Chapter Twelve: "Bounty of the Burning Blade"
By morning, Raizel's name had spread.
Whispers traveled through outlaw camps and mercenary guilds:
"The boy who burned the forge."
"The wielder of the three-colored aura."
"Target of the Crimson Fang."
A bounty was posted: 5,000 gold pieces — alive.
Raizel and Lyra found shelter in a ruined watchtower beyond the valley. Wounds were healing, but danger was closing in.
"They'll come in waves now," Lyra warned. "Not just soldiers. Bounty hunters. Assassins."
Raizel sat sharpening his blade. "Good. Let them come."
But Lyra stepped forward, voice firm. "You can't fight them all. You need allies."
He looked up. "And where do I find those?"
She opened a map. "There's a place called The Hollow Guild. They train aura warriors. Mercenaries, rogues, exiles… but some still follow honor."
Raizel considered it. "If they refuse?"
Lyra smiled faintly. "Then we make them an offer they can't ignore."