The day after the prophet's visit, the air in the Ember Hall felt heavier than usual. The Syndicate had been left in a tense silence after the cryptic warning he left behind. Was it a threat? A prophecy? Or simply the ravings of a madman? Thorne's mind raced, each possible interpretation clashing against the others. One thing was clear—the Church was not their only concern anymore. There was something far darker lurking on the horizon.
---
*A Nightmarish Revelation*
Thorne's mind was still clouded with uncertainty when Ruby approached him later that evening, her face as solemn as it had been since their conversation with the prophet.
"The prophet's words," she said quietly, her voice betraying an emotion Thorne had never heard before: fear. "Do you believe him?"
Thorne didn't answer immediately. He turned toward the fire burning low in the hearth, his hands gripping the back of a chair as though steadying himself. His thoughts were a chaotic storm of possibilities—had the Church merely been the surface of the threat? Or was the prophet right, that they were facing something far beyond what their minds could grasp?
"We'll find out soon enough," he said with finality, his gaze meeting hers. "But right now, we need to prepare."
Ruby nodded. She knew this wasn't just about them anymore—it was about the survival of everything they had fought for.
---
*A Dark Alliance: The Return of the Outcast*
As the days passed, the atmosphere in the Syndicate grew increasingly charged. New alliances were formed, but distrust lingered in every corner. Some of the Syndicate's members, especially those who had been with Thorne since the beginning, were wary of the new recruits—particularly Ashen Veyr, the Cinderborn. He remained an enigma, his dark presence like a shadow that stretched across the room whenever he entered.
Despite his past, or perhaps because of it, Thorne couldn't shake the feeling that Ashen was someone who understood the true cost of survival. He had fought for his life in a way that no one else could claim to have. His scars weren't just physical—they were an enduring testament to his will to survive. And in the end, that might be the very thing the Syndicate needed.
But then, another visitor arrived.
The figure who entered the Ember Hall was unlike anyone they had encountered before—a woman draped in tattered, faded robes. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, with a strange, silverish sheen that caught the dim light of the candles. She had the look of someone who had been through unimaginable suffering, yet there was a strange calm in her eyes, as if she had accepted her fate long ago.
"I am Selene," she said, her voice both haunting and beautiful. "I come bearing a warning of my own."
The room fell silent. Even Ashen, whose usual indifference to the world around him was palpable, seemed intrigued. Selene's presence had a peculiar effect on everyone.
Ruby took a step forward, her hand instinctively resting on her blade. "Who are you? And why should we trust you?"
Selene's lips curled slightly, as though amused by Ruby's defensiveness. "Trust," she said softly, "is a fragile thing in these times. But I bring something more valuable than trust. I bring knowledge."
Thorne crossed his arms, a sharpness in his gaze. "Knowledge of what?"
"The end," Selene whispered, her eyes flickering to the shadows around them, as if the room itself was listening. "The end of everything. The Church is not just a force—it is the vessel for something far older, something that has been waiting for centuries to rise. The death of the old gods is not merely symbolic. It is a prophecy that the Church is trying to bring to fruition."
The words hit like a physical blow. Ruby and Lysena exchanged a glance, their expressions grim. Ashen said nothing, but the air around him seemed to grow heavier, as if he understood more than he was letting on.
Selene continued, "They are preparing to awaken an ancient being—a being that exists beyond life and death. The Cinderborn and those like you… you are the keys to stopping it. But beware, for your survival comes at a price."
Thorne, ever the strategist, leaned forward. "What price?"
Selene's gaze locked with his. "The sacrifice of the things you hold most dear. To fight this being, you must sever the bonds you've formed. Trust will become your greatest enemy. You will be forced to choose between the Syndicate and the world you once knew. There is no middle ground."
The silence in the room was suffocating. No one spoke for several long moments, each person lost in their own thoughts. Ruby's gaze drifted to Thorne, her eyes betraying a flicker of doubt. What would they sacrifice in the end?
---
*The Breaking Point: Ruby's Struggle*
Ruby couldn't shake the image of the prophet's warning and Selene's cryptic words. She had been an assassin for so long that she had become numb to loss, to sacrifice. It was the nature of the life they led. But something had changed. The wounds that had been inflicted upon her—both physical and emotional—seemed to be pulling her toward something she couldn't escape.
The transformation within her was no longer just a passing effect from the poison or the battle wounds she had sustained. It was something darker, something ancient and primal. The curse was growing, and with it, the part of her that had been buried for so long. The power—whatever it was—was pulling at her, demanding to be used. And it terrified her.
As she stood alone in the training hall later that night, practicing her sword techniques, she could feel it—an unnatural pulse beneath her skin. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped her blade, the metal cold and unyielding against her palms. It wasn't just her body that was changing—it was her very nature.
She could feel the pull to embrace it. To let the curse take over and allow it to do what it was born to do. But something inside her, something human, resisted. She couldn't—she wouldn't—let herself become a monster.
Thorne's voice interrupted her thoughts, low and steady, as he stepped into the room. "Ruby, are you alright?"
She turned, her gaze softening as she met his eyes. "I'm fine."
But her tone betrayed her, and Thorne could see through the walls she had carefully built. He stepped closer, his presence strong and unyielding, as always. "You're not. Whatever's happening inside you… it's taking its toll."
Ruby lowered her sword, the weight of it grounding her. "I can feel it, Thorne. It's like something's pulling me down, and I don't know how to stop it."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip gentle but firm. "We'll find a way to fix this. I promise."
Ruby looked up at him, her heart racing. She wanted to believe him. But deep down, she knew that the price of this war would be more than anyone could imagine.
---
*The Church's New Move: A Dangerous Gamble*
In the days following Selene's warning, the Syndicate scrambled to prepare for the worst. The Church was not sitting idly by—they were preparing for something far worse than just a battle for control. The rumors about their new weapon, something ancient, something that could change the very fabric of reality itself, spread like wildfire.
Thorne knew they had to act quickly. They couldn't afford to let the Church control the narrative, to hold the power over them. They needed to strike first. But how?
The answer came when Kaela, the Syndicate's brilliant inventor, uncovered something in her research. Hidden within the Church's vaults were documents detailing an ancient ritual—a summoning spell that could awaken the dark god the Church had been trying to resurrect. The ritual was almost complete. They had only a few days before it would be too late.
But even with the information Kaela had uncovered, there was still one question. How could they stop a god who had been sleeping for millennia?
---
*End of Chapter 14*