Chapter 13
The path ahead grew darker with every step.
No sun. No stars. Only a dead, endless night.
Mountains rose like jagged teeth on all sides, their peaks shrouded in thick, unmoving mist. The silence was unnatural, the kind that pressed against your ears until you could hear your own heartbeat.
Kael stopped.
His hand tightened around the twin flaming blades he had taken from the god.
"They're here," he said quietly.
Astrili's eyes narrowed. "How many?"
Kael's gaze swept the shadows. "All of them."
The ground trembled — and then they emerged.
An entire legion of knights clad in pitch-black armor, their eyes glowing faint crimson. Their movements were too precise, too… coordinated.
Nyx smirked, twirling her daggers. "About time something interesting happened."
The leader stepped forward — his armor crimson-edged, a jagged crack running down his helmet.
The knights attacked.
It wasn't a battle.
It was slaughter.
Kael moved like a phantom, his flaming blades carving arcs of molten light through armor and flesh. Nyx's shadows danced between strikes, severing limbs with surgical precision. Astrili's magic tore through their ranks like a storm of silver light.
Within minutes, only the leader remained, kneeling, his sword broken, breathing ragged.
"Wait!" he shouted as Kael's blade rose for the final strike. "Spare me, and I'll tell you where to find the Gravekeeper!"
Kael's purple eyes narrowed. "…Talk."
The knight hesitated, then removed his helmet. A scar ran from his jaw to his temple. "My name is Sir Vaelor."
"Show me," Kael said.
Vaelor led them through the narrow mountain pass until it opened into a hidden canyon.
Down below, dozens of tents clustered together — women, children, and the elderly moved quietly between them. No laughter, no music, just quiet survival.
Kael looked over the scene. "Why hide?"
"Because we can't fight," Vaelor said bitterly. "The outside is too dangerous… especially when he is near."
Nyx crossed her arms. "Then why not train them? Give them a fighting chance."
Vaelor shook his head. "They're women and children. They'd be slaughtered before they even picked up a weapon."
Astrili's voice was cool. "Then who is hunting you?"
For a long moment, Vaelor said nothing. Then, with a sigh, he answered. "…The Gravekeeper."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"He commands an army of the undead," Vaelor continued. "Corpses of gods, warriors, even our own people… twisted into eternal servitude. Every raid, every attack… we lose more to him. And once they're his, there's no bringing them back."
Nyx tilted her head. "Sounds like a charming fellow."
Kael took a step closer. "Then you know where he is."
"I do."
"Take me to him."
Vaelor's jaw tightened. "No. You don't understand… you can't reach him and live. His fortress is a graveyard for the living. I won't lead anyone else to die there."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the camp.
Kael didn't follow.
Astrili glanced at him. "So… what now? Are we leaving?"
Kael's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "No. We wait."
"Wait for what?" Nyx asked.