Shadow, Elryia, the bound captive Lorian, and Katherina's breathless daughters hurried toward the event square, each of them overwhelmed by a growing sense of dread. The noise from earlier had already faded, yet the air was still thick with the scent of chaos.
The moment they stepped through the massive gates of the central plaza, all of them froze.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
On the stage stood the Duke, wearing a triumphant smile carved deeply into his face. The crowd around him was silent, frightened, and exhausted. Katherina knelt at the center of the platform, her strength drained, the fire in her eyes reduced to trembling embers.
The Duke's voice rang across the square:
"Under my command, Lorian will be spared—and so will her daughters!
But there is a price. Everyone here will vote for me. Every single one of you."
Terrified, the citizens submitted and shuffled toward the ballot stands.
By the time Shadow and the others arrived, the voting had already ended.
The result was unmistakable.
The Duke had won by a wide margin.
And at that moment, a painful glow appeared beneath Katherina's feet—the divine pact had activated. Mystic runes formed slowly around her.
She would now be the Duke's prisoner for an entire week.
He burst into laughter, shattering the silence like glass.
"I am the true ruler of this city now!" he declared. "The seat I sit on stands higher than all of you. Every one of you!"
Shadow stepped forward.
He dragged Lorian and threw him toward the front of the stage.
"I propose a trade. Katherina in exchange for Lorian."
A brief silence fell.
Then the Duke laughed again—this time darker, deeper.
"This boy? He means nothing to me."
His eyes narrowed at Shadow.
"And you… you are now a traitor."
The steel battalions surrounding the stage moved instantly, like machines triggered by a switch.
"Seize him!"
Katherina's daughters screamed and tried to run to their mother, but two armored soldiers grabbed them, chaining them down with brutal efficiency. The Duke raised a single finger.
"And now… I have three prisoners."
Shadow and Elryia's hearts pounded in unison.
The plaza erupted into chaos as the soldiers lunged forward.
"Elryia! Hold on to me!"
Shadow didn't cast a single explosive spell—he refused to harm the civilians. Instead, he used his tendrils, pulling himself from metal beams and stone pillars, gliding like a shadow across the battlefield. He grabbed Elryia with one arm and sliced through the crowd like the flicker of a spear's shadow.
Just as they were about to escape—
A sharp burst echoed.
BANG!
Two bullets tore into Shadow's back.
He gasped sharply, but kept running.
Elryia's scream cut through the noise:
"SHADOW!!"
Blood dripped from his shoulder and back as he pushed through the last of his strength, sprinting with Elryia out of the city. They crossed the outer wall and dashed into the dark forest—the same cursed forest where Shadow once killed Argon, the place where he had awakened on his first day.
They reached the ruined cave, its familiar darkness swallowing them whole. Shadow's legs finally gave out.
Elryia caught him immediately.
"Stay with me! Please, stay with me!"
Shadow's vision darkened, fading to black.
Elryia's trembling hands hovered over his wounds, her magic flickering in and out like a dying flame. Tears streamed down her cheeks, glowing softly as they mixed with her healing spell.
"Shadow… please… don't leave me…"
In the cave, the only light came from Elryia's desperate healing magic.
Outside, in the suffocating darkness of the forest, an entire army searched for them.
The gears of fate had begun turning once again.
Chapter 11 – THE END