Embers in the Dark
The wind dragged behind him, thick with the ash and salt of blood not his own. The twins clung to Selene's sides, barely able to keep pace. Their breaths came in ragged bursts—too young, too raw for a world like this.
They had escaped the auction massacre, but not the pursuit. Fires still burned behind them. And Kael… Kael carried far more than children.
He carried truths no one wanted him to have.
Selene stumbled, and he caught her arm. "Stay upright," he said. Not cruel. Precise. "They won't chase us much longer. We're nearing the Hollow Trail."
"You're sure?" she gasped.
"I saw the ridge markers."
That's when he first noticed the man watching them from above—just a silhouette then. Later, he'd introduce himself as Varn.
Into the Hollow
The cabin wasn't just hidden. It was erased. Set deep in a cleft valley, beneath woven roots and hollow-barked trees older than memory.
Varn let them in with a single nod, his voice like gravel soaked in smoke. "If you've led them here, you'll bring death on us all."
Kael's reply was simple. "We'll be gone by nightfall."
But Varn didn't insist. He watched Kael's eyes. The twins. The blade hidden beneath his cloak.
And he relented.
Shelter of Strangers
Inside, Varn's shelter was sparse but clean. Firewood stacked like bones. A wooden bed carved with runes Kael didn't recognize. The scent of iron and crushed herbs lingered.
Selene sank into a corner with the twins. Kael remained standing, sharp-eyed even as exhaustion clawed at him. Varn poured water and didn't speak until they'd all drunk.
"You're not ordinary," the old man said.
Kael stared at him.
"You don't smell like anything. Not human. Not beast. Not... born."
Selene flinched.
Kael didn't answer.
But Varn already knew.
Past Without Origin
Later that night, when the twins had fallen asleep wrapped in wool and warmth, Varn returned to Kael with a flask of something strong.
He sat across from him and said, "You're the boy with no origin."
Kael's hand paused over the flames.
"You've heard of me?"
"No. But I've read of beings like you. Those who come into the world without history. Not divine. Not cursed. Just... anomalies. Chaos pretending to be flesh."
"Then you understand why they hunt me," Kael said.
Varn nodded. "Which means I also understand why they'll never stop."
Layers of Control
Kael stood at the window that night and looked into the dark. Trees swayed like old sentinels. He let the silence stretch.
Then he began cataloging.
Abilities currently devoured:
Beast Instinct – heightened senses, scent tracking, auditory focus.
Irongut – internal resilience, toxin immunity.
Shadow Creep – blend movement into low light.
The Forgehand – blacksmith's touch; manipulate raw ability threads. And several abilities from slavers ( not useful)
Each one sat inside him like a separate voice, but Kael was always in control.
He wouldn't lose himself.
He was not a vessel. He was the blade that wielded them.
Traps in the Silence
By morning, Kael had begun weaving a trail of deception.
He pressed threads of Selene's aura into bark. Burned their old clothes in a pattern suggesting movement west. Used false blood to simulate injury. Every detail had to sell the illusion.
Varn watched with a kind of reverent fear.
"You've done this before," he muttered.
"No," Kael said. "But I understand patterns."
"Do you ever rest?"
Kael blinked slowly. "Rest is a luxury afforded to those not being hunted."
A Moment With Selene
That evening, as the traps settled and the trails were laid, Kael sat beside the fire while Selene approached.
She sat close, closer than before. The heat of her body didn't make him flinch—but it made him aware.
"You didn't have to save the twins," she whispered.
"I know."
"Then why did you?"
Kael didn't answer for a while. When he did, it was quiet.
"Because if I'm going to tear this world apart… I want to be sure what I build afterward is worth it."
Selene's eyes softened. "And them?"
"They're a test," Kael said. "To see if I deserve to lead."
Ties That Bind
The children laughed for the first time that night.
Kael sat cross-legged, carving a puzzle of bone and metal for Riven. Selene braided the girl's hair while Varn sharpened tools in the corner.
It felt... almost human.
Varn eventually joined them, a faint smile breaking the weathered stone of his face.
"You could stay longer," he offered. "This place doesn't get many visitors. I can hide you."
Kael shook his head. "Too many risks."
"But if you change your mind—"
"I'll remember."
Kael lay awake while the others slept.
He thought about the silver-eyed hybrid boy who had died in his arms. About the blacksmith who had begged for mercy as Kael stole his gift. About the monsters he had yet to face.
I am not justice. I am not salvation. I am not the answer to their prayers.
I am the reckoning born from their sins.
His grip on the black blade tightened.
Soon, they would come.
And when they did—he would be ready.
At dawn, Varn returned from a scouting run with grave news.
"They've begun sweeping east. With sniffers. Maybe altered. Not asking questions—just clearing paths."
Kael processed the variables. "They're not tracking everyone. Just me."
"And there was a masked one. Quiet. Commanding. Could be Ascended."
"Then we trap them."
Selene's eyes widened. "You're staying?"
Kael nodded. "Only long enough to teach them fear."
Selene touched his hand briefly. The smallest warmth in a frozen world.
The twins slept peacefully nearby.
Kael whispered, to no one and everyone, "If I can't protect what's fragile… then there's no point becoming strong."