hrough the still water meadows, over the mountain chain, across the Titanwoods, and far away at the heart of Farkath, within a majestic stone building, a fist slammed down on the table, followed by an almost-roar of fury.
"Why do the people of Farkath know about the assassination attempt on Syleena?"
The man looked around at the people seated around the table. No one dared to raise their head to meet his eyes.
As the silence stretched on, his anger only grew.
He rose sharply to his feet, his chair scraping harshly against the stone floor, before sitting back down with a heavy thud.
Quiet rumors had begun to spread about how Velthoria had attempted to assassinate the heir of the Eireindaile family.
Rumors alone were not frightening, but everything started somewhere. No one could predict what these whispers might grow into.
More importantly, there should not have been any rumors at all.
The assassination was meant to be a quiet agreement between Valthorne and Eireindaile, known only to a select few.
Yet now it seemed the public had started to catch on.
The head of the family needed answers.
Finally, someone dared to speak up.
"Sir, there should not have been any mistakes on our side. Perhaps Valthorne did something?"
Tarric only grew angrier at the reply.He slammed his fist down on the table again, this time with even more force.The heavy stone surface shook, a few glasses tipping over as cracks spread out like a spider web.
"I know that," he growled, his teeth clenched tightly.
"But why would they spread information about their own failed assassination?"
He gritted his teeth harder, his voice low and sharp.
"If the Valthorne had succeeded in killing Syleena, none of this would have happened.
Those worthless bastards."
A young man cleared his throat and spoke.
"I know what you mean, but you know how hard Syleena can be to deal with."
Tarric did not respond.
He only stared at the young man with cold hazel eyes, full of killing intent.
The young man lowered his head, his voice shaking.
"I apologize."
Of course Tarric knew how gifted Syleena was.
She was his own daughter.
He had seen it himself from the moment she first began to walk, the sharpness in her gaze, the way she listened more than she spoke.
She had been born with strength, with cunning, traits that any family head would wish for.
But those same traits made her difficult to control.
And that was what mattered now.
Tarric exhaled, forcing his anger down, before continuing.
"Any news from Torin?"
A quick response came from one of the men seated around the table.
"Yes, sir, but he has not made any progress so far. However, the news about the failed assassination attempt has not only reached Farkath, I am afraid."
Tarric's eyes sharpened as the man continued.
"Two factions seem to be forming among the public..."
The man proceeded to explain the growing unrest within Velthorne.
With each word, Tarric's expression darkened further.
He raised his hand to massage his temples.
"Seems like Valthorne themselves are not behind the leaked information after all."
Even if the two families were not in each other's favor, Valthorne would not risk their own stability just to throw a punch at Eireindaile.
There had to be a third party working in the background.
Tarric sighed, finally having calmed down.
"We are done here. Go on, leave. Make sure this does not escalate any further."
All the men lowered their heads slightly before leaving, one after another.
Tarric rose to his feet and walked to the window, overlooking Farkath.
As he looked out over the thriving city, he could not help but feel a little disheartened, uncertain.
If things escalated here and reached the same level as in Velthoria, the Eireindaile would be worse off than Valthorne.
Even though the situation in Velthoria seemed chaotic, and perhaps it truly was, there was still one advantage Valthorne held — the anger of the people was not directed at them.
All of their fury was focused on the Eireindaile.
But here, in Farkath?
If unrest took hold, it would be a different story.
The people would not only protest for separation or a break in trade with Velthoria.
When they realized the Eireindaile had tried to eliminate one of their own daughters, they would rise against the family itself.
Even if the Eireindaile possessed the power to crush the people or wipe them out entirely, it was not a viable solution.
Wiping them out would stagger the family's growth for generations.
And silencing them, while possible, would not erase the damage.
One would be surprised how little it took for people to stop working, to slow the flow of a city in protest.
Even if production did not grind to a complete halt, it would slow to a crawl.
Trade would weaken, deals would collapse, and connections would quietly die off.
The lifeblood of Farkath would dry up, and with it, the strength of the Eireindaile.
"But who could the third party be? Another noble family?"
Tarric, rubbed the white hairs on his chin as he thought.
It was a possibility, without a doubt.
