The wind over the eastern cliffs was colder than Kael remembered.
He stood at the edge of the valley, his cloak flapping behind him, eyes set on the horizon. Far below, the grass swayed like waves, hiding the scars of ancient battles long forgotten.
Beside him, Lyra unfurled an old map—one taken from Rath's shattered war table. A symbol had been etched into the corner in blood-red ink: a crown pierced by three swords.
"The Mark of the First Hand," she said, tapping it. "A forgotten branch of the bloodline. Rath wasn't lying."
Kael said nothing, jaw clenched.
"I thought it was over," Lyra whispered.
"It's never over," Kael replied. "Not until every piece of them is dust."
Whispers from the Ruins
The remnants of Rath's empire had scattered like insects, but some remained.
In a burned-out fort along the border, they found one.
A captain—loyal to Rath even in death—chained to a wall and babbling to himself.
Kael leaned in, eyes like ice.
"Where's the heir?"
The captain laughed. "She's the storm coming… the blade in the dark. You think you've won, but you only woke her up."
"Name," Kael growled.
"Velda."
The name struck Lyra like a blow. "I've heard that name before. In the court records. She was banished… for dark experimentation."
Kael stood.
"She's more than just an heir."
"She's a shadow queen," Lyra muttered.
Velda the Forgotten
That night, Kael dreamed.
Or perhaps it was a memory.
He stood in a ruined temple, moonlight shining through a shattered ceiling. A woman stood before him in a black veil, eyes glowing crimson. Her voice echoed like a thousand whispers.
"You killed my brother," she said.
Kael couldn't move.
"You broke the throne."
She stepped closer. "Now I'll break what you have left."
He woke in a cold sweat.
The fire had gone out.
Lyra was already packing supplies.
"Let's move," she said. "If Velda's real, we don't have time to rest."
Road to Bloodfall
They followed the last path carved into Rath's war records—a hidden route leading deep into the eastern frontier, toward a fortress known only as Bloodfall.
The land grew darker the farther they went. Plants twisted unnaturally, animals avoided their presence, and the skies above seemed stuck in permanent twilight.
"We're not walking into a fortress," Merek said grimly. "We're walking into a curse."
Thorn cracked his knuckles. "Good. I missed the smell of danger."
Kael said nothing.
His sword was ready.
His heart, cold.
Velda was waiting.
And she would be the next to fall.
To be continue...