Kael didn't hear the screams anymore.
The battlefield was a blur of motion—shadows swirling around him like living blades, the ground cracked by the force of his Mark's second awakening. Soldiers fell one after another, their armor dented, their spells dissolving against the violent black aura roaring around his body.
But none of that mattered.
Because the air shifted.
A pressure—heavy, familiar, suffocating—fell over the alley like a storm collapsing from the sky.
And Kael froze.
Above the soldiers, the enormous golden spell sigil blazed to life, spinning with precision too perfect to be mortal. Its edges pulsed with red light, forming a crest he knew better than his own heartbeat.
The crest of his old master.
The crest of his killer.
Lyra choked on a breath. "Kael… that symbol—"
"I know," Kael whispered.
The Betrayer had arrived.
A tear split through the sigil, reality bending like cloth. Light poured out—cold, white, merciless. The soldiers dropped to their knees instinctively, shielding their faces.
Kael did not move.
He couldn't.
His body remembered that aura too well.
The light condensed… forming a silhouette.
A tall figure stepped out of the tear, cloak fluttering as if guided by invisible winds. Armor made of obsidian metal shimmered with runic lines that pulsed like living veins. A sword hung at his side—Kael's old sword, the one he died with.
And the face—
Kael's chest tightened painfully.
The Betrayer looked exactly as he did the day Kael was murdered: calm, elegant, expression carved from ice.
Lord Ardyn.
His former master. His mentor. His executioner.
Ardyn stepped down from the floating sigil as if descending stairs no one else could see. His boots touched the cracked ground softly, almost gently. But the world reacted violently—the air warped, shadows contorted, and the soldiers bowed their heads even lower.
"Kael," Ardyn said, voice deep, controlled, terrifyingly steady. "You are… alive."
The words were not shocked. Not angry. Just… observant.
Kael clenched his fists so tightly the shadows trembled around his knuckles.
"Unfortunately for you," Kael said, voice rough from rage and old wounds, "I am."
Ardyn's eyes narrowed slightly, just a fraction—a tiny movement, but enough to show tension.
"You should not speak," Ardyn said, stepping forward. "You should kneel."
Shadows around Kael shivered, reacting to the command. His knees almost buckled on instinct.
Almost.
Lyra grabbed Kael's arm instantly, grounding him. "Resist him," she whispered. "You're not his weapon anymore."
Ardyn's gaze snapped to her.
A cold, dangerous silence followed.
"A Seer," he murmured. "How irritating."
Lyra's jaw clenched, but she didn't step back.
Kael did.
Forward.
"Ardyn," Kael said, voice low. Dangerous. "You came all the way from the Capital… just for me?"
"For the Mark," Ardyn corrected. "And to correct a mistake."
Kael's eyes darkened. "My death wasn't enough for you?"
Ardyn tilted his head slightly. "Your death was necessary. Your survival is inconvenient."
The shadows around Kael coiled like snakes ready to strike.
A soldier nearby whispered, trembling, "Lord Ardyn… shall we capture him?"
Ardyn didn't even look at the soldier.
"Approach him," Ardyn said softly, "and die."
The soldier immediately froze.
Kael smirked coldly. "Scared I'll kill your men?"
Ardyn's eyes lifted to Kael. "Scared? No. Preparing? Always."
The temperature dropped suddenly. Frost crackled over the broken stones.
Lyra backed up, pulling Kael with her. "Kael, he's suppressing your Mark. We need distance—"
"No," Kael said, stepping forward again. "I'm done running."
Ardyn's gaze sharpened. "Then come."
Kael charged.
Shadows exploded beneath his feet as he lunged forward, fist aimed straight for Ardyn's throat. The darkness roared eagerly, bending the air with its force.
But Ardyn didn't move.
He simply lifted one hand—
—and caught Kael's punch.
Kael's eyes widened.
The shadows on his arm screamed, flaring violently. But Ardyn's grip tightened, crushing them effortlessly.
"You gained control," Ardyn murmured, studying Kael's arm. "Impressive."
Then he twisted Kael's wrist sharply.
Kael gasped in pain as his arm buckled. Lyra shouted, rushing forward.
Ardyn flicked his fingers.
A shockwave burst out, knocking Lyra back into a crate. She hit the wood hard, coughing.
Kael's rage detonated.
He jerked his arm free, shadows lashing outward like blades. Ardyn stepped back calmly, deflecting each strike with movements so minimal they bordered on insulting.
Kael lunged again.
Ardyn sidestepped.
Kael struck from the left.
Parried.
Kael unleashed a shadow blast.
Absorbed effortlessly.
Ardyn spoke quietly, almost disappointed:
"You are still sloppy."
Kael's anger erupted. "But alive."
Ardyn paused.
For a brief second—just a second—his facade cracked.
"Alive," Ardyn repeated softly. "Yes… somehow."
Kael's breath hitched.
Something flickered in Ardyn's eyes—regret? Guilt? No. He shut it down instantly, expression hardening.
"You should not exist," Ardyn said. "You disrupt the balance. You disrupt the prophecy."
Kael steadied his breathing. "You killed me because of a prophecy?"
Ardyn went silent.
Lyra called out, voice shaking with realization:
"Kael… he knows about the Eclipse's Chosen."
Ardyn's head snapped toward her.
Kael's eyes widened. "Chosen?"
Ardyn raised his sword—Kael's old sword—and pointed it at Kael's chest.
"You were meant to die before your Mark awakened," he said coldly. "Before this world burned."
Kael's voice shook with fury. "You killed me to stop a prophecy?"
"To stop a catastrophe," Ardyn corrected.
Kael's shadows flared like black fire. "I am the catastrophe now."
Ardyn's expression hardened.
"I can see that."
The ground trembled.
Both marks reacted—Kael's Mark of the Eclipse, and something dark pulsing from Ardyn's armor.
Lyra's eyes widened. "He's using Forbidden Eclipse Runes—Kael, his power is tied to yours!"
Ardyn's sword rose.
Kael's shadows coiled.
The world held its breath.
Then—
A distant horn blew.
Soldiers shouted.
A second sigil appeared.
Lyra gasped. "Another one?!"
Ardyn's eyes narrowed sharply. "They arrived fast."
Kael turned. "Who—?"
Ardyn didn't let him finish.
He grabbed Kael by the collar, pulled him close, and whispered:
"You are not ready for them. Stay alive, Kael. For once—just stay alive."
Then he released Kael and vanished—gone in an explosion of light.
Kael stood frozen.
Lyra ran to him. "Kael! Who's coming?"
Kael looked toward the sky—where a new symbol burned red against the clouds.
Not Ardyn's. Not the Council's.
Something older. Darker. Hungrier.
Kael's Mark throbbed hard enough to make him stumble.
He whispered:
"Eclipse Hunters."
CLIFFHANGER
Just as Kael steadied his breath, a new sigil cracked open above the rooftops—dark, jagged, and pulsing like a heartbeat.
Lyra's face drained of color. "Kael… that's not a noble."
A shadowy figure stepped out of the light, armor dripping with Eclipse energy.
Its voice cut through the air like a blade:
"Kael. Found you."
Kael froze.
Lyra whispered, terrified, "That's an Eclipse Hunter."
The figure raised its spear, aimed directly at him.
And leapt.
END OF CHAPTER 12