Recap – Chapter 5:
Kael began unlocking the power of the Shadowblood under Umbra's guidance. Haunted by memories of Lyria, a noble girl from his past, he learned she had been abducted by a cult known as The Eclipsed Court. They seek to transform her into a Vessel under the twin moons. But Kael heard her voice call to him, proving that part of her may still survive.
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Moonlight poured like silver across the ruins as Kael leapt from rooftop to rooftop, making his way to the outskirts of the noble quarter. Every step he took brought him closer to danger—and to Lyria.
But the deeper he went, the more the shadows stirred.
> "They know you're coming," Umbra warned.
"Their Seers have seen the mark you bear."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then let them see their end approaching."
Suddenly, a sharp tremor cracked through his chest. His mark flared—something was near.
A presence.
Someone was watching him.
From the alley below, a cloaked figure emerged, face hidden beneath a raven-feathered hood. The air grew cold, and the moonlight dimmed. Kael instinctively drew the twin daggers at his waist—blades infused with the essence of shadow.
But then—
> "Still wielding both blades… you haven't changed."
The voice was soft. Familiar. Painfully familiar.
Kael froze. "Lyria?"
The figure lowered her hood.
It was her.
But not fully.
Her once gentle eyes now gleamed with violet fire. A black sigil bloomed on her neck, and her presence radiated unnatural calm.
> "They call me Noctess now," she said with a soft smile.
"Lyria is… fading."
Kael stepped forward. "I don't care what they call you. You're still you. I can feel it."
> "You shouldn't have come," she whispered. "They've chained my soul to the lunar seal. The closer you get, the faster I lose myself."
> "Then I'll break the seal," Kael said firmly. "Even if I have to tear down the moons themselves."
She laughed softly—Lyria's laugh. For one heartbeat, her old self flickered.
But then her body jerked. Her hand flew to her chest, clutching the glowing sigil.
> "No! I—I can't hold it…"
"Kael, run."
A pulse of raw moonfire exploded around her. The alley cracked and splintered. From the shadows behind her, robed figures emerged—cultists bearing crescent blades and chanting in an ancient tongue.
Kael didn't run.
He leapt.
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What followed was chaos.
Kael's blades moved like streaks of dusk, cutting through the moonlit cultists. Each movement drew from his inner shadow pool—refined through days of silent cultivation.
> "Shadow Step."
His body vanished into black mist, reappearing behind one cultist—slash.
"Umbra Vein."
His veins pulsed, and a ripple of darkness shattered three enemies in a blink.
But Lyria—Noctess—raised her hand, halting his path.
> "If you fight me… I will not hold back."
> "Then fight," Kael said, voice shaking.
"But remember who gave you that flower beneath the red tree. Remember who sang to you when you had nightmares."
Her hand trembled.
Then lowered.
For a moment, the sigil on her neck dimmed.
> "Kael... run. They're coming. The High Priest. He'll kill you."
> "Let them come," Kael growled. "I'm not leaving you."
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Suddenly—BOOM.
A massive ripple of moonlight surged from behind the cultist lines.
A figure in glowing white robes, his face hidden by a silver mask, emerged. In his hand—a staff of bone and starlight.
> "So... the Shadowblood awakens," the priest said. "Fate spins faster than expected."
Kael stepped between Lyria and the priest.
> "Touch her, and I'll erase your name from this world."
The priest chuckled. "We already erased hers."
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To be continued…