said. "I'm not the same anymore."
Lyra shot him a look. "Overconfidence is the fastest way to die."
Kael smirked. "Then you'll bring me back, won't you?"
She opened her mouth to retort—
then shut it.
A faint blush dusted her cheeks.
"Focus," she muttered.
But the corner of her lips curved just slightly.
LYRA'S SECRET
They returned inside. Lyra lowered her hood, exhaling deeply.
"There's something you need to know," she said. "About me. About the Eclipse."
Kael leaned forward. "Finally."
She leaned against a crate, staring at the floor as if searching for courage.
"Kael… I wasn't supposed to survive the last Eclipse."
Kael stilled. "What do you mean?"
Her fingers trembled slightly—just slightly—as she lifted her sleeve, revealing faint glowing scars running along her arm. Ancient runes, etched into her skin.
"These mark me as a Seer of the Eclipse," she whispered. "One of the last."
Kael's breath caught. "A… Seer?"
Lyra nodded.
"I can predict Eclipse fluctuations. Sense awakening marks. And…" Her voice dropped. "I can see pieces of possible futures."
Kael stared. "Why tell me now?"
Lyra looked up, eyes locking onto his.
"Because your Mark is rising faster than anything I've ever recorded. And because…" Her expression softened, vulnerable for the first time. "If I don't help you… you'll die. And I don't want that."
Kael's chest tightened—not from pain this time.
Lyra looked away quickly, pretending to inspect the wall. "Don't make it weird."
Kael chuckled softly. "I didn't say anything."
"You thought it loudly," she snapped, cheeks reddening.
For the first time in a long time, Kael felt something unfamiliar—warm, almost gentle. But he shoved it down. There was no space for softness. Not yet.
THE AMBUSH
Before Kael could reply, a sharp metallic whistle cut through the air.
Lyra's head snapped up.
"Get down!"
She tackled Kael as three arrows shattered through the window, embedding into the floor where he stood a moment ago.
Kael rolled to his feet instantly, shadows flickering around his arms like eager wolves.
Lyra cursed. "Scouts!"
A horn blared outside.
Shouting.
Boots.
Armor clanking.
Kael rushed to the window and froze.
At least forty armed soldiers marched into the alley. Banners of House Varyn fluttered over their shields. Some carried spell cannons—illegal, high-level weapons only nobles could access.
Lyra's expression darkened. "They brought a capture squad."
Kael clenched his fists.
"And they're not leaving without a fight."
The soldiers fanned out, forming a semicircle around the warehouse. A captain stepped forward, voice ringing out like thunder.
"Kael of the Lower Quarter! You are ordered to surrender yourself! By decree of the Noble Council!"
Lyra whispered, "Kael… we can't take all of them."
Kael cracked his knuckles, shadows coiling around him like smoke.
"You can't," he said softly. "But I can."
Lyra grabbed his arm. "You just awakened. You're unstable."
"I have no choice."
Lyra's grip tightened. "Kael, if you lose control, the Mark will consume you."
Kael looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"Then pull me back."
Lyra froze.
Kael stepped forward, eyes cold, determined. "Because if I run now… I'll never stop running."
The captain raised his hand. "Archers—ready!"
Kael stepped into the doorway.
Lyra whispered, voice trembling with fear and trust:
"Don't die."
Kael smirked. "I won't."
The Mark pulsed—
once.
twice.
like a rising heartbeat.
Shadows exploded from his body, swirling upwards like a monstrous storm.
The soldiers faltered.
"What—what is that?!"
Kael's eyes burned with pitch-black light.
"Your mistake," he said.
The Mark roared.
And Kael charged into the army.
CLIFFHANGER ENDING:
As Kael lunges forward, a massive spell sigil appears above the troops—one he recognizes instantly.
Because it belongs to the Betrayer.
The Betrayer has personally arrived.