The Gathering Storm
The words still echoed in Kalen's mind.
"The King doesn't fear your strength. He fears what's coming next."
Liora had left them alive. Not because she couldn't win—but because she wanted Kalen to hear her warning.
More Shadowborn were awakening.
And he had no idea how many or how strong they would be.
Renna paced the room, her frustration evident. "We can't just stay here. Liora let us go, but the next time we meet, she won't hold back."
Varik sat on the edge of a broken table, deep in thought. "And if what she said is true… we might not just be fighting the King's forces."
Kalen closed his eyes.
What if we're fighting something worse?
The Weight of a Name
News of Kalen's bounty had already spread beyond the city.
They had barely made it out before mercenaries, bounty hunters, and assassins flooded the streets, all hunting for the Shadowborn.
It wasn't just the King's Inquisitors anymore.
Everyone wanted him dead.
Or worse—wanted him as a weapon.
Varik tossed a dagger onto the table. "We need to leave the kingdom. Disappear."
Kalen shook his head. "We can't run forever."
Renna crossed her arms. "Then what's your plan? We take on an army? Fight every bounty hunter from here to the border?"
Kalen exhaled. "No."
He looked up, his eyes dark with resolve.
"We find the others first."
Renna frowned. "The others?"
"The other Shadowborn."
A Dangerous Alliance
Hunting down other Shadowborn wasn't just dangerous—it was reckless.
Not all of them would be like him.
Some might be worse.
Some might already be lost to the darkness.
But Kalen had no choice.
If the King was afraid of the Shadowborn, then he needed to understand why.
And to do that, he needed to find them.
Varik sighed, rubbing his temples. "I hate this plan already."
Renna groaned. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"
Kalen nodded. "If we don't do this now, we'll be caught between two wars. We need to choose our side."
Renna's expression softened slightly. "And which side are we on?"
Kalen didn't answer right away.
Because he wasn't sure yet.
But he knew one thing.
If the world was afraid of the Shadowborn—he needed to find out why.
And before anyone else could control that power…
He would.
The Whispering Wastes
Their journey led them eastward, away from the capital.
Beyond the rivers and forests, past the merchant roads, lay the Whispering Wastes.
A place cursed by time.
Legends spoke of warriors who had entered the Wastes and never returned.
But Kalen wasn't searching for myths.
He was searching for a name.
Darian Velkor.
A Shadowborn. A warlord. A monster.
If anyone knew the truth about their kind, it was him.
Renna pulled her cloak tighter as they walked. "Are you sure this is the right place?"
Kalen glanced at the sky. The sun barely reached through the thick, gray clouds.
"We'll find out soon enough."
Varik shivered. "Yeah. Or we'll die trying."
The Watchers in the Dark
The deeper they traveled into the Wastes, the heavier the air became.
Something was here.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
A whisper.
Not from the shadows.
Not from within Kalen's mind.
But from the land itself.
Kalen stopped. "Did you hear that?"
Renna and Varik nodded.
The ground trembled slightly, as if something beneath them had stirred.
Then, out of the mist, they came.
Figures wrapped in dark robes. Their eyes glowed with an eerie silver light.
They did not move like men.
They moved like shadows.
Renna reached for her dagger. "Who are they?"
Kalen swallowed hard.
He already knew the answer.
"Shadowborn."
End of Chapter 12