chapter 6: Into the ruins

The forest swallowed them whole.

Kael followed Seraphine through the dense undergrowth, his boots silent against the damp earth, his senses sharp. The attack had left him on edge. The assassins had moved with precision, as if they had known exactly where to find him.

That troubled him.

He had spent years ensuring no one controlled his fate. And yet, here he was, hunted like a pawn in someone else's game.

Seraphine moved with ease, her dark robes barely stirring as she led them deeper into the trees. She knew where she was going. That was clear.

Kael didn't trust that.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked.

Seraphine didn't slow. "Tell you what?"

"That the Crimson Veil was after me.

Seraphine glanced over her shoulder, a knowing look in her golden eyes. "Would it have changed anything?"

Kael scowled. "Yes."

Seraphine gave a soft, amused hum. "Then you would have run."

Kael bristled but didn't argue. She wasn't wrong.

They walked in silence for a while, the trees growing thicker, the air heavier. Something about this forest was different. It felt… ancient.

Then Kael saw it.

Through the mist, stone towers rose like skeletal remains, half-swallowed by vines and time. Archways crumbled, their intricate carvings weathered and broken. The ruins stretched for miles, disappearing into the fog.

The Old Kingdom.

Kael had heard the stories—a fallen empire lost to war and treachery. A place where power had been forged and kings had been made.

It was here that Solmara had been hidden.

He exhaled. "We're really doing this."

Seraphine nodded. "We must."

Kael glanced at her. "Why are you helping me?"

Seraphine's expression didn't change. "Because you are the only one who can wield Solmara."

Kael looked back at the ruins. Something about this place unsettled him. Not fear. Something worse.

Recognition.

Before he could dwell on it, a whisper cut through the air.

Not words.

Not wind.

Something else.

Kael's fingers brushed the hilt of his sword. "We're not alone."

Seraphine's eyes darkened. "No, we're not."

And from the shadows of the ruins , something begins to stir

The forest stretched endless before them, thick with fog and the hum of unseen creatures.

Kael moved behind Seraphine, his boots pressing soundlessly into the damp earth. Despite the battle, despite the assassins, she was unshaken. She walked with purpose, her dark robes barely stirring as she led them deeper into the trees.

He hated that she seemed so sure.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked, voice low.

Seraphine didn't slow. "Tell you what?"

"That the Crimson Veil was after me."

A flicker of amusement crossed her face. "Would it have changed anything?"

Kael scowled. "Yes."

Seraphine hummed softly. "Then you would have run."

Kael bristled but said nothing. She wasn't wrong.

His whole life, he had fought for control. To carve his own destiny, not be bound by prophecy or kings. But now he was a hunted man, and the enemy was no ordinary foe.

He could still feel the weight of the assassins' bodies behind him, the blood staining the earth. The Order of the Crimson Veil did not strike unless victory was certain.

And they had come for him.

The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Silence stretched between them as they walked, the air thick with something ancient. Kael had been in many forests, but none felt like this. The trees were taller, their roots gnarled and massive. The shadows were deeper, swallowing light.

Then, he saw it.

Beyond the trees, the ruins rose like broken bones, jagged and forgotten. Towers, half-collapsed, were swallowed by creeping vines. Stones, carved with long-faded sigils, lay scattered like the remains of an empire lost to time.

"The Old Kingdom," Kael muttered.

Seraphine nodded. "It is here that Solmara was hidden."

Kael let out a slow breath, scanning the ruins. He had heard the stories—a kingdom built on magic, its rulers wielding power beyond mortal comprehension. A kingdom that fell in a single night.

He had never believed in those legends.

And yet…

Something about this place unsettled him. Not fear. Something worse.

Recognition.

Seraphine stepped forward, her voice softer now. "We must move quickly. The Veil will send more men."

Kael didn't follow immediately. His gaze lingered on the ruins, on the archways carved with symbols he felt he should understand. Something stirred deep in his chest, something he could not name.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked at last.

Seraphine turned slightly, her golden eyes unreadable. "Because you are the only one who can wield Solmara."

Kael scoffed. "What if I don't want to?"

She studied him for a long moment before speaking. "Then you should have never been born."

Kael's breath hitched. The way she said it—it wasn't a threat. It was a truth.

Before he could speak, a sound cut through the silence.

Not the wind.

Not an animal.

A whisper.

Ancient. Echoing. Wrong.

Kael stiffened, his hand moving instinctively to the hilt of his sword

The whisper was not in any language he knew. Yet it slithered into his mind, curling around his thoughts like a creeping vine. It was neither wind nor voice, but something in between—a presence that did not belong to this world.

Seraphine stopped beside him, her golden eyes darkening. "We are not alone."

Kael exhaled slowly. "I noticed."

The ruins loomed around them, broken and silent. But now, the silence felt different—a waiting thing.

Kael's grip tightened on his sword. "What is this place?"

Seraphine glanced at him, then back at the ruins. "A graveyard."

"Whose grave?"

She didn't answer.

A gust of wind rushed through the ruins, but it carried no warmth—only the bitter sting of something long dead. The whisper came again, stronger this time, a chorus of voices overlapping, rising and falling like waves.

Kael gritted his teeth. The sound wasn't just around him. It was inside him.

"Keep moving," Seraphine murmured.

He did. But with every step, the whispers grew louder.

The ruins stretched before them, archways broken, statues crumbling, walls lined with ancient runes. Kael had never seen this script before, and yet—it felt familiar.

A chill settled in his bones.

Seraphine stopped before an archway, her fingers grazing the stone. "This is where it begins."

Kael frowned. "Where what begins?"

She turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Your past."

Something inside him recoiled. "I don't have a past."

Seraphine's gaze was steady. "Then why does this place remember you?"

Kael's pulse thundered. "What are you talking about?"

Before she could answer, the ruins trembled.

Dust rained down from the archway. The whispers became a wail.

And from the shadows, something moved.

Kael drew his sword.

The ground cracked beneath them, and the whispers became screams.

They had awakened something that should have stayed buried.