Chapter 13 : Reflections of the Reclaimant
There was no sky, no ground only a vast mirror beneath Kael's feet, reflecting stars that didn't exist. The realm was silent, but not empty. He could feel it watching him.
Kael took a step forward, and his reflection didn't move.
Then it blinked.
He froze. "What is this place?"
A voice answered, soft and eternal. "This is the Inward Eye. A prison... and a door."
The girl from before The Key to the Vault stood ahead, surrounded by suspended shards of light, each showing a different version of him.
"This realm shows not just who you are," she said, "but who you were and who you chose not to become."
Kael approached one shard. It showed him dressed in crimson, leading a legion of flame. Another showed him kneeling, bloodied, chained in a ruined cathedral. Another he saw himself smiling, surrounded by children. Lireen was there.
"Are these... my past lives?" he asked.
"No," the girl replied. "These are echoes. Fragments your soul touched when it was broken to seal the Architect."
Kael turned to her. "Then why show me this?"
"Because one of them is waking up."
Lightning cracked across the mirrored sky. One shard began to glow darker.
And then it stepped out.
A version of Kael with burning eyes and a crown of ash. He held a blade made of screaming light.
The Reclaimant.
"Hello, Kael," he said with a smirk. "Let's see if you're worthy of the soul we share."
They clashed.
Each blow echoed across the realm. The girl watched in silence. Kael was overwhelmed this version of himself fought like a god, every strike carrying pain, power, memory.
"You sealed me away," the Reclaimant snarled. "You wanted to be normal. You chose ignorance over destiny."
"I chose to live!" Kael shouted.
Their blades locked. Visions exploded around them.
He saw Lireen crying over his unconscious body. He saw Serathe kneeling in the ruins. He saw a throne built of feathers and himself walking away from it.
"I won't be you," Kael gasped.
The Reclaimant smiled. "Then die."
Just as the killing blow descended
A voice pierced the veil.
"KAEL!"
Lireen.
Her voice shattered part of the mirror.
Kael stood.
And this time, he didn't block.
He embraced the blade.
Light exploded. The Reclaimant screamed then vanished into Kael's chest, absorbed, accepted.
Kael fell to his knees, breath ragged. The girl stepped forward.
"You chose to become whole. The Architect's chains have cracked."
"Then let me out," Kael said. "She's calling me."
The realm shattered.
Kael woke in Lireen's arms, tears in her eyes. "You're back."
"I found the truth," he whispered. "Now we need to stop it."
Lireen nodded. "Then let's burn the next page of fate together."
---
Teaser for Next Chapter:
> The seal is breaking. The Architect's voice is louder than ever. As Kael returns with the power of the Reclaimant fully awakened, the world begins to shift.
But somewhere in the dark... a kingdom long forgotten begins to rise.
đź“– Chapter 14: The Kingdom Without Name
---
🔥 Don't forget to: Like ✨ | Comment 💬 | Add to Library 📖 | Vote ⬆️ to support Kael's journey beyond destiny!
---
📢 Teaser Next Chapter:
> Kael has returned… but so has the ancient echo of a kingdom that time tried to forget.
đź“– Chapter 14: The Kingdom Without Name
An empire lost to time… and the first army that once served The Architect.
---