Chapter 10: The Breakout

The Fire of a Fallen General

Darius Vale had once been a legend. The Wolf of Eldoria, a man whose presence alone could silence a battlefield.

Now, he sat shackled in rusted iron, his once-broad frame reduced to skin and scars. His beard was unkempt, his dark hair streaked with silver. Yet, when his eyes met Kael's, the fire within them had not dimmed.

"Your Majesty…" His voice was hoarse, disbelief thick in his tone.

Kael knelt before him, gripping the iron bars of the cell. "I am not a ghost, old friend."

Darius exhaled shakily. His shackled hands trembled. "I thought… they told us you were dead."

Kael smirked. "They were wrong."

Selene, keeping watch by the doorway, cleared her throat. "Hate to break up the reunion, but we need to move. Fast."

Kael stood, nodding. He reached for the iron lock on the cell door, examining it briefly. "Selene."

She grinned, tossing him a set of lockpicks. "Knew you'd ask."

Kael knelt again, slipping the picks into the lock. His fingers worked quickly, his movements precise.

Click.

The lock fell open.

Darius hesitated. His chains remained.

Kael met his gaze. "Can you still fight?"

Darius slowly clenched his fists—testing his strength. His body was weak, but his spirit was unbroken.

"I can stand."

Kael smiled. "Good enough."

He grabbed the nearest dead guard's sword and pressed it into Darius' hands. The old general took it slowly, the familiar weight settling into his grip.

The look in his eyes was dangerous.

A spark.

A reminder of who he once was.

Then—

A distant shout.

The alarm bells rang.

Selene cursed. "Well, there goes our quiet exit."

Kael's golden eyes hardened.

The battle had begun.

---

A War Within the Walls

Torches blazed to life in the prison halls. The clanking of boots on stone filled the air as dozens of guards rushed toward the dungeon entrance.

Kael and Selene dragged Darius to his feet.

"No time for subtlety," Selene hissed.

Kael gripped his sword tighter. "Then we carve a path out."

The first wave of guards stormed in.

Kael moved like a shadow. He twisted around the first soldier, his blade flashing as it slashed across a throat.

Blood sprayed.

The second guard swung—Kael ducked and drove his dagger into the man's ribs.

Selene was just as quick. She vaulted off the dungeon wall, landing behind a guard before slitting his throat.

Darius, despite his weakened state, swung his borrowed sword with deadly precision.

A guard rushed him. Darius sidestepped at the last moment, his blade gutting the man from hip to shoulder.

The old general had not forgotten how to kill.

The remaining soldiers hesitated. Doubt flickered in their eyes.

They had expected a prisoner. A dying man.

Instead, they faced a wolf who had been caged too long.

Kael smirked. They should have killed him when they had the chance.

Then—more boots. More soldiers.

Selene spat. "This is getting messy."

Kael scanned the hall. Too many men. Too little space.

Then he saw it.

A row of oil lanterns lining the wall.

His smirk widened. Perfect.

Kael sliced through a guard's belt, ripping away his flask of liquor.

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it at the lanterns.

Glass shattered.

Flames erupted.

The hallway exploded in fire.

Guards screamed as the blaze engulfed the narrow corridor.

Kael turned. "Time to move."

Darius grinned through bloodied teeth. "I was starting to think you'd gone soft."

Kael laughed. "Not in this lifetime."

---

The Shadow Revealed

They raced through the corridors, fire licking at their heels.

The exit was near. Kael could feel it—the cold night air seeping through the cracks in the stone walls.

Then—a shadow moved.

Kael stopped.

His instincts screamed. Something was wrong.

A figure emerged from the smoke—tall, wrapped in a dark cloak. Their face was obscured, but the presence they carried was undeniable.

Kael's grip tightened around his sword.

The figure stopped five paces away.

Then—they spoke.

"I was wondering when you'd finally come for him."

Kael's golden eyes narrowed.

Their voice was calm. Cold. And somehow… familiar.

Selene tensed beside him. "Who the hell—"

The figure raised a hand.

The flames behind them flickered.

And then—they bowed.

"To the true emperor… welcome back."