Chapter 3 – A Deal with Shadows

A New Dawn, A New Enemy

The first rays of dawn painted the riverbank in hues of gold and crimson. Mist curled over the water, swirling like restless spirits.

Riven Kael sat beneath a gnarled oak tree, his wounds still raw, his body aching from the brutal escape. He flexed his fingers, testing his strength. The cuts along his arms throbbed, but they would heal.

Across from him, Lyria Vale crouched near the water's edge, sharpening her dagger against a stone. The rhythmic scrape of steel against rock filled the quiet morning.

For a long time, neither spoke.

Then, without looking up, Lyria said, "You're lucky to be alive."

Riven exhaled through his nose. "I've never been lucky."

Lyria smirked. "Then you should be thanking me. If I hadn't dragged your half-dead body out of that river, the empire's dogs would've carved you apart."

Riven leaned his head back against the tree trunk, golden eyes watching the sky.

"You didn't have to save me."

Lyria's sharpening stopped. She turned the dagger over in her hands, considering his words.

"No, I didn't."

Silence settled between them. A thousand questions hung unspoken in the air.

Then, finally, Riven asked the one that mattered most.

"Why?"

Lyria met his gaze. In the daylight, his presence was even more striking—his raven-black hair, the golden irises that seemed to burn with a fire barely contained. The Eclipse Seal over his left eye pulsed faintly, as if responding to the energy in the air.

She had been trained to follow orders without question. But when she'd stood over his unconscious body with a blade to his throat… she had hesitated.

Why?

She wasn't sure yet.

So, instead, she said, "Because killing you felt… too easy."

Riven chuckled, a low, tired sound. "That's the worst excuse I've ever heard."

Lyria shrugged. "And yet, here you are."

Riven sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "What now, then? Do you plan to turn me in? Finish the job later?"

Lyria's lips curled into something between amusement and challenge.

"Not yet."

---

The Shadow Council's Command

Far away, in the heart of Astra, the imperial palace loomed over the city like a silent executioner.

Inside its gilded halls, the Emperor of Astra stood before a council of cloaked figures. Their faces were hidden, their voices a murmur of ancient power.

At the center of the council stood the High Oracle, her golden robes shimmering in the torchlight. Her aged fingers trembled as she clutched a scroll, her voice laced with warning.

"The child of the Eclipse has survived."

Gasps filled the chamber. The nobles exchanged uneasy glances.

One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, their voice calm yet filled with menace. "That cannot be allowed."

The Emperor's eyes darkened. "Then send the Hunters."

A ripple of silence passed through the council. Even the Oracle hesitated.

The Hunters.

They were not soldiers. They were not assassins.

They were something worse.

"Are you certain?" the Oracle asked softly.

The Emperor's grip tightened around the hilt of his ceremonial sword. "Find him. Kill him. And anyone who stands in the way."

The command had been given.

And now, the true hunt had begun.

---

A Dangerous Pact

Back in the wilderness, Riven and Lyria had begun moving through the dense forest. Their pace was slow—Riven was still weak, and Lyria's injuries from the chase were beginning to catch up to her.

They needed shelter. Food. A plan.

But first, they needed to decide something far more important.

What the hell were they going to do with each other?

After walking in silence for what felt like hours, Riven finally said, "You never answered my question."

Lyria didn't stop moving. "Which one?"

"What's your real reason for saving me?"

Lyria exhaled through her nose. "You think I have some grand, noble purpose?"

"I think you don't do anything without a reason."

She stopped walking then, turning to face him. The cool morning breeze ruffled her cloak, but her eyes were sharp, calculating.

Then, she did something unexpected.

She smirked.

"You're right."

Riven raised a brow.

"So?"

Lyria took a step closer, until the distance between them felt dangerously thin.

"I want to make a deal."

Riven's eyes narrowed. "A deal?"

Lyria nodded. "The empire wants you dead. They think you'll destroy the world."

Riven's jaw tightened. "And you?"

Lyria tilted her head, considering him.

"I think you don't even know what you are yet."

Riven's breath hitched for just a moment.

She wasn't wrong.

The Eclipse Seal over his eye—it was awakening. He could feel it, a burning presence beneath his skin, whispering in a voice too old to be human.

Lyria leaned in slightly, her voice dropping lower.

"So here's my offer: I keep you alive. In return, you help me figure out what the empire is really hiding about the Eclipse prophecy."

Riven exhaled, searching her gaze for deception.

He found none.

Only calculated risk.

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

Lyria smirked. "Then you can try your luck out there, alone, with an entire empire hunting you."

A beat of silence.

Then—

Riven laughed. A deep, tired laugh that startled even himself.

This woman was either insane or brilliant.

Maybe both.

"Fine," he said at last. "We have a deal."

Lyria held out her hand.

Riven clasped it.

And in that moment, something shifted.

Two lives, bound by fate. A prophecy still unwritten.

And a war waiting to begin.

---

Meanwhile… The Hunters Move

A black horse thundered through the imperial city gates. Its rider was cloaked in red, a sigil of the Shadow Order emblazoned on their chest.

At the palace, the Emperor watched as the rider dismounted.

A figure stepped forward—a woman dressed in obsidian armor, her gaze sharp as a dagger's edge.

The Leader of the Hunters.

The Emperor's voice was low and deadly. "Find Riven Kael. I want his body burned before the next eclipse."

The Huntress smiled.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

And with that, the empire's deadliest killers rode into the night.

Their target: The Cursed Warrior of the Eclipse.

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