Term of Alliance

The rain outside continued to fall steadily, a soft patter against the stone ruins as Gabriel, Lina, Kain, and their mysterious new ally Elias stood in the now-quiet chamber. The air was still thick with tension, but the immediate danger had passed. Gabriel's mind was racing, trying to piece together everything Elias had just told them.

Kain broke the silence first, his arms crossed, eyes flicking between Gabriel and Elias. "Alright, so what's the catch here? You've clearly got your own agenda, Elias. You swoop in, save us, and then want us to join your little crusade. What aren't you telling us?"

Elias smiled slightly, unbothered by Kain's bluntness. "No catch. You're free to say no, walk away, and return to your lives. But I'm not going to lie to you—this threat is bigger than anything you've encountered so far. If you keep poking around in these ruins, you'll eventually be dragged into it anyway."

Lina frowned, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "And you're just here to help out of the kindness of your heart?"

Elias chuckled. "Let's not be naive. I have my reasons for wanting to stop the group behind these disturbances. But I'm not asking you to trust me completely. I'm only asking that we work together toward a common goal. After all, we both want the same thing—for these disturbances to end."

Gabriel finally spoke, his voice calm and cold as always. "Who exactly is behind all of this?"

Elias's expression darkened, his smile fading. "They call themselves the Covenant of Shadows. It's a secretive organization made up of powerful sorcerers, warriors, and even nobles who seek to control the flow of magic throughout the kingdoms. They've been orchestrating events from behind the scenes for years, slowly amassing power and influence. The disturbances you've encountered are just the beginning of their plans."

"The Covenant of Shadows?" Kain muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That sounds…ominous."

Lina shot him a look. "Everything about this is ominous, Kain."

Kain shrugged. "Fair point."

Gabriel remained silent, processing the information. The name, the goals of the Covenant—none of it sounded familiar, but there was a nagging feeling deep within him that this was connected to the dark magic they had encountered before. He wasn't sure if it was instinct or something else, but he felt drawn to this mystery in a way he hadn't expected.

"You said we could leave if we wanted," Gabriel said, meeting Elias's gaze. "But you know we won't."

Elias nodded, his green eyes sharp. "You're right. I can see it in your eyes—you're not the type to walk away from this. None of you are."

Kain let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I mean, I wouldn't mind walking away from a fight every once in a while, but I'm guessing that's not really an option."

Lina's voice was firm. "We can't just ignore this, Kain. If this Covenant of Shadows is as dangerous as Elias says, then we have to stop them. We've already seen what they're capable of."

Gabriel didn't need to hear any more. He wasn't driven by a sense of duty or heroism—those things had never mattered to him. But he had seen the destruction caused by the sorcerer they had faced, and he knew that if this Covenant wasn't stopped, the world would only descend further into chaos.

"We'll help," Gabriel said, his voice low but resolute. "But like I said before—on our terms."

Elias inclined his head slightly, acknowledging Gabriel's condition. "Of course. I'm not asking you to follow me blindly. We'll work together as equals."

Kain raised an eyebrow. "Equals, huh? So what's the first step in this little partnership of ours?"

Elias's expression turned serious. "We need to gather more information. The Covenant operates in the shadows, but they leave traces—whispers, rumors, artifacts. There's a library in the capital city of Reith that contains old records on the Covenant's history, if you know where to look. I've been there before, but it's too heavily guarded for one person to infiltrate alone. That's where you come in."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed slightly. "You want us to break into a library?"

Elias smirked. "Not just any library. The Grand Archive of Reith. It's under the control of the royal family, and they keep a tight lid on anything related to the old magical orders, including the Covenant. If we can access the restricted sections, we might find the information we need to track down the Covenant's movements."

Lina looked skeptical. "And how exactly are we supposed to get into a place like that? We're not exactly on the royal family's guest list."

Elias crossed his arms, his smile widening. "Leave that to me. I have contacts in the city who owe me a few favors. Getting in will be the easy part. The hard part will be staying undetected once we're inside."

Kain let out a low whistle. "Sounds like we're getting in over our heads already."

Gabriel turned to Kain and Lina, his voice calm but authoritative. "We'll need to move quickly. The longer we wait, the more time the Covenant has to cover their tracks."

Lina nodded in agreement. "We'll need to prepare. Supplies, disguises, anything we might need for an infiltration."

Kain, still looking somewhat doubtful, gave a reluctant nod. "Alright, fine. I'll admit it—this sounds like it could be fun. But if we get caught, I'm blaming Elias."

Elias chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Gabriel turned back to Elias, his tone businesslike. "When do we leave?"

Elias's expression became serious once more. "We'll need to leave at first light. The journey to Reith will take two days, and we'll need to avoid the main roads to avoid drawing attention. Once we're there, we'll meet with my contact and make our move."

Gabriel nodded, his mind already working through the logistics. "Fine. We'll be ready."

The group dispersed to gather their things and make final preparations for the journey ahead. Gabriel packed light—his weapons, some basic supplies, and the few potions Lina had brought earlier. He moved with a quiet efficiency, his mind focused entirely on the task at hand.

As the rain continued to fall outside, Gabriel found himself standing by the window, staring out into the darkness. The weight of the decisions they had made pressed down on him, but he didn't waver. This was the path he had chosen, and he would see it through to the end, no matter what.

Lina approached him quietly, her voice soft as she spoke. "You know, I never thought we'd be involved in something like this. It's bigger than anything I could've imagined."

Gabriel glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "We'll get through it. One way or another."

Lina smiled faintly, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "I know. You always find a way."

Gabriel didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the window, his thoughts far away. The storm outside mirrored the storm brewing within him—a relentless force that wouldn't be calmed until the truth was uncovered.

And Gabriel knew that no matter what happened next, there was no turning back.