The chamber shook with the roar of demons. Blades clashed, magic flared, and the walls echoed with screams. Kael shoved Elira and Sora behind him, his wolf snarling at his side, its golden eyes blazing. Vale fought like a man possessed, his sword flashing with arcs of light. Mira unleashed bolts of fire, the walls glowing with their heat. Thrain's hammer cracked skulls, each strike thunderous.
Finnick darted between enemies, twin daggers flashing. "Left, Kael!" he shouted, cutting down a demon lunging for Kael's blind side.
Joren swung his heavy club, smashing another into the wall. "Not bad for a gambler," he grunted, blood spraying across his face.
Kael barely heard them. His entire focus was on keeping his sisters alive. Every blow he struck, every shield of wind he cast, was to keep the demons from reaching them. His chest burned, his blood boiled, his vision blurred red.
The wolf tore through a vampire's throat, its fur spattered crimson. Its growls shook the stone.
And still they came.
Vale shouted over the clash. "To the western hall! Now!"
The team began to push, step by step, fighting toward the passage. Kael guided his sisters, his body their shield, his magic flaring in bursts that split the air.
For a moment, he thought they might make it. For a moment, there was hope.
Then the chamber fell silent.
The demons stopped. They drew back, their eyes flicking toward the doorway. The air grew colder. The torches dimmed, their flames shrinking as if afraid.
A voice slid through the silence. Low. Mocking.
"Going somewhere?"
Kael froze.
From the shadows of the hall, Malakar emerged.
The Demon-Lord's commander stood tall, his form wrapped in black armor etched with runes that glowed faintly red. His horns curled like blades, his eyes pits of fire. His presence filled the chamber, pressing down like a weight on every chest.
In his clawed hands, he held four children.
They could not have been older than seven. Their bodies were frail, their eyes hollow with fear. Chains bound their wrists, and dark sigils crawled across their skin. Malakar held them effortlessly, as if they weighed nothing.
Kael's blood turned to fire.
"Let them go!" he roared.
Malakar's lips curled in a smile. "So eager. So righteous. Tell me, boy, will you abandon them as you abandoned your sisters for so long? Or will you risk everything for strangers?"
Vale stepped forward, his sword raised. "Do not listen to him. This is a trap."
Malakar ignored him. His eyes locked on Kael. "Choose. Take your sisters and flee, or stay and save these children. You cannot do both."
Kael's heart pounded, his hands trembling. He looked at Elira and Sora, clinging to him, their eyes wide with terror. He looked at the children in Malakar's grasp, their lips trembling, their tears silent.
His vision blurred red. "I will not leave them."
Vale grabbed his arm. "Kael, no! You are not ready. He will break you."
Kael ripped free. "Then let him try."
With a roar, Kael surged forward.
His body burned, his blood screaming. His vision sharpened, his muscles coiled with unnatural strength. For the first time, horns flickered faintly at his brow, claws sprouting from his hands. His demon side pushed through, his humanity straining to hold it back.
The wolf leapt with him, its jaws bared, its growls deafening.
Kael's blade clashed against Malakar's armor, sparks flying. He struck again and again, each blow shaking the air, his magic flaring with every strike. Wind burst around him, slicing stone, shattering chains.
But Malakar did not move. He parried lazily, each block effortless. His smile widened with every failed strike.
"Is this all?" Malakar mocked. "Your father struck harder. Your mother struck truer. And yet both fell. Did you truly think you were more?"
Kael roared and swung with all his might. His blade struck Malakar's chest. The sound rang like steel on steel. The Demon-Lord's commander did not even flinch.
Malakar's hand shot out, seizing Kael by the throat. He lifted him into the air like a doll. "Pathetic."
Kael clawed at his grip, his blood burning, his vision fading. The wolf lunged, sinking its fangs into Malakar's arm. The demon shook it off like an insect, slamming it into the wall.
Elira screamed. Sora sobbed. The team surged forward, but Malakar's aura blasted them back, their bodies slamming against the stone.
"Watch, boy," Malakar said, his voice low, cruel. "Watch, and understand the truth of weakness."
