---
The ruins held their breath.
Kael's team and the cloaked figures stood mere yards apart, the weight of unspoken threats pressing down like a stone ceiling.
Seris's eyes flickered with amusement, her frost-blue gaze icy and sharp.
"Choose, Kael. Join us. The game is bigger than any one faction. Together, we can reshape the world."
Lyria spat on the ground. "You expect us to trust a Player who just ambushed us?"
Seris shrugged, the faintest trace of frost crystallizing on her fingertips. "Trust isn't part of this game. Power is."
---
[Decision Point: Alliance or Battle]
Will Kael accept Seris's offer or prepare for combat?
Kael's gaze locked with Seris's.
If alliance:
"We may share goals, but not methods," Kael said slowly. "I want to talk—no bloodshed, for now."
Seris smiled, a dangerous spark lighting her eyes. "Wise. The game favors those who adapt."
If battle:
Kael stepped forward, drawing a Voidglass Arrow from his quiver.
"Then prepare yourself."
Seris's smile sharpened. "So be it."
---
[If Battle]
The air shattered with a roar as frost and flame collided.
Seris wove icy blades that shimmered with spectral cold, cutting through shadows and air alike.
Thorne roared, raising his shield to block a jagged frost spear, then charged, striking with fiery vengeance.
Lyria vanished into smoke, dagger flashes igniting the gloom with lethal intent.
Kael loosed arrow after arrow—each one a precise strike, seeking to pierce the veil of frost.
The fight was brutal, swift, and unforgiving. But the ruins held no favor for the weak.
---
[If Alliance]
Seris nodded to her followers, and the tension eased—just barely.
"We will share intel," she said, voice low. "But beware—this game has no true allies. Only pieces."
Kael agreed, feeling the weight of a fragile truce settle over them.
---
Aftermath
As the dust settled, Kael glanced at the Shard in his palm.
The game was only beginning.
Somewhere, far away, the crimson woman from the stormbound towe
r smiled again.
"So... he's ready," she whispered.
---
End of Chapter 14