Chapter Nineteen: "Shadow's Warning"
Wounded, Shade retreated — vanishing into smoke as Raizel's blade cut through where he stood.
The battlefield quieted. Ash Vow warriors regrouped. The caravan was destroyed, the relics shattered.
But Raizel stared into the dark ravine where Shade had escaped.
"He was toying with me," he muttered.
Lyra approached, her staff pulsing with worry. "He wanted to measure your strength."
Raizel nodded grimly. "And he'll report it."
That night, as the Ash Vow Unit camped in silence, a raven landed at Raizel's feet. Tied to its leg was a scroll — sealed in crimson wax.
He opened it.
Inside, one sentence burned in black ink:
> "You shine too brightly. We'll cut out your light."
– The Crimson Fang