He raised his other hand. Dark energy crackled between his claws. The four children screamed.
Kael's eyes widened. "No! Please!"
The energy surged.
The children's bodies convulsed, their eyes rolling back, their cries fading into silence. One by one, their life-force was ripped from them, glowing threads of light torn free and swallowed by Malakar's hand. Their small bodies went limp, chains clattering as they fell lifeless to the stone.
Kael's scream tore through the chamber. His demon side surged, his power erupting, shattering the floor beneath him. His eyes burned crimson, his claws tearing into Malakar's arm. But the commander only laughed, dropping him to the ground like broken glass.
"This is your fate," Malakar said coldly. "To watch. To fail. To break."
Kael's body trembled, his spirit crushed. He could not breathe. The children's faces burned into his mind, their screams echoing in his skull. His sisters sobbed behind him, their chains rattling as they clung to each other.
Vale pulled himself to his feet, his voice hoarse. "Kael, fall back! Now!"
But Kael did not move. He could not. His body was broken. His spirit was shattered.
Malakar raised his clawed hand again, the dark energy gathering once more. "Next, I take you."
The chamber reeked of death. The children's bodies lay limp on the stone, their chains rattling softly as the last of their lives faded. Kael knelt in the center, his hands trembling, his claws still half-formed. His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision a haze of red. The wolf limped back to its side, blood staining its white fur.
Malakar's shadow loomed over him. The Demon-Lord's commander raised his clawed hand again, black energy pulsing like a heartbeat. "Enough games. You will serve me, boy. Or you will die here."
Kael's lips moved, his voice barely a whisper. "I will… never… serve you."
Malakar's smile was cold. "Then you will break."
He struck.
The blast of dark energy tore through the chamber. Vale threw himself forward, his sword raised, his wards sparking desperately. Mira screamed an incantation, her fire surging against the wave. Thrain swung his hammer with all his might, shattering stone. Selena and Galen flung wards of light. Finnick and Joren stood shoulder to shoulder, blades and club raised, defiance in their eyes despite their terror.
But it was not enough.
The wave of darkness surged closer, swallowing light, bending the air. Kael clenched his fists, powerless, broken. He saw his sisters clinging to each other, sobbing. He saw Vale, Mira, and Thrain all straining and failing.
Then, the world froze.
A sound cut the chamber, not a roar, not a cry, but a single note, pure and sharp, like a bell struck in the void.
The wave of darkness halted in midair, its black flames hissing. Malakar's eyes narrowed. "What"
The air shimmered. At the edge of the chamber, a figure appeared.
Cloaked in white and gray, their face shadowed by a hood, their hands glowing with runes Kael did not recognize. The stranger moved with calm steps, their presence neither heavy like a demon's nor radiant like a sorcerer's. It was something else entirely, something that bent the air itself.
Malakar's eyes narrowed. "You."
The figure said nothing. They raised one hand. Symbols flared in the air, circles within circles, spinning like constellations. The wave of darkness shattered, breaking apart into harmless sparks that dissolved into smoke.
Vale staggered back, his eyes wide. "Impossible"
The stranger's other hand lifted. A rune circle expanded beneath Kael and the others, the lines of light snaking under their feet. Kael felt the ground tremble, reality itself bending.
Malakar roared. "You will not take him from me!" He lunged, his claws striking down.
The stranger whispered a single word.
The world tore open.
Light engulfed them. Kael felt his body yanked upward, weightless, his sisters clutched tight in his arms. The wolf pressed against him, its growl vibrating in his chest. Around him, his allies screamed, not in pain, but in shock as their bodies were flung through space itself.
For a heartbeat, he saw Malakar's face, twisted with fury. Then it vanished, swallowed by the light.
The next moment, Kael crashed to the ground.
He gasped for air. The chamber was gone. The fortress was gone. They lay sprawled across a barren plain, the sky gray and cold, the smell of sulfur still faint in the air. Vale lay beside him, his cloak torn. Mira was on her knees, gasping. Thrain coughed blood, his hammer still in his grip. Selena pulled Galen to his feet. Finnick and Joren groaned, tangled in each other, swearing loudly.
