Chapter 2 – The Breakout

Magic flooded back into her veins.

The warmth of her fire stirred beneath her skin—a familiar, raging force.

Voss flexed her fingers, summoning a flicker of flame. Not much, but enough. The runes had weakened her, but they hadn't broken her completely.

Soren had already freed himself, rubbing his wrists as he stood. Now that she could see him clearly, he was… dangerous.

Lean but powerful. Golden eyes that held too many secrets. And despite the grime of imprisonment, he moved like a predator unchained.

Not an ordinary prisoner.

He met her gaze. "We don't have much time. The guards patrol every ten minutes."

Voss glanced at the door. Solid iron. Reinforced with magic.

She could break it—but that would draw attention.

Soren reached into the folds of his tattered cloak and pulled out a small vial filled with shimmering black liquid.

Shadow oil.

Voss frowned. "Where did you get that?"

He smirked. "I have my ways."

Before she could question him, he uncorked the vial and smeared the substance over the door's hinges. The oil hissed and sizzled, eating through the metal like acid.

With a soft creak, the door swung open.

Soren turned to her. "Stay close. And try not to get us killed."

Voss rolled her eyes. "Right back at you."

Then they stepped into the darkness.

---

The prison halls were eerily silent.

Torches burned low, casting flickering shadows on the cold stone walls. The scent of damp air and decay clung to everything.

Voss and Soren moved swiftly, keeping low. Each turn could mean death.

Then—footsteps.

Soren grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the shadows just as a pair of guards rounded the corner.

Not human.

He was right.

Their armor was dark, unnaturally smooth, almost fused to their skin. Their eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light, their movements stiff yet predatory. Corrupted soldiers.

Voss had heard of them. Men who had been twisted by the High Lord's magic, stripped of will and turned into living weapons.

Soren pressed a finger to his lips. Wait.

The guards passed.

The moment they disappeared around the next corridor, Soren moved.

Fast. Precise. Efficient.

A dagger slipped from his sleeve. Before the first soldier could react, Soren was behind him, slicing through his throat in one swift motion.

The second turned—but Voss was already there.

Flames erupted from her fingertips. A single burst of fire, straight into his chest.

He barely had time to scream before he was reduced to ash.

Soren glanced at her, one brow raised. "Subtle."

She smirked. "You're welcome."

They moved forward, tension thick in the air.

They needed weapons. Armor. A way out.

And then—

The alarm rang.

A deafening, metallic sound that shattered the silence.

Voss cursed. They had been spotted.

---

Everything happened at once.

Doors slammed open. Heavy boots thundered through the corridors. More corrupted soldiers.

Voss's hands burned with fire as she launched a wall of flames down the corridor, forcing the first wave of guards to retreat.

Not enough.

More kept coming, emerging from side passages, weapons drawn.

Soren dodged a blade, rolling beneath an incoming strike before driving his dagger into his enemy's ribs. Fluid. Perfectly controlled.

Voss had no time to admire his skill.

One of the larger soldiers lunged at her, swinging a massive war axe.

She barely sidestepped in time, flames bursting from her palm as she retaliated. The axe caught fire, the metal glowing red-hot before shattering.

The soldier howled, staggering back as molten metal burned through his gauntlets. Voss didn't give him a chance to recover.

With a sharp exhale, she lashed out with a fiery kick, sending him crashing into the wall. Stone cracked. Flesh sizzled. He didn't rise again.

But there were more. Too many.

Soren fought beside her, moving like a ghost through the chaos.

A flick of his wrist—a blade buried into a soldier's throat. A smooth pivot—a second enemy fell with barely a sound.

He was efficient. Too efficient for a mere prisoner.

Who the hell was he?

No time to ask.

Another wave of corrupted soldiers stormed into the corridor. Their eyes burned with unnatural light, their movements eerily synchronized.

Voss gritted her teeth. If they didn't leave now, they'd be overwhelmed.

"We need a way out!" she shouted over the clash of steel and fire.

Soren didn't hesitate.

"This way!"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down a side passage, away from the oncoming reinforcements.

---

The Gate of Eldridge

They ran.

The halls twisted and turned, the air growing colder with each step.

Then—a door.

Not just any door. An exit.

But it was guarded.

At the center of the grand hall, a lone figure stood.

A woman clad in deep violet robes, her presence suffocating.

Voss immediately knew she was not human.

Her skin was too pale, almost translucent. Her irises shimmered with an unnatural, violet glow. Dark veins spiderwebbed across her arms, pulsing with magic.

A sorceress.

She tilted her head, lips curling into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Leaving so soon?"

The air around her distorted.

Magic. Ancient. Dangerous.

Voss barely had time to react before the sorceress raised her hand—

The darkness moved.

Black tendrils lashed out like living whips, slamming into the stone walls and cutting off their escape.

A trap.

Soren's expression remained calm, but his fingers twitched toward his daggers. He was ready to fight.

Soren's fingers flexed over his daggers, golden eyes sharp as a predator's.

Voss felt the heat rising in her palms, fire licking at her fingertips.

The sorceress merely watched them, amusement flickering in her violet eyes.

"You burned my soldiers." Her voice was smooth, almost pleasant. "Impressive."

Voss tensed. **Sorceresses weren't just warriors. They were something worse—**tacticians. Manipulators. They fought with both magic and the mind.

Soren took a slow step forward. "Move."

The woman exhaled a soft laugh. "Or what, shadow boy? You'll stab me?"

Shadow boy?

Voss cast Soren a glance, but he didn't react. He knew her.

This wasn't a random encounter.

The realization sent unease curling in her gut.

Who the hell was he?

Before she could demand answers, the sorceress raised her hand—

The shadows lunged.

Voss barely had time to twist out of the way before a tendril of darkness slashed through the space where she'd stood. The air itself crackled.

She countered with a blast of fire, the heat searing through the cold magic.

The sorceress flicked her wrist. The flames vanished.

Voss froze. That had never happened before.

She didn't just block my magic.

She devoured it.

Soren didn't hesitate. He darted forward, blades flashing like quicksilver.

The sorceress dodged effortlessly, her body shifting as if made of mist.

Not human. Definitely not human.

Soren's next strike was faster. Almost too fast.

His dagger met her throat—

And passed through nothing.

She vanished.

Then, from behind them—"Too slow."

Voss spun, but it was too late.

A shockwave of magic slammed into her chest.

Pain.

She hit the stone floor hard, vision spinning.

Soren staggered beside her, cursing. He wasn't fast enough to stop it.

The sorceress exhaled, looking almost… disappointed.

"I expected more."

Voss growled. Fire crackled in her hands, but she knew—fire wouldn't work.

Not against her.

Think, Voss.

Then, an idea.

Her fire wouldn't touch the sorceress—but the room around her?

That was a different story.

Voss clenched her fists. Heat built beneath her skin, raw and untamed.

The torches flickered. The stone walls trembled.

The air burned.

The sorceress frowned. "What are you—"

The prison exploded.