6

A flash of unstable energy crackled in the air, distorting the space within Vanthelis Blackthorn's room. The wooden shelves trembled, and books toppled onto the polished floor. In an instant, a body collapsed onto the stone tiles—bloodied, broken, and gasping.

"Father!" Vanthelis cried out, his eyes wide in horror. He rushed to Valiz's side, catching him before his body could fully crash onto the ground.

Valiz, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, gritted his teeth against the pain. His once-pristine robes were torn and soaked in blood, his left arm limp at his side, pierced by a thick arrow.

"My son... your mother..." Valiz choked, his voice cracking under the weight of sorrow. Tears flowed freely down his face as he dropped to his knees and bowed his head, clutching his son's sleeve like a man seeking penance. "She's gone... they took her from us..."

The words struck Vanthelis like a blade to the heart.

"No... no, that can't be," he whispered, backing slightly. His knees buckled as he sank beside his father, trying to make sense of the storm of emotions tearing through him.

He had already lost her once—his mother in the previous life, taken by illness before he could save her. And now, fate had dealt him the same cruel blow. The woman in this world wasn't the same, but her warmth, her kindness… she had been his mother, in every way that mattered.

His memories flooded in unbidden.

He remembered how she would tuck him in every night, whispering lullabies with that gentle voice of hers. How she'd scold him with a stern look when he snuck into the library after hours, only to bring him warm tea and sit beside him as he read. Her hands in his hair as he napped at her lap. The quiet strength in her gaze when she told him stories of Valiz's heroism. The laughter they shared when she failed to cook and burned the stew. The gentle hums she'd sing while tending the garden.

She had never raised a hand against him, never judged him for not wanting to be a necromancer.

And now she was gone.

"What happened, Father?" Vanthelis asked, his voice trembling with grief and rage. "You two... you were strong. You were the strongest I knew! Why did we lose?!"

Valiz leaned heavily on him, breathing ragged. His voice came low, like gravel rolling through fire. "We were betrayed... all of us. The Holy Empire... they turned on us. But they were not alone. The elves... the dwarves... even the beastkin clans... joined them."

Vanthelis's breath caught in his throat.

"They feared us," Valiz continued. "They feared what our clan could become. After the planetary war... we were no longer needed. So they decided to erase us."

His voice turned bitter, filled with venom. "They used alchemist-enhanced warriors. Mechanical constructs. Magic disruptors crafted by goblins. Everything... all of it... to make sure we wouldn't fight back. Your mother—Marissa—she summoned all she could... but the disruptors made her weaker. And then... she fell."

His head dropped as tears mingled with blood. "And Tondir… they got him too. Shot by a bow crafted by dwarven hands, used by elven traitors..."

The pain in Valiz's voice stabbed deeper into Vanthelis's chest than any blade could.

Silence settled between them, only broken by the soft, pained breaths of the dying.

Then, slowly, Valiz pushed himself up and turned toward the tall bookshelf carved into the wall. His fingers trembled as he touched a particular tome. The bookshelf rumbled, and with a soft click, a secret passage opened behind it.

Valiz gestured to the children hiding nearby—those who survived the slaughter. Wordlessly, they followed the two into the corridor.

It was narrow and dusty, lit only by the dim glow of blue runes carved into the stone walls. After a short walk, they arrived in a hidden chamber—a sanctum unknown even to most within the clan. In its center stood a pedestal sealed behind reinforced glass. On it, a single parchment glowed faintly with ancient magic.

Valiz walked to the glass, his every step shaky and labored.

"This," he said, turning to his son, "is the last hope of the Blackthorn Clan."