Chapter Nineteen: The Chains of Fate

The wind howled through the trees as dawn broke over the abandoned valley. Golden light spilled through the cracks in the cabin's wooden shutters, casting long shadows across the room where Alex sat, staring at his open palms.

Something inside him had changed.

And he still had no memory of it.

The night before, Mira and Roderic had told him everything—the assassins, the power that awakened, the way he had slaughtered them without realizing it.

It should have terrified him.

But what disturbed him more was the truth lingering in the back of his mind.

This power… it had always been there. Waiting.

And now, it had finally begun to wake up.

He flexed his fingers, trying to summon something, anything, but nothing happened. No abyssal shadows. No unnatural strength. Just him.

A frustrated sigh left his lips.

Mira, sitting across the room, watched him closely, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

Roderic, still recovering from his wounds, stood near the door, his one remaining arm resting on the hilt of his sword.

The air between them was thick with unspoken words.

Finally, Mira broke the silence.

"Are you going to keep brooding, or are we actually leaving today?"

Alex's eyes flicked up to meet hers.

He exhaled sharply. "I just… I don't know how to process this."

Mira studied him for a moment before leaning forward. "You don't have to process it now. You just have to move."

Roderic grunted in agreement. "We stay here much longer, we risk getting found."

Alex hesitated.

It wasn't that he wanted to stay.

But leaving meant stepping into the unknown, and for the first time in his life, the unknown wasn't just dangerous—it was inside of him.

Still, Mira was right.

They had to move.

"Fine," Alex muttered. "Let's go."

They left at dawn, making their way south toward the Free Cities.

It was a lawless region, ruled by mercenary companies, rogue knights, and exiled nobles. It was dangerous, unpredictable—but that was exactly what they needed.

No kingdoms to hunt them. No noble courts to betray them.

Just a place to disappear.

The journey was slow.

Roderic was still recovering, and though Mira didn't complain, Alex could tell she was still watching him.

Waiting.

She thought it might happen again.

He wasn't sure she was wrong.

The first two days passed in silence, save for the occasional rustling in the trees. They traveled off the main roads, avoiding settlements, keeping to the wilderness where few dared to tread.

But on the third day—

Alex felt it.

A presence watching them.

It wasn't like before. It wasn't a person. It was… something else.

Something old.

Something hungry.

He stopped walking.

Mira, a few steps ahead, turned. "What is it?"

Alex didn't answer immediately. His breath came shallow, his fingers twitching as a cold sensation coiled around his spine.

"…We're not alone."

Roderic stiffened, hand going to his sword. "You hear something?"

Alex shook his head. "No."

Mira frowned. "Then how do you—"

Then she felt it too.

The world around them shifted. The shadows between the trees stretched, the air growing thicker, heavier.

It was like the entire forest had become a living thing, watching them, waiting.

Then—

A single branch snapped in the distance.

Mira drew her daggers instantly, her stance low and ready. Roderic turned, his sword gleaming in the early morning light.

Alex's heartbeat slowed.

He knew, somehow, this wasn't like the assassins.

This wasn't just another hired blade after his head.

This was something worse.

Then, the trees moved.

At first, Alex thought it was just a trick of the light.

But then he saw it.

A shape, shifting between the trees, its form barely visible, like it existed half in this world and half in another.

It was tall. Too tall.

Its arms were long and jagged, its fingers ending in wicked claws, but its face…

Its face was nothing but a void, a swirling mass of darkness where eyes should have been.

And when it spoke—

It didn't make a sound.

But Alex heard it in his mind.

You are not ready.

A shockwave of energy burst outward, sending all three of them staggering back.

Mira hit the ground hard, Roderic barely managed to stay upright, and Alex—

Alex felt something crack inside of him.

Pain shot through his chest as his vision blurred, his body suddenly feeling too light, too heavy, too unreal all at once.

He clutched his head.

Memories that weren't his flickered in his mind.

A throne of shadows.

A city swallowed by the abyss.

A name whispered in the dark—his name, but not his name.

He gasped, dropping to one knee.

The creature's voice whispered through his skull again.

The chains are not yet broken. But soon. Soon.

Then—

It was gone.

The air returned to normal.

The shadows receded.

Mira and Roderic slowly got to their feet, breathing heavily.

Mira wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "What… the hell… was that?"

Alex couldn't answer.

Because he didn't know.

~

Miles away, beneath the ancient ruins of Blackreach Keep, the council of shadows had convened.

The room was vast, its walls carved with symbols older than kingdoms, its air thick with arcane energy.

At the center of the chamber stood six figures, their faces hidden by hoods of black and crimson.

One of them, the hooded man with the sigil on his hand, stepped forward.

"The hunt has failed," he said, his voice even.

A murmuring ripple passed through the gathered council.

Orwyn, the man in crimson robes, smirked from his seat. "As expected."

The woman from before—the one who had doubted their mission—spoke next. "Then what do we do now? The boy is already awakening."

The hooded man turned to her slowly.

His expression remained calm.

"We do nothing."

A beat of silence.

Then—confusion.

Orwyn raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

The hooded man nodded. "If he truly possesses what we believe he does, then forcing his hand will only make him resist us further."

He let his words sink in.

Then he continued.

"No more assassins. No more interference." He turned to the others. "We wait."

The woman frowned. "Wait for what?"

The hooded man smiled.

"For the moment when he comes to us willingly."

Orwyn chuckled. "And if he doesn't?"

The hooded man's gaze darkened.

"Then we break him."

~

That night, as they sat around the fire, Alex stared into the flames, his mind still reeling.

What had that creature been?

What did it mean?

He reached a hand toward the fire, feeling the warmth against his skin.

And then—he saw it.

For just a moment, the flames flickered black.

His breath caught in his throat.

Mira and Roderic were talking about something, but their voices seemed distant.

He clenched his fist.

The abyssal power inside him—it was growing.

But it wasn't just growing.

It was changing him.

He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple.

Mira noticed his expression. "You okay?"

Alex hesitated.

Lied.

"Yeah."

She didn't look convinced.

But she didn't push him, either.

Roderic poked the fire with a stick. "We need to figure out our next move."

Mira nodded. "The Free Cities will be chaotic, but that also means we won't stand out."

Alex barely listened.

Because deep inside of him, the abyss stirred.

And he could feel it whispering.

Soon.