The dust slowly settled as Kael and his team groaned, pushing themselves off the cold, uneven ground. Thick debris still floated in the air, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in any direction.
Kael shook his head hard, coughing to clear his lungs and dispel the lightheadedness from the fall. Distant shouts still echoed from above the gorge, but the explosion had done its job, the bridge was completely destroyed, and their pursuers were temporarily cut off.
At least for now.
Mira sat up first, wincing as she rubbed her elbow where she'd landed hard on stone. "That... could have gone way worse."
Sera who'd received a minor impact was already on her feet, scanning their surroundings with her bow drawn and ready. Her archer's instincts never fully relaxed.
Kael exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders to test for injuries. Nothing broken, fortunately. "Everyone intact?"
"Define 'intact,'" Sera muttered, brushing dirt and debris from her torn robes with clear irritation.
Mira gave a curt nod. "Bruised in about six places, but functional."
Kael's silver eyes immediately flicked toward the bound royals. Princess Elira and Prince Dain had landed roughly, but both were moving, no obvious injuries beyond scrapes and bruises. King Eldrin remained eerily motionless where he'd fallen, but his hollow eyes were open and aware.
Lord Arid, however, stood out.
He was smirking.
Not grimacing in pain or checking for injuries. He was just... smiling, as if this entire disaster was exactly what he would've wanted.
Kael's hand tightened reflexively on his dagger's grip.
Something had felt fishy about this man from the very beginning. And now, standing in the aftermath of their fall into the gorge, Lord Arid looked far too pleased, as though the chaos had only made things more entertaining for him.
Then he laughed.
"Kekekeke..."
A deep, unsettling chuckle that echoed off the stone walls.
Kael tensed immediately. So did the others.
"Well, well, well..." Lord Arid sighed contentedly, clapping his hands together with lazy satisfaction. "What an entertaining ride this has been."
His voice was smooth yet carried an eerie quality that made Kael's skin crawl, as if the man had been waiting for precisely this moment.
Sera's bowstring drew taut. "What exactly do you find so amusing?"
Mira took a careful step backward, primal energy already crackling at her fingertips. But Lord Arid appeared completely unconcerned. If anything, his grin widened further.
Kael said nothing, though his rational mind was racing. He'd suspected something was off about this man from the start. Now that suspicion crystallized into certainty.
Lord Arid wasn't just a forgotten noble or a prisoner of war. He'd been observing, waiting, playing a much longer game than any of them had realized.
And now, he apparently decided the game was over.
Lord Arid tilted his head, dark eyes gleaming with wicked amusement. "You see, dear Kael," he began conversationally, "I must confess something. I've had quite a significant hand in shaping this war. In the most literal sense."
Prince Dain's head snapped up, rage flashing in his eyes. "What did you just say?"
Lord Arid sighed dramatically, brushing imaginary dust from his tattered robes. "Come now, dear Prince. Surely you must have pieced it together by now?"
His grin stretched wider, becoming something inhuman. "This war, this endless, beautiful cycle of bloodshed, was never truly about the throne or territory or resources."
Princess Elira's breath caught audibly. "You... you orchestrated this?" Her voice trembled. "The attacks, the captures, all of it?"
Lord Arid's laugh was low and dangerous. "Orchestrated? Influenced? Manipulated? Choose whichever word pleases you." He spread his hands in a mockery of humility. "I simply... nudged events in the right direction."
The atmosphere in the cavern shifted dramatically. An oppressive pressure settled over them, making it harder to breathe.
Kael's instincts screamed warnings, every combat sense he possessed telling him to move, to act, to do something.
But Lord Arid simply stood there, savoring their shock and dawning horror.
"You see," he continued, taking a leisurely step forward, "I was never meant to be anything significant. A forgotten noble from a minor branch. A remnant of the past, deemed unworthy of real power, casually discarded by my own bloodline like trash."
His shadow stretched unnaturally long behind him as he moved, seeming to writhe with independent life.
"But then I realized something profound." His grin extended impossibly, reaching toward his ears in a way that looked physically impossible. "Why settle for a mere throne when you can possess something far, far greater?"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"Why rule a kingdom when you can orchestrate its complete and utter collapse? Watch it tear itself apart from within while you pull the strings?"
Kael's heart hammered against his ribs. This wasn't just a corrupt noble or power-hungry manipulator. Lord Arid was something far more dangerous, a true puppetmaster who'd been operating in the shadows for years, maybe decades.
His hands had been pulling strings on both sides all along. The war, the manufactured grievances, the bloodshed, the political maneuvering.
All of it traced back to him.
And the war would never end as long as he drew breath.
Kael's fingers twitched toward his dagger. "You've been fueling both kingdoms. Keeping the conflict alive."
Lord Arid's eyes gleamed with genuine pleasure at being understood. "Very good! Took you long enough to figure it out, but yes. Precisely."
The temperature in the cavern seemed to drop several degrees, as if reality itself recoiled from what was about to happen.
Lord Arid's form shimmered, his entire being growing darker, less substantial.
A surge of black mist erupted from his body like smoke from a funeral pyre.
Mira gasped, stumbling backward. Sera raised her bow immediately, but even her steady hands hesitated.
Because they could all sense it now.
Lord Arid was no ordinary noble. He wasn't even an ordinary mage.
He was a Shadowmancer. And judging by the power radiating from him, an extremely powerful one.
Kael didn't blink. His suspicions were confirmed. The eerie calmness Lord Arid had maintained throughout their escape. The way he'd watched them like pieces on a game board. How he always seemed one intellectual step ahead.
Now it all made horrifying sense.
---
[DING!]
[SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED]
---
Kael's vision flashed as a new system interface materialized before his eyes.
---
[SIDE QUEST: THE END OF THE PUPPETEER]
[Objective: Eliminate Lord Arid and shatter the war's foundation. Be warned, he has no intention of falling easily.
Rewards:
- +5 Stat Points to Constitution & Mental Cognition
- Unique Skill Unlock: Eclipse Step (Briefly merge with shadows, moving unseen for a short distance)
- 500 EXP
DO YOU ACCEPT? [YES] / [NO]]
---
Kael didn't hesitate one bit. 'Yes'.
[QUEST ACCEPTED]
The system window faded from his vision.
Kael's racing heartbeat steadied. His senses sharpened to a razor's edge. This battle was unavoidable now. And somehow, it had become personal.
Lord Arid's shadow twisted and coiled behind him unnaturally as he chuckled again. "Ah, I see that look in your eyes," he said, tilting his head with mock curiosity. "You've reached that realization, haven't you?"
He smiled wider.
"That you're completely powerless to stop what's coming."
Kael rolled his shoulders slowly, his dagger catching the dim light as he took a measured step forward. His silver eyes were cold and focused.
"You're right about one thing," he said calmly. "I don't have the power to change the past or undo what you've done."
His grip tightened on his weapon.
"But I have enough power to end you right here."
Lord Arid's laughter echoed through the cavern as shadows began gathering around him like living things.
"Then come, little one. Show me what you've got."