Nightfall draped the palace in cold silver, its towers rising like blades against the moon. Kael walked silently, his steps muffled by the Phantom Veil. But tonight, he wasn't the hunter.
He was the bait.
---
Earlier that evening, a sealed scroll arrived.
Unmarked. Unsigned. But stamped with the Ashvale sigil — a coiling flame locked in ice.
> "You are to deliver this parcel to the forbidden archives beneath the eastern wing. Alone. Midnight."
No instructions. No escort.
Only a parcel wrapped in black velvet… and a warning humming through every thread of it.
Kael didn't hesitate.
---
[Shadow System Update]
> ⚠️ Risk Detected: Location designated "Fate Severance Zone."
Skill usage may be restricted.
Phantom Veil active. Threadreader disabled in region.
Proceed?
> "Yes."
---
The eastern wing had been sealed since the war.
Its halls were buried beneath dust, untouched by maids, unwatched by guards. The only entrance—an iron door warded with five dead languages—creaked open as Kael placed the parcel on the symbol carved into the floor.
A hiss of air. A whisper not his own.
> "Welcome back, Shadowspawn…"
Kael froze.
That wasn't the System.
That was a voice.
And it came from the dark beyond the threshold.
He stepped inside.
---
The forbidden archives weren't a library.
They were a tomb of memories. Mirrors lined the walls, their surfaces rippling like liquid. Stone statues of past kings stood silently, some shattered. At the center sat a black pedestal—empty.
Kael placed the parcel on it.
The mirrors flared.
One of them shimmered, forming a shape—a reflection of Aserion, younger, unscarred, smiling.
But this wasn't a memory Kael knew.
> "I forgive you," the reflection said.
> "You were only trying to protect her."
Kael's breath caught.
> Her.
> The girl from the battlefield—the one Aserion executed without trial. The one who had screamed Kael's name before she died.
The reflection shattered.
Kael fell to his knees.
> Why was Aserion reliving this memory?
> Why had Syrene sent him here?
---
Suddenly—stone cracked.
A statue behind him moved.
Not walked. Shifted.
Its marble arm struck down. Kael rolled, barely dodging the blow. Another statue turned. And another.
They were guardians of the archives. And they had detected a trespasser.
Kael reached for his skill—
---
[Shadow System Alert]
> Skill Lock: Zone dampens shadow functions.
Phantom Veil reduced.
Shadow Points inaccessible.
> "Damn it."
---
Kael gritted his teeth.
He couldn't fight them. Not now. Not here.
He ran—ducking under swinging fists, slipping between stone feet, diving past shattered mirrors.
A blow scraped his shoulder. Blood.
But ahead—the iron door. Open. Faint light.
He made it through just as a statue's fist slammed behind him, cracking the stone arch.
Kael collapsed outside, chest heaving.
---
A shadow moved above.
Syrene stood in the balcony overlooking the archive gate, cloak fluttering.
> "You survived."
Kael said nothing.
> "Interesting. The last two didn't."
She turned and vanished into the night.
---
Kael stared at the archive door.
Then at his bleeding arm.
Then up at the stars.
She had tested him.
Not for loyalty.
Not for competence.
For something else.
---
[Shadow System Update]
> Trait Unlocked: Shadow Resilience
Endurance +5
Fatality Resistance unlocked (Tier I)
Emotion Suppression reduced by 30% (System evolving)
---
As Kael stood, something inside him shifted.
He was no longer the servant.
He was no longer just a shadow.
He was a rival.
And someone… somewhere… had just marked him as a piece worth watching.
---