Chapter 21 – Ashbound Oath

Ashlands, a barren wasteland where the echoes of gods once roamed. The land stretched before them, the wind whispered across the cracked earth, carrying the scent of ancient death and forgotten power. Kael's boots kicked up ash as he walked, his thoughts heavy with the weight of the journey ahead.

Ash clung to the red stains of his hands—his curse a constant, visible reminder of the life he could no longer return to. The faint ember-like glow along his knuckles pulsed with each heartbeat, whispering promises of destruction and retribution.

Silas kept a steady pace behind him, the girl—still an enigma—treading lightly by his side, her eyes locked on the distant horizon. The landscape was eerily quiet, save for the distant howls of creatures that lived beyond the reach of mortal understanding.

The gods had been buried here, alive, entombed in the ash by their own kin. It was a place of death and transformation, where the air itself seemed to hum with old magic.

"We're getting close," Kael said, his voice low, almost lost in the wind. His cursed hands flexed unconsciously, the ash smudging deeper into the scarlet hue that marked him as something other.

Silas grunted, glancing around. "It's hard to imagine anything surviving here. Let alone… gods."

Kael nodded, his thoughts drifting to Aurenya. Her absence had left a gaping hole in him that seemed impossible to fill. Every step, every breath was a reminder that she had been taken by the Hollow King, dragged into that twisted realm between life and death.

He'd sworn to bring her back, but the path felt more impossible with each passing moment. And his hands—it wasn't just a curse. It was a tether, a symbol of everything he had touched and broken.

They came upon the entrance to the ruined temple just as the sun dipped behind the ashen horizon, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch forever. A massive stone archway stood before them, weathered and broken, but still exuding an air of power. It was here that Kael had been told he would meet the blind seeress, Evara.

The girl stopped just outside the archway, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the ruin. She said nothing, but Kael sensed the familiar unease that always accompanied her presence. There was something about her—something ancient, something that did not belong.

Silas stepped forward, drawing a breath. "Are you sure this is the place? I've heard stories about this temple—some say it's cursed."

Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped toward the entrance, feeling the heat of the approaching confrontation stir in his chest. The skin around his red fingers itched, as though his curse could feel the surge of ancient magic around them.

"Cursed or not, we don't have a choice."

As they stepped into the ruined temple, the air grew colder, and the silence grew heavier. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the vast emptiness. It was as though the temple itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

And then, there she was.

Evara stood in the center of the temple, her presence as imposing as it was unsettling. She was a woman of pale skin and silver hair, her eyes sightless but piercing in their emptiness. Wrapped in tattered robes, she looked like something that had stepped out of the very earth itself, born of ash and stone.

She held a staff carved with intricate symbols, and the air around her seemed to shimmer with a strange, otherworldly power.

"You have come," Evara said, her voice both distant and intimate, as though she had been waiting for them all along. "Kaelion, Flame of War. It has been many years."

Kael stiffened, his heart skipping a beat. His red hands curled at his sides, the curse throbbing against his skin. "You know me?"

Evara smiled, a thin, sad smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I know you better than you know yourself."

She took a step forward, her staff tapping against the ground with a hollow sound. "The Hollow King has claimed Aurenya. But this is no ordinary capture. She is bound to him now, as she was bound to you once. She is part of a greater design, Kaelion, one that cannot be undone by mere willpower."

Kael clenched his fists, the heat radiating from his cursed hands rippling up his arms like flame beneath his skin. Rage and helplessness surged within him. "Then what am I supposed to do? Just let her go?"

Evara's blind eyes locked onto his. "No, you will not let her go. But you will have to sacrifice more than you realize to save her."

She raised her staff, and the girl stepped forward, as though drawn to the ancient woman. Evara's lips parted, and she spoke in a language Kael didn't understand. The girl shuddered, and a flicker of light passed over her skin, leaving a faint mark on her palm.

"This is the sigil of binding," Evara explained. "It will guide you to her, Kaelion. It will help you find her in the Hollow Court, but it will also tie your fate to hers in ways you may not understand yet."

Kael stared at the mark on the girl's hand, then at his own palm, where the sigil now appeared, burning into his cursed flesh with an unholy heat. The glowing red deepened to a molten hue, merging with the already-scarlet skin like a brand etched in wrath and fate.

His heart raced, the weight of his quest pressing down on him like a stone.

"Do not fail her, Kaelion," Evara said softly, her voice carrying a finality that left no room for doubt. "If you do, the Hollow King will not be the only one to pay the price."

Kael nodded grimly, his resolve hardening like steel. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the fury that pulsed through every vein beneath the curse. "I won't fail her."

Evara's smile was faint but filled with sadness. "You may not have a choice."

With that, the girl reached out and touched his arm, her eyes glowing faintly with an unsettling light. "You will find her," she said, her voice strangely calm. "But the path ahead will break you. Be prepared, Kael."

And with that, the Ashlands seemed to close in on them, the air thick with the power of ancient forces. Kael, Silas, and the girl stepped out into the dying light, knowing that their next move would take them closer to the Hollow King, to the heart of a twisted power that could destroy them all.

And yet, despite the danger, despite the overwhelming odds, Kael knew one thing for certain:

He would find Aurenya.

No matter what it cost him.