The skeletal kings moved like liquid shadow, their bone fingers elongating into sword-sharp claws. Keth ducked as one swung at their head, feeling the whisper of death pass through their hair.
Valtheris moved faster. His shadow blade sliced through two skeletons in a single motion, their bones clattering to the ground—only to reassemble moments later.
"This is pointless," Keth snapped, dodging another attack. The Mark on their chest burned hotter with each passing second. "They won't stay dead!"
"Because you haven't remembered!" Valtheris kicked a skeleton's ribcage apart, buying them half a breath. "The Mark responds to knowledge. Remember, and we live. Forget, and we die here."
Keth barely had time to process his words before a bone spear grazed their side. Hot blood soaked through their shirt. The pain was sudden and bright—and with it came a flash of something else.
A memory.
Not theirs.
_A woman standing before a massive gate, her hands dripping with gold and crimson. "The price is paid," she whispered. Then she turned—and looked straight at Keth through time itself._
The vision vanished as quickly as it came. The skeleton kings froze mid-attack. The entire crypt held its breath.
Valtheris went very still. "What did you see?"
Keth touched their bleeding side. "A woman. A gate."
The skeletons began to tremble. Then, one by one, they collapsed into piles of bone. The last one pointed a finger at Keth before disintegrating, its jaw clattering to the ground with finality.
Silence.
Valtheris exhaled slowly. "The first memory returns." He sheathed his shadow blade. "Now you understand why the wolves hunt you. Why the dead know your face."
Keth stared at the dust settling around them. "I don't understand anything."
"You will." Valtheris stepped over a fallen crown. "The Mark isn't just a key. It's a record. A story written in blood across generations." He turned, his silver eyes glowing in the dark. "Your blood just happens to be the current page."
Above them, the distant sound of howls echoed through the stone. Closer now. Hungrier.
Valtheris offered Keth a hand up. "The wolves will dig their way in soon. We have one chance to get to the gate first."
Keth looked at his outstretched hand. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because," Valtheris said simply, "I'm the only one who knows how this story ends."
The Mark pulsed between them like a second heartbeat.
After a long moment, Keth took his hand.