Even though no official wars were being fought, every noble family took any chance they could to weaken their fellow houses if it meant standing in a stronger position themselves.
In the world of nobles, survival was not about alliances or loyalty.
It was about seizing opportunity, no matter the cost to others.
—
Deep within the forest surrounding Velthoria, Kael sat hunched down in a bush, not moving in the slightest as he carefully observed his surroundings.
The leaves rustled gently in the wind, and the low buzzing of bumblebees filled the air as they floated from flower to flower, collecting nectar.
Now and then, small legs brushed against Kael's face as insects crawled over him, but he remained completely still.
A strong metallic odor lingered in the air, heavy and sharp.
These last few days, Kael had been walking into the forest with nothing but bait and his patience, waiting quietly for his target to appear.
So far, he had no luck.
'The Wolf Tiger. It's fangs, an ingredient required for the mote recipe.
A wolf-like creature with two long sabre teeth, found in most forests, but an extremely cautious predator.
Even though they prefer live prey, they would not pass up an easy meal.'
Kael skimmed through all the information he had gathered on the animal in his mind, reviewing every detail with care.
Time stretched on, the forest holding its breath.
Then, suddenly, the silence was broken as a few leaves began to rustle.
Kael held his breath, his body tense.
Soon, a form started to emerge from the dense undergrowth.
With careful steps, an animal crept through the forest, placing its paws to avoid stepping on any branches that might crack beneath its weight.
The closer it drew, the clearer it became.
Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air, searching for the source of the scent.
'Finally. Here.'
Kael's gaze was cold and focused, his mind as still as a tranquil lake.
His time was limited.
He could not afford to lose this opportunity, could not let unnecessary thoughts cloud his judgment.
The beast was tall, standing higher than Kael even on all fours.
If it rose onto its hind legs, it would easily tower over him twice over.
Yet despite its massive size, it moved with the grace of a born predator, its every step silent and planned.
From its mouth, two long sabre teeth curved downward, nearly as long as Kael's arm, glinting faintly in the filtered sunlight.
As the beast closed in, Kael steadily moved his hand down to pick up the knife he had placed on the ground, producing no sound.
At the same time, he began to pour his thoughts into the titanwood stalker mote, making his presence fade.
The beast circled the meat a few times, cautious, checking every corner, every angle.
It sniffed the air, then the ground, moving in carefully.
After a long while, it finally lowered its head to take its first bite.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
With a swift movement, he cut the rope lying next to him.
Instantly, a heavy weight dropped, and a loop shot up from beneath the beast.
At the same moment he cut the rope, Kael launched himself forward.
Using all his strength, he sprang out from his hiding place, the leaves beneath him exploding into the air as he moved.
Even though all of it happened in only a fraction of a second, the beast's instincts were superb.
The moment Kael cut the rope, it flinched violently, jumping into the air.
Kael had originally planned to trap both of its hind legs, but its reaction had been too fast.
The rope caught only one of its legs, tightening loosely as the beast twisted away.
Kael's gaze sharpened as he closed in.
It had moved too much.
It was completely turned around, and no longer where he had intended to strike.
At an arm's length away, Kael lunged forward, thrusting his dagger.
The beast growled and leapt, panicking at the sudden attack, and Kael's blade missed.
Kael scoffed as the blade grazed the beast.
He flew past the wolf, his arm stretched uselessly into the empty air.
For a brief moment, their eyes locked — the beast's dark gaze sharp and unflinching, mere centimeters from his own.
Realizing his mistake, Kael forced himself to a halt, dirt kicking up beneath his feet as he braked.
Without wasting a breath, he shot forward again, reaching out with his empty hand toward the beast's throat, a golden light already forming at the center of his palm.
As if the wolf's instincts had screamed at it to move, it whipped its head sharply to the side.
In the blink of an eye, a golden rod shot out from Kael's palm, reaching its full length in a fraction of a second before bursting into golden sparks and vanishing into the air.
He had missed again.
The beast, without pausing, threw its weight backward with terrifying speed.
Kael raised his arm to block, but compared to the massive creature, he was little more than an ant.
The impact hit him full on.
The bones in his arm creaked under the stress, but held.
However, Kael's own weight was not enough to absorb the force.
The moment the blow landed, he was sent flying backward, thrown through the air uncontrollably like a broken leaf caught in a storm.
He twisted through the air like a ragdoll, the forest around him spinning into an unrecognizable blur.
The trees, sky, and ground all merged into a mess of color and movement.
With no sense of direction, Kael gritted his teeth and used all his strength to shield his head, bracing for impact.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
He crashed through two trees, wood splintering all around him, before finally slamming into a third.
Splinters exploded outward like sharp fragments, and a deafening crack echoed through the forest like a burst of thunder.
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, dust and broken leaves hanging in the air around him like a mist.
Huff. Huff.
At the final impact, the air was ripped from his lungs.
Kael lay sprawled on the ground, his mind unable to form a single clear thought as he desperately fought to breathe.
His lungs convulsed, grasping helplessly for air.
Time lost all meaning as he struggled, the world spinning into a haze.
HOAH—
A sharp gasp tore from his throat as he finally managed to draw a breath.
Bit by bit, the forest began to take shape around him again.
The ground separated from the sky, trees gained their edges.
Kael turned onto his stomach, forcing himself up onto all fours.
Blood streamed down his face, dripping onto the dirt below.
After a few seconds, his right arm gave out beneath him, and he collapsed back to the ground with a heavy thud.
He lay there, motionless, until his mind finally began to piece itself back together.
'My right arm is dislocated.'
His eyes snapped open.
'Not good.'
Summoning all his strength, Kael pushed himself upright, trembling under his own weight.
He gritted his teeth so hard it felt as if they might shatter, and grabbed his limp arm.
Without hesitation, he yanked it back into place with all the force his Luminaire strength could muster.
A loud snap echoed through the forest.
Kael let out a raw, pained groan, staggering before collapsing against a nearby tree. He slumped down, blood dripping from his chin.
Just like Kael, the Wolf Tiger had begun to understand the situation.
The moment it saw Kael's broken state, it bared its teeth, the fur along its back rising.
Kael looked up, locking eyes with the beast.
The instant their gazes met, it broke into a sprint toward him.
Kael noticed everything, but his battered body would not react fast enough.
He clenched his jaw, crimson streaming down his paper-pale face.
As the beast charged, it suddenly jerked violently, twisting its body in a wrong, unnatural way before collapsing to the ground with a gutteral yelp of pain.
It thrashed, biting at its own ankle as if some invisible agony tore through it.
Kael's eyes widened for a heartbeat, then turned ice-cold.
He forced himself into a sprint.
His legs struggled beneath him, stumbling once and drawing a sharp pained groan from his throat.
But he pushed through, regaining his footing and driving himself forward.
As the Wolf Tiger writhed and whimpered uncontrollably, Kael wasted no time.
Mustering all his strength, he leapt onto its back.
The beast immediately forgot its pain and shaked its body with all its might, trying to throw him off.
Kael clung to it with everything he had, digging his fingers deep into the flesh at the base of its neck.
Blood welled up between his fingers as he tore into it, refusing to be thrown off, his jaw locked tight with brutal determination.
Wasting no time, a pale yellow light began to form beneath Kael's hand, still buried deep in the beast's flesh.
In the same instant, a golden rod shot out from his palm, piercing the Wolf Tiger's neck and exiting just beside its windpipe.
The beast twitched hard, almost leaping off the ground, as it let out a deafening whimper.
Kael let out a low growl deep in his throat.
Not knowing if it was a killing blow, he immediately reached for the wolf's head.
Unsure if he could pierce its skull, he placed his palm directly in front of the beast's eye.
Another golden rod shot out at tremendous speed, driving through the soft tissue of the eye, tearing into the brain, and gruesomely exiting through its lower jaw.
At the same moment, the Wolf Tiger went limp, collapsing into the ground as if its bones had vanished.
As the beast slumped toward the ground, Kael let himself roll off its back, landing heavily on the dirt.
His breathing was ragged and uneven.
The world still spun around him, but at least now he could distinguish shapes and objects from the chaos.
Just this once, he allowed himself to rest, letting the weight of exhaustion settle over him without interruption from other thoughts, as the world gradually darkened around him.