The Truth in Blood

Kael studied Selis carefully, his grip tightening slightly on his dagger. She had the answers he needed—the truth about Vaelin Dusk, about himself.

Selis exhaled, her golden eyes unreadable. "You were never meant to remember, Kael. The people who betrayed you—who left you for dead—they wanted to erase everything."

Kael felt his muscles tense. "Tell me about Vaelin."

She nodded. "Vaelin Dusk wasn't just your enemy. He was your mentor. The one who trained you, who shaped you into what you are. But when he discovered the truth behind the Syndicate's plans, he tried to stop them."

Kael frowned. "Then why would I be hunting him?"

"Because they turned you against him."

A sharp pain pulsed in Kael's head. Flashes of something—blades clashing, a voice calling his name, an oath sworn in the shadows.

Selis continued. "You and I… we were part of his rebellion. But when the Syndicate realized they couldn't control you, they did something worse. They erased your past and made you their tool."

Kael clenched his fists. "So everything I know… is a lie."

Selis's gaze softened. "Not everything. You still have a choice."

But before Kael could respond, the air shifted.

Ambushed

The moment was broken by the sound of something whistling through the air.

Kael moved on instinct, grabbing Selis and rolling away just as a blade buried itself into the stone where they had been.

Then, the shadows came alive.

Figures in dark armor dropped from the ruined structures, their weapons gleaming under the moonlight. The Syndicate had found them.

Selis cursed. "They're here to silence us both."

Kael drew his daggers. He wouldn't let them.

The first assassin lunged—Kael sidestepped, parrying the blade and twisting into a counterattack. The moment his dagger struck, another enemy came from behind.

Selis was already moving, her twin blades flashing as she engaged two foes at once. Even outnumbered, she fought with a grace that felt familiar.

Kael didn't have time to think. Survive first, question later.

But in the chaos of battle, something inside him clicked.

Fragments of the Past

Kael's movements became sharper, more instinctive. His blades followed patterns that felt like muscle memory.

Selis at his side, both of them fighting together—

A sudden flash of memory—Selis training with him, laughing as she corrected his stance.

Another strike—Selis covering his blind spot in a mission long ago.

The weight of realization hit him mid-battle.

"I do remember her."

Kael barely had time to process it before he saw the danger—a hidden attacker moving toward Selis.

He turned, reaching out—

Too late.

A Price Paid in Blood

The blade struck before she could react.

Selis staggered, her golden eyes widening as blood spread across her cloak.

Kael's world slowed.

"No."

With a roar, he tore through the remaining assassins. His strikes were no longer calculated—they were brutal, final. The Syndicate had taken his past. They wouldn't take anything else.

By the time the last enemy fell, Kael was at Selis's side.

She coughed, blood on her lips. "Kael… you remember, don't you?"

His hands pressed against the wound, desperation clawing at him. "Stay with me."

She gave a weak smile. "You were always stubborn."

Kael shook his head, his vision blurring. "I just got you back."

Her fingers weakly gripped his wrist. "Then don't waste it. Find Vaelin. Finish this."

Her hand went limp.

Kael sat there, unmoving. The night was silent again. But inside him, something had changed.

He had lost her once before.

Now, he remembered why.

And the Syndicate was going to pay.

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