Kael's sisters clung to him, sobbing. The wolf limped close, its fur bristled, its eyes still glowing.
The stranger stood a few paces away. Their cloak billowed in the wind, their hood still shadowing their face. They looked at Kael for a long moment. Kael felt the weight of that gaze, neither kind nor cruel, but measuring.
"Who are you?" Kael demanded, his voice raw.
The figure said nothing. Their runes flickered once, then died.
Vale staggered forward. "Answer him. Why did you save us?"
The figure turned, their movements fluid, almost otherworldly. For a moment, Kael thought they might finally speak. Instead, they raised a hand in farewell. The runes sparked once more, and in a blink, they were gone.
The plain fell silent.
Kael's chest heaved. He looked down at Elira and Sora, their frail bodies trembling in his arms. Their eyes were wide, their lips cracked, but they were alive.
Alive.
But the memory of the children's faces burned in his mind. Their screams echoed in his skull. He clenched his fists until his claws cut his palms. Blood dripped onto the dirt.
He had saved his sisters. But he had failed the others.
His wolf pressed its muzzle against his arm, whining softly. Kael bowed his head, tears blurring his vision.
Vale's voice broke the silence. "We cannot stay here. Patrols will be searching. We move now."
No one argued. They were alive, but shattered.
They traveled in silence for hours, the weight of the mission pressing heavily on their shoulders. Even Finnick said nothing, his usual grin gone. Joren's hands shook as he tightened his grip on his club. Mira's eyes burned like fire beneath her veil. Selena kept close to Kael, her hand brushing his arm, a silent comfort.
Only Vale spoke, his voice sharp. "That was no accident. Malakar let us find them. He wanted Kael. He wanted him broken. And he nearly succeeded."
Kael said nothing. His sisters leaned against him, their breaths shallow. His wolf walked at his side, never straying.
The memory of the stranger lingered. Their calm, their power, their silence. Who were they? Why had Malakar known them? And why had they left without a word?
Questions swirled, but answers did not come.
By the time the team reached the safety of the cliffs beyond the Demon City, the sky was dark with storm. They found a hollow where the rocks shielded them from the wind. Mira warded the entrance, Thrain lit a small fire, and Vale collapsed onto a stone with a groan.
Kael sat apart, his sisters in his arms, his eyes fixed on the flames. His wolf rested against his legs, its warmth steady.
Selena came to him, kneeling at his side. "You did what you could," she said softly.
Kael's voice was hoarse. "I was powerless. He killed them in front of me. And I… I could not stop him."
Selena touched his hand. "You saved your sisters. That matters."
Kael shook his head. "Not enough. It will never be enough."
The flames crackled, and the storm rumbled overhead.
In the silence that followed, Kael made a vow. Not out loud, but in his heart.
One day, he would stand before Malakar again. And one day, he would not be powerless.
The gates of Haven opened in silence when the strike team returned. There were no cheers, no raised banners, no songs of victory. The guards on the walls only watched with wide eyes as Kael staggered through, his sisters clutched in his arms, their frail bodies wrapped in torn cloaks.
Behind him limped the others. Vale walked with his head bowed, blood still staining his cloak. Mira's veil was scorched, her eyes blazing with fury. Thrain leaned on his hammer as though it were the only thing holding him upright. Finnick and Joren stumbled together, neither speaking, their usual banter dead on their lips. Selena walked beside her brother, her hand on Galen Cassian arm to steady him. Even the wolf, normally proud, walked low to the ground, its fur matted with blood.
The city watched in silence as the survivors passed. Whispers followed them, sharp as knives.
"They went into the Demon City"
"Did they succeed?"
"Why do they look so broken?"
Kael did not hear. His world was only the weight of his sisters in his arms, their shallow breaths against his chest.
In the council chamber, the silence was broken by a storm.
Darius Vale stood at the head of the table, his voice hard. "Kareth was the traitor. He raised the alarm. He nearly doomed us all. His betrayal will not be forgotten."
