"Shin."
The Reaper's voice comes from inside the Mark.
It is calm, almost casual, as though a failed World Raider did not just climb out from beneath a mountain and accuse him of using us.
Another impact shakes the monastery.
Cracks spread across the wall beside the entrance.
Malrec is getting closer.
"I'm busy," I say.
Elara looks toward me from the central platform.
"You're talking to yourself."
"The Reaper is here."
Aldric immediately turns.
"Here?"
"Inside the Mark."
The old seal master raises his staff toward me.
Blue symbols form around its tip.
"Do not answer him."
The Reaper chuckles inside my head.
"He seems frightened."
"He found something connected to you inside my soul."
Aldric's expression tightens.
The Reaper remains silent for a moment.
Then the darkness around the edges of my vision begins to spread.
The monastery does not disappear.
Instead, the Reaper's realm forms over it.
I can still see Aldric preparing Elara's ritual and Mara arranging symbols around the platform, but the endless black space now surrounds them.
The Reaper stands several feet in front of me.
Only I seem able to see him.
His large robe moves without wind, and the skeletal hands beneath his sleeves remain folded.
"You have encountered something unfortunate," he says.
"Kael Veyr."
"He told you his name?"
"He also told me you lied."
The Reaper tilts his hood.
"People who fail often blame the person who gave them an opportunity."
"He showed me his memories."
"He showed you memories produced by a damaged Mark after three centuries of imprisonment."
"He said the fear we gather is being sent somewhere else."
"Some of it is."
At least he does not deny that part.
The monastery shakes again.
One of the outer walls collapses.
Blue light flashes through the opening as the remaining wards attack something outside.
I hear Nightfall cut through them.
The Reaper does not react.
"Where does it go?" I ask.
"To me."
"That isn't what I saw."
"What you saw was a fragment. Kael's memories were corrupted by an entity he encountered in his final world."
"The thing behind you?"
The darkness surrounding the Reaper moves.
For the first time, I notice that the shadows behind him do not behave like the rest of the realm.
They pull inward.
As though something far away is breathing.
The Reaper turns slightly.
The movement stops.
"There are forces between worlds that mortals are not capable of understanding," he says.
"That sounds like an excuse."
"It is a warning."
The Mark burns.
The memory fragment Kael placed inside me responds to the Reaper's presence.
Purple light flashes beneath my skin.
The Reaper looks toward my hand.
"You must remove that fragment."
"How?"
"Give it to me."
"That seems convenient."
"It is connected to Kael's corrupted Mark. If it remains inside you, it may spread through your soul."
"Or it may show me more of what happened to him."
The Reaper's voice becomes colder.
"Curiosity is useful until it kills you."
"I already died because I trusted the wrong people."
"You did not trust anyone. You were powerless."
The words strike harder than I expect.
He is right.
In my old life, whether I trusted the officers, the court, or anyone else did not matter. They had already decided what would happen to me.
The Reaper extends one skeletal hand.
"Give me the fragment."
A purple spark appears beneath the skin of my palm.
It begins moving toward his fingers.
I close my fist.
The spark stops.
"No."
The darkness around us becomes heavier.
"You believe the failed Raider instead of me?"
"I don't believe either of you."
"That is unwise."
"It has worked so far."
A massive burst of energy tears through the monastery entrance.
The stone doors explode inward.
Fragments fly across the central hall.
I turn and raise my scythe.
Death energy destroys the debris before it reaches Elara's platform.
Lord Malrec steps through the smoke.
His white hair is covered in dust, and the cracks along Nightfall's blade have been wrapped in black bands of mana.
Dozens of royal soldiers stand behind him.
More seal guardians lie broken outside.
Malrec's eyes settle on me.
"You continue to survive."
"I'm starting to think that bothers you."
"It complicates my work."
The Reaper remains visible beside him, although Malrec walks directly through his body without noticing.
"You are not prepared to fight him again," the Reaper says.
"I wasn't prepared the first time."
"And you nearly lost."
"But I didn't."
Malrec raises Nightfall.
Aldric slams his staff into the central platform.
A transparent dome forms around Elara and Mara.
"Keep him away from the ritual," Aldric says.
"That was already the plan."
"You make very poor plans."
"They're more like general ideas."
Malrec walks deeper into the hall.
His soldiers spread along the walls.
Several carry bows.
Others hold staffs covered in royal symbols.
He looks toward Elara.
"Princess, leave the platform."
She remains seated at its center.
Golden chains connect the binding seal on her neck to the symbols surrounding her body.
"No."
"Seal Master Aldric intends to use you."
"He intends to free me."
"From a protection placed upon you by the Crown."
Elara's expression hardens.
"You mean the seal your prince used to control my mind."
Malrec does not answer.
Fear spreads through several soldiers.
It is faint but directed toward Elara's words.
They were not told what the seal truly did.
Aldric begins chanting.
The language is too old for World Translation to understand completely.
The symbols around Elara rise from the platform and begin rotating.
The golden mark on her neck brightens.
She clenches her teeth.
Malrec takes another step forward.
"Stop the ritual."
"No," Aldric says.
Malrec swings Nightfall.
A black line travels through the hall.
I release Death Arc.
The two attacks collide.
Black and purple energy explode between us.
The force tears books from shelves and throws several soldiers to the floor.
My attack disappears.
Malrec's continues.
Weakened, but still moving.
I cross the scythe over my body.
The black line strikes the blade.
Pain runs through my soul weapon and into my arms.
I slide backward.
The attack stops inches from the ritual barrier.
A crack appears along my scythe.
The Reaper stands beside me.
"You will die if you continue fighting while the foreign fragment destabilizes your Mark."
"You could help."
"I cannot act directly inside this world."
"Then you're not very useful right now."
"I gave you everything you possess."
"And now you want part of it back."
Malrec disappears.
Fear Sense detects him before my eyes do.
I turn.
Nightfall strikes my scythe.
The impact throws me across the hall.
I twist in the air and land on one knee.
Malrec is already moving.
His blade cuts toward my head.
I lean aside.
Nightfall passes close enough to slice through the collar of my coat.
I drive the base of my scythe into his stomach.
He barely moves.
His elbow strikes my face.
My vision flashes white.
Malrec grabs the front of my coat and throws me through a bookshelf.
I crash among hundreds of falling books.
The soldiers begin moving toward the platform.
Mara raises both hands.
Silver daggers form above her shoulders and fly through the barrier.
Two soldiers fall.
The remaining men raise shields.
Elara tries to stand.
Aldric forces her back down.
"Do not break the formation."
"They're going to reach us."
"Shin will stop them."
I push myself out of the broken shelf.
"That sounds like confidence."
"It is desperation."
The Reaper appears beside me again.
"Give me the fragment, and I can stabilize your Mark."
"Still no."
"Your refusal may kill the princess."
I look toward the ritual.
Royal soldiers surround the barrier.
Their staffs release bolts of red and gold light.
Cracks spread across the dome.
The Reaper knows exactly which threat to use.
That makes me trust him even less.
I close my eyes for a moment.
The memory fragment feels like a locked door inside the Mark.
Kael's final warning remains behind it.
He never gives second lives. He only delays death.
I push death energy toward the fragment.
Not enough to open it.
Only enough to separate it from the rest of the Mark.
Pain spreads through my chest.
A purple shard appears beneath the skin of my forearm.
The Reaper watches.
"Good."
I stop before releasing it.
"I'll isolate it."
"That will not be enough."
"It will have to be."
The shard moves toward my wrist and stops beneath the eye in my palm.
Black lines form around it, creating a small cage.
The instability inside my chest weakens.
A message appears.
Foreign memory fragment temporarily contained.
Mark stability restored to 74%.
Not perfect.
Better than before.
I stand.
The Reaper lowers his hand.
"You are making a mistake."
"Then it's mine to make."
I activate Dread Aura.
Dark pressure spreads across the monastery.
The soldiers surrounding the ritual freeze.
Several drop their staffs.
Their spells collapse before striking the barrier.
Malrec remains unaffected.
He turns toward his men.
"Move."
None of them obey.
Their fear has become too strong.
Malrec's voice grows colder.
"You fear him more than you fear me?"
The soldiers look between us.
That is the wrong question.
Fear Sense shows their emotions shifting.
They begin remembering what Malrec does to those who fail him.
Their fear turns toward him.
The Reaper's robe moves slightly.
"You understand the value of divided fear."
"People can be afraid of more than one thing."
I focus Dread Aura toward the soldiers.
The dark pressure intensifies.
Several fall to their knees.
"Leave," I say.
A young soldier drops his sword.
Malrec looks toward him.
The soldier immediately tries to pick it up again.
I apply Terror Mark.
A black symbol appears over the young man's chest.
His hand stops.
"Run."
He looks toward the monastery entrance.
Then toward Malrec.
The mark amplifies his fear of both of us.
He chooses the open door.
The soldier runs.
Three others follow.
Malrec raises Nightfall.
A black line cuts through the floor behind them.
Stone explodes, blocking the entrance.
The fleeing soldiers stop.
Malrec looks at the rest of his unit.
"The next person who abandons formation will die."
Their fear of him becomes stronger.
So does their hatred.
The Mark absorbs both.
Dread received: 12
Dread received: 9
Dread received: 14
The Reaper watches the energy flow into me.
"You are adapting quickly."
"I had a good teacher."
"Flattery will not change my warning."
"It wasn't flattery."
Malrec rushes toward the platform.
I move to intercept him.
The awakened Mark increases my speed, but he is still faster.
Nightfall strikes the ritual barrier.
A deep crack spreads across the dome.
Elara screams as the seal around her neck tightens.
Aldric continues chanting.
Golden chains begin pulling away from her skin.
One remains connected directly to her heart.
Malrec raises his sword again.
I hook the curved blade of my scythe around his arm.
He turns and punches me in the chest.
Something breaks.
I keep hold of him.
"You should let go," he says.
"You first."
Death energy spreads from my scythe into the black bands surrounding Nightfall.
The bands begin decaying.
Malrec twists his wrist.
Nightfall cuts through the handle of my scythe.
The soul weapon breaks in half.
Pain tears through my entire body.
I fall to one knee.
The broken pieces dissolve into smoke.
For the first time, the weapon does not immediately reform.
Soul weapon critically damaged.
Summoning temporarily unavailable.
Malrec places Nightfall against my throat.
"You rely too heavily on power you barely understand."
"I've heard that before."
"You should listen."
He pushes the blade closer.
A thin cut opens across my neck.
I look toward his sword.
The cracks I created in Briarwood are still there beneath the mana bands.
The blade is damaged.
So is my weapon.
The difference is that Nightfall is in front of me.
I raise my marked hand and close it around the blade.
The symbols along the sword cut into my palm.
Malrec's expression changes.
"You tried this already."
"It worked last time."
Death energy pours into Nightfall.
The black bands disappear.
The old cracks spread.
Malrec tries to pull the blade away.
I tighten my grip.
The bones in my fingers begin breaking.
Nightfall cracks again.
Fear rises from Malrec.
Not much.
Enough.
Dread received: 16
"You still fear losing it," I say.
"It has served my family for generations."
"So it matters more than your soldiers?"
His eyes become colder.
"You know nothing of loyalty."
"I know your men are terrified of you."
"They obey."
"That isn't the same thing."
I activate Terror Mark.
The symbol forms over the cracked sword.
For a moment, nothing happens.
Then Malrec feels it through the weapon.
His attention shifts.
The monastery disappears from his eyes.
He sees something else.
His grip loosens.
I tear Nightfall from his hand.
Malrec steps back.
"What did you show me?"
"I don't know."
That answer seems to frighten him more.
I throw the sword across the hall.
It lands near the entrance.
Royal soldiers stare at it.
Malrec turns toward them.
"Retrieve it."
No one moves.
I stand between him and the weapon.
My left hand hangs damaged at my side.
My scythe still refuses to reform.
Malrec does not need a sword to kill me.
I remember what he said during our first fight.
You rely too heavily on your weapon.
He was right.
I gather death energy around both hands.
Black mist covers my arms.
Malrec raises his fists.
"You intend to fight me without your scythe?"
"You're fighting without your sword."
"I do not need it."
"Neither do I."
He moves first.
His fist strikes my ribs.
The impact lifts me from the ground.
I catch his arm before I fall.
Death energy enters the sleeve of his coat.
The fabric turns gray.
Malrec drives his knee into my stomach.
Blood rises into my mouth.
I pull him closer and slam my forehead into his face.
His nose breaks.
He barely reacts.
His hand closes around my injured wrist.
He twists.
The bones separate.
I use the pain to focus.
Death energy erupts through my palm.
The blast strikes his chest.
Malrec flies backward and crashes into the central platform.
The ritual barrier shatters.
Aldric's chanting stops.
The golden chains surrounding Elara become unstable.
"Get him away from the formation!" Aldric shouts.
Malrec stands inside the broken barrier.
Mara attacks him with silver blades.
He knocks them aside with his bare hands.
Elara remains trapped at the center.
Only one golden chain remains connected to her heart.
Malrec looks toward it.
"End the ritual."
Elara raises her head.
"No."
"The seal protects you."
"It protects Lucien."
"It protects Asteria."
"My father tried to free the people beneath the palace."
Malrec's expression changes.
He knows.
The fear around several soldiers shifts again.
Some of them heard her.
Malrec moves toward Elara.
I grab him from behind.
He throws me over his shoulder.
I hit the platform and roll beside the remaining golden chain.
Up close, I can see something moving inside it.
Memories.
Elara as a child.
The king speaking to her.
Lucien placing a hand against her neck.
Caelan watching as the seal burns into her skin.
Then another figure appears behind them.
A shadow without a face.
The same emptiness connected to Kael's Mark.
The eye in my palm opens.
The golden chain reacts.
A purple crack forms along its surface.
Aldric sees it.
"Do not touch that connection!"
"Why?"
"It leads directly to the throne network."
"That sounds useful."
"It will pull you into the seal."
Malrec reaches for Elara.
She raises one hand.
Silver energy strikes his chest.
He steps through it.
Her magic is still weakened.
I place my marked palm against the golden chain.
The world disappears.
For a moment, I am standing beneath the royal palace.
Thousands of people hang inside glass structures.
Golden chains run through their bodies.
Their eyes are closed.
Their fear is not.
It fills the chamber.
Centuries of pain, confusion, and hopelessness.
The Mark of Dread opens completely.
Dark chains stretch from the prisoners toward me.
There is more fear here than I have ever sensed.
Enough to awaken the Mark again.
Enough to drown me.
A notification appears.
Massive Dread source detected.
Absorb?
The Reaper appears beside me.
This time, his voice is urgent.
"Do not accept it."
I look toward him.
"You want fear."
"Not this fear."
"Why?"
"The royal network is contaminated."
The shadow behind the throne turns toward us.
A vast eye begins opening inside it.
The Reaper raises his hand.
"Shin, release the chain."
I finally hear fear in his voice.
Real fear.
The Mark absorbs a trace of it.
Dread received: 1
The Reaper notices.
The darkness around his robe becomes still.
"You're afraid of it," I say.
"Release the chain."
"What is it?"
The eye behind the throne opens wider.
Every prisoner inside the chamber gasps at the same time.
Their fear surges toward me.
The option remains.
Absorb?
I close my fist.
"No."
The dark chains connecting the prisoners to my Mark disappear.
I do not absorb their fear.
Instead, I direct death energy into the golden chain.
Not enough to destroy the people attached to it.
Only enough to separate Elara's connection from the network.
The Reaper reaches toward me.
"Stop!"
The chain cracks.
The throne room vanishes.
I return to the monastery.
My palm is still pressed against the golden connection.
Aldric shouts.
"Pull away!"
I increase the death energy.
The chain breaks.
A wave of gold and purple light explodes across the hall.
Everyone is thrown from the platform.
Malrec crashes through a stone pillar.
Aldric is buried beneath books and broken wood.
Mara lands near the wall.
Elara remains at the center.
The binding seal rises from her neck like a golden serpent.
It twists in the air.
Then it collapses into dust.
A message appears.
Royal Binding Seal severed.
Unknown entity connection interrupted.
Elara touches her neck.
The chained-circle symbol is gone.
For several seconds, she says nothing.
Then memories flood across her face.
Her brothers.
Her father.
The chamber beneath the palace.
Everything the seal prevented her from revealing.
She looks toward us.
"Lucien is not trying to become king."
Aldric pulls himself out of the debris.
"What?"
Elara's breathing becomes faster.
"He already took the throne."
The monastery shakes.
Far beneath us, something answers her words.
Every golden symbol in the hall turns black.
Elara stares toward the south.
Toward the capital.
"My father is still alive, but Lucien used the royal network to bind the throne to something else."
The Reaper's realm begins fading from my vision.
Before he disappears, he looks toward the darkness beyond the monastery.
"You have made yourself visible."
"To what?"
He does not answer.
The connection ends.
The Reaper vanishes.
A new voice fills the monastery.
It does not come from the Mark.
It comes from every corrupted seal around us.
Deep.
Empty.
Large enough to make the mountain tremble.
"Elara Asteria."
She becomes pale.
The voice continues.
"The rejected heir has awakened."
Black symbols spread across the walls.
A circle forms above the central platform.
Inside it, I see the royal throne.
Prince Lucien sits upon it.
His eyes are completely black.
Behind him, something enormous moves in the darkness.
Lucien smiles.
"My sister," he says. "You have finally returned to me."
END OF CHAPTER 11