đź“– Chronicles of the Watchers
Chapter 22: The Chains That Shine
The city of Kaelith was alive with song.
As Kairo was led through the gates, thousands of voices rose in unison, chanting in a language older than mountains. They did not chant for the priest or the soldiers—they chanted for him.
"Vessel… Vessel… Crown of Dawn…"
The streets were lined with worshippers, faces painted in gold dust, chains of silver looped around their necks like garlands. They reached toward him, eyes glazed with fervor. Kairo's stomach turned.
The golden-masked priest raised his staff, silencing the crowd. "Behold the chosen one, the Sun-Throne's answer to the shadows! The Dominion has found the Vessel!"
The cheers shook the air like thunder.
Inside the Sun-Throne itself—a towering citadel of white stone veined with molten light—Kairo was brought to a chamber where a throne of crystal and flame sat empty. The air hummed with power.
"Sit," the priest commanded.
Kairo resisted—until the mark on his chest blazed, pulling him forward as though unseen hands pressed him down. When he touched the throne, visions exploded across his mind: Watchers bound in chains, a flood swallowing worlds, and a crown of fire descending from the sky.
Azariel's voice hissed within him. "Ah… so this is what they built in my absence. A throne to contain gods."
Kairo gasped, clutching his head.
The priest leaned close. "Soon you will see. Kaelith does not serve you out of fear. We serve you to guide your ascension. With you, the Watchers will bow again."
---
Meanwhile…
Liora and Selene slipped through Kaelith's alleys under cover of dusk. Here, beyond the golden banners and clean avenues, the city rotted. The poor lived in crumbling shacks beneath the radiant towers, their chains not ornamental but real—iron collars binding them to posts.
Selene's eyes darkened. "So this is the Dominion's mercy."
A ragged man grabbed her wrist suddenly, whispering, "You shouldn't walk here with that face. The Chainsworn are always watching."
"Chainsworn?" Liora asked, hand on her dagger.
The man's eyes darted to the shadows. "The Dominion's enforcers. But… there are others. We who remember before the Sun-Throne. If you seek to wound Kaelith, follow the red handprints."
And then he vanished into the crowd.
Selene glanced at the walls. Faint, half-hidden beneath grime, were smears of crimson—handprints painted in secret.
Liora smirked, bloodied but fierce. "Seems we're not the only ones hunting chains."
They followed the trail.
---
Back in the citadel, Kairo felt the throne's grip tighten, his veins burning with light. The priest's voice echoed like a prayer and a curse:
"You are no longer Kairo. You are the Dawn-Bearer. The first step of the Watcher's return."
And though Kairo's body bowed under the weight of the throne, his heart screamed:
Not theirs. Not ever.
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⚡ End of Chapter 22.