Commanders of the Rebellion shouted in outrage. Some called for blood, others demanded answers. "How many more traitors hide among us?" one asked. "If the Holy Land's rot reaches even here, can Haven survive?"
Darius Vale's fist slammed onto the table. "Enough. We survived. We brought them back. But do not fool yourselves, Malakar, let us go. He could have ended us. He did not. That should terrify you more than Kareth's betrayal."
The room fell into uneasy silence.
Kael stood apart, his back against the wall, his sisters resting on cots brought into the chamber. His eyes were distant, fixed on nothing. He heard Vale's words, but they did not matter. All he could see were the children's faces as their life was drained. All he could hear were their screams.
Later, when the chamber emptied, Vale approached him.
"You saved them," Vale said quietly, nodding toward Elira and Sora. "Do not forget that."
Kael's voice was raw. "I failed."
Vale's eyes narrowed. "You lived. They lived. That is more than most can say."
Kael turned his gaze on him, eyes burning faintly red. Four children died in front of me. He killed them to break me. And he did."
The wolf pressed against his leg, sensing his rage. Vale placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then use that pain. Let it sharpen you, not drown you."
Kael pulled away. "I am not strong enough."
Vale's gaze darkened. "Then perhaps it is time you met someone who can make you strong."
That night, Vale led Kael to the lower halls of Haven, where the cells lay. The air was damp, the torches burning dimly. Behind one set of iron bars sat a man, his body scarred, his hair long and streaked with gray. His eyes glowed faintly, one golden, one crimson. Chains bound his wrists, though even in rags, he radiated power.
When he looked up, Vale's composure cracked.
"Master," he whispered.
Kael stared. "Master?"
Vale stepped forward, his voice unsteady for the first time Kael had ever heard. "Kael… this man is Eryndor Darius Kaelorin. My teacher. And your father's sworn brother."
Kael's breath caught. "My father's what?"
Eryndor Kaelorin rose slowly, the chains clinking. His voice was deep, rough from years of silence, but steady. "Your father and I fought side by side in the Great War. We swore oaths together. I never thought I would live to see his son."
Kael's chest tightened. "You knew him."
"I did more than know him," Eryndor Kaelorin said, stepping close to the bars. "I bled with him. I laughed with him. I watched him carve hope from despair. And I swore I would protect his line. Yet here I am, broken, while his son suffers." His eyes hardened. "That ends now."
Vale's voice steadied. "He was enslaved in the Demon City. We freed him. And now, Kael, he will train you. Properly. No more half measures. No more fear."
Kael's fists trembled. "What if I cannot? What if I fail again?"
Eryndor Kaelorin's eyes bore into him, fierce and unyielding. "Then you will rise again. And again. Until you do not fail. Your father would expect nothing less."
In the days that followed, Kael's despair did not fade, but it shifted. Eryndor began to train him the moment his chains were struck loose. He taught not only blade and sorcery, but control.
"Your demon blood is not a curse," Eryndor said during one lesson, his fists striking against Kael's, forcing him to block. "It is power. But power is nothing without restraint. You must command it, not fear it."
Kael's claws flickered at his fingertips, his breath ragged. "Every time I touch it, I lose myself."
"Then you have not touched it properly," Eryndor growled. His hand slammed Kael to the ground. "Your father did not fear his fire. He wielded it. And so will you."
The wolf growled beside them, as if agreeing.
But while Kael trained, his sisters weakened.
At first, it was only faintness, their steps unsteady. But soon, their skin grew pale, their breaths shallow. The healers worked tirelessly, weaving wards and mixing herbs, but nothing held.
One night, Elira clutched Kael's hand, her voice trembling. "It hurts when we move further from the city. It feels like something is pulling us back."
Sora whispered, "Like we are chained still."
The healers spoke quietly to Vale. Their words carried fear. "It is a curse. Their life-force is bound to the Demon City. The further they go, the more it drains them. If it is not broken soon, it will wither."
Kael's world tilted. He had carried them from the fortress. He had sworn they were safe. And now, even in Haven, death still clung to them.
The Rebellion grew restless. