Blood and Chains

One by one, the Black Halo stepped through the swirling portal, battered but alive.

Javier had Tonza slung over his shoulder, the big guy groaning softly, still pale and drenched in sweat. His shoulder was nothing more than blood and bandages.

Blake held Julie's hand as they walked into the light. Her eyes flickered with hesitation—she hadn't spoken much since the attack. Her missing arm was a phantom weight between them both.

As they emerged on the other side, they found themselves surrounded by tall pines, their whispering needles cloaking the forest in an eerie stillness. Ahead stood a solitary cabin, nestled at the foot of a sheer cliff. Moss grew over the old wood. Wind tugged at the porch awning.

"Make yourselves at home," Malrek said, stepping through the final ripples of the portal behind them.

Lora followed, carrying what little luggage she'd been able to salvage. Selene helped Drayce walk. Although he had been healed by Lora, he was still a bit weak.

"Where are we, Malrek?" Lora asked, setting the bag down and eyeing the remote wilderness warily.

"This is where he and I trained," Blake said, voice quiet. "Before I joined the Black Halo."

Lora's expression softened. "This… this is the place?"

Javier looked around, then clenched his fists.

"Great. Cozy little cabin in the woods. Now, how about we stop playing house and go get Mirai?"

Malrek didn't flinch. "We will. As soon as I sweep the area and make sure we're not dragging enemies to our front door."

"Fuck that!" Javier snapped, turning on him. "By the time you're done sniffing trees, they'll have torn her apart!"

"They won't kill her," Malrek said coolly. "Not yet. They still need leverage. They want all of us."

"Yeah? So they'll torture her instead," Blake said suddenly, eyes burning.

The words hung in the air like poison.

"All the more reason we need to go now," Javier said, his voice raw, shaking.

Malrek's eyes narrowed. "And then what? You run in blind and get yourself killed? Or worse, captured? Think, Javier. For once in your pathetic life, use that thick skull for something besides whining."

The tension snapped like a live wire.

"You trying to pick a fight?" Javier growled, stepping forward.

"And what if I am?" Malrek stepped up too, his voice a snarl. "Maybe it's time someone beat some sense into that stubborn skull."

"You arrogant little—!"

Javier swung. Malrek did too.

But neither punch landed.

Blake appeared between them in a flash of speed, grabbing Javier's wrist mid-air and driving a kick into Malrek's chest, forcing him back a few paces.

"Enough."

His voice wasn't raised, but it cut through the rage like a blade.

"Back off, Malrek," Blake said, still holding Javier's wrist tightly. "Insults won't do any of us any good. Keep your anger in check."

Malrek steadied himself, breathing hard. For the first time in days, his mask seemed to tremble—not from battle, but from restraint.

Javier ripped his hand free and turned away, jaw tight, chest heaving.

The wind moaned through the trees. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Blake turned back to the others. "We're all hurting. We're all angry. But if we fall apart now… we're no better than the bastards chasing us."

Malrek looked at him, then gave a short nod.

"We secure the area. We rest. We heal. Then we go after Mirai."

Julie looked up at Blake, something flickering in her gaze—trust, perhaps. A spark of the girl she'd been before the scars.

The wind outside the cabin howled softly through the pine trees, and the flicker of candlelight danced across the cracked wooden walls. Inside, the group had found their corners—some tending wounds, others slumping in silence, resting after days of blood and battle.

Blake sat at the edge of the bunk, cradling his wrist, which had been broken by Grenda.

"Let me see it," Lora said gently, kneeling before him with her sleeves rolled up.

Blake hesitated. "It's fine. Just bruised."

"It's broken," she corrected, her voice patient, eyes already glowing with the soft warmth of Divine Touch. Her fingers hovered an inch above the injury, and golden tendrils of light traced from her palms into his skin.

Blake winced as the bones shifted beneath her power. Then the pain began to recede… slowly, steadily… until there was nothing but the memory of it.

"You're always throwing yourself in the middle of things," Lora murmured, her hand still glowing faintly.

He glanced at her. "And you're always cleaning up after us."

She smiled faintly. "Someone has to."

The light dimmed as her power settled, leaving only her touch—gentle, steady—before she let go.

"There. You'll be good as new in the morning," she said, standing. "Get some rest, Blake. You'll need it."

He gave her a tired nod. "Thanks, Lora."

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The silence that followed was heavy, almost sacred. Blake lay back on the bunk, exhaling slowly. His body was healing. But his mind was still back in the forest—where Mirai had vanished.

Darkness.

Damp stone surrounded her. Chains rattled above as she dangled from her wrists, her toes barely scraping the ground.

Mirai's hair hung in matted strands, dried blood caking her temple. Her arms trembled under her own weight. She had no idea how long she'd been here—hours, maybe days. Time had warped inside this prison of cold air and whispered threats.

The only light came from a torch in the far corner of the room, flickering over the shapes of her captors.

Men in armor stood watch—mercenaries, hired blades. But one figure stood apart, cloaked in fine fabric, calm and calculating.

A voice echoed through the dark. Deep. Unfeeling.

"You are resilient," said the man. "I expected you to scream by now."

Mirai didn't answer. Her eyes—sharp and deadly eyes—stared back at him with quiet rage.

He stepped closer, into the torchlight.

"You're one of the Black Halo," he said. "Deviant. Infected with that… little gift. The camouflaging trick."

Still, she said nothing.

The man's lip curled. "You'll talk. Eventually. Whether by choice or by pain."

He gestured, and one of the guards stepped forward, pulling a blade from his belt with a slow, deliberate rasp.

Mirai tensed, but didn't flinch.

They want information, she reminded herself. That's why I'm still breathing.

She didn't plan on giving them any.

As the guard raised the knife, Mirai turned her face away… but behind her quiet defiance, a whisper formed in her mind. Not words. Not hope. But a name.

Blake.

The fire crackled quietly in the center of the cabin, casting warm light across weathered faces. Everyone had gathered after a tense, restless night.

Tonza leaned back against a support beam, still too weak to stand. Julie sat beside him, her gaze distant, her remaining hand curled around a warm mug. Lora was rewrapping Blake's bandaged wrist after healing it earlier, her eyes focused but troubled. Drayce sat near the fire, staring into it.

Javier stood near the door, arms folded. "It's time we stop sitting around."

Blake nodded. He rose and stepped into the middle of the cabin.

"We're going to get Mirai back."

The room grew still. Even the fire seemed to hush.

"She's in that fortress up north, the one past the valley near the ridges. I've seen it on maps—it's built into the side of a cliff. Walls high. Guard towers. Only one main road leads in, but it's bound to be crawling with soldiers."

"We can't take that road," Selene said softly. "It's suicide."

"We won't," Blake replied. "We'll use the old ridge trail Malrek and I found years ago. Cuts through the eastern slope. It'll get us behind the fortress—close enough to scout and slip in quietly."

"Once we're close enough," Malrek added, "I can mark a location for WarpWalk. When I've got it, I'll come back and open a portal right into the fortress for the extraction."

"And what if she's not in one piece when we get there?" Javier growled. "They could be torturing her right now."

"They want her alive," Blake said. "They want all of us alive, remember? They're not killing her—not yet."

"That doesn't mean she's not suffering," Javier muttered darkly.

Blake walked closer, voice low but firm. "Which is why we move. Fast. Quiet. We get to the ridge trail. We reach the fortress within a few hours."

Selene frowned. "Who's doing the initial scouting then?"

"I will," Malrek said. "I'll go alone. I've infiltrated stronger keeps than this before."

"No," Blake said. "You won't go alone."

Malrek's masked head turned. "You volunteering?"

Blake nodded. "Just enough to get a visual. We mark the location, and come back. Then we go in as a team."

Malrek didn't argue. "Fine."

Julie finally spoke, her voice quiet. "If we get her back... what then? They'll just keep hunting us."

Blake turned to her, his gaze steady. "Then we stop running."

Silence answered him, but it was a silence filled with grim understanding.

The early morning fog blanketed the cabin's perimeter like a veil of quiet tension. The fire inside crackled softly as the group gathered for the final briefing.

Julie sat near the hearth, eyes shadowed with worry. Her injured arm was wrapped tightly in clean cloth, and though her expression was neutral, Blake could see the weight behind her silence.

Lora checked Tonza's bandages. The massive man gave her a weak smile. "Still breathing," he grunted, half joking.

Selene leaned against the wall, arms folded, her amber eyes fixed on Blake. "You sure about this?"

Blake tightened the straps on his gauntlets. "We don't have a choice."

Malrek stood near the window, silent, his masked gaze surveying the trees. "If we wait any longer, they'll move her. Or worse."

Lora stepped forward. "At least take me. I can heal if anything—"

"No," Blake cut in gently. "We need you here. The group needs you here. If something happens to us, you're the last line. Keep them safe."

Lora's lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded. "Bring her back."

Selene approached Blake as he headed for the door. "You better not die,"

Blake paused, then reached out, gently brushing his fingers against hers. "Don't worry."

Malrek stepped forward and lifted his gloved hand. With a ripple of distortion, a Warpwalk portal swirled open in the middle of the room, pitch black and silent.

"This leads to the cave where we had set up camp before," he said. "From there, we walk."

The portal tore open with a silent ripple, and Malrek stepped through first, followed closely by Blake. The world on the other side welcomed them with the cold damp air of the mountain cave—the very place they once called a temporary haven.

The last flicker of light vanished behind them as the portal sealed shut. Dust swirled at their boots as their eyes adjusted to the familiar shadows.

Malrek took the lead, pushing aside the thick curtain of vines that cloaked the cave's mouth. He crawled forward with practiced ease, boots crunching against stone and gravel, and stepped into the forest clearing beyond.

Blake followed, brushing dust from his sleeves as his boots hit the mossy ground.

Outside, the canopy of towering evergreens stretched high above, filtering streaks of gold through the thick foliage. The air was brisk and fresh, carrying the scent of pine and distant rivers. A trail of flattened grass and dirt stretched before them, winding deeper into the wilderness toward the northern cliffs where the fortress loomed unseen.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the forest alive with birdsong and distant rustling. But the silence between them grew heavy.

Blake finally broke it.

He quickened his pace until he was beside Malrek and said, in his usual cool but sharp tone,"Black Wolf of the North... wanna talk about that?"

Malrek didn't slow, didn't glance his way. His gloved hands stayed at his sides, fingers twitching with the ghost of readiness.

The silence stretched again, thicker this time.

Leaves crunched underfoot. Somewhere far off, a hawk cried.

Malrek's voice came low, muffled slightly by the mask."No."

That was it.

Blake stared at him for a moment longer, waiting. Expecting more. But nothing came. Just the sound of boots on earth and the wind in the trees.

He scoffed softly and looked away, eyes scanning the trail ahead.

"Tch. Figured as much."

The two continued forward, shadows moving with them, heading toward a fortress filled with enemies, secrets, and one of their own who needed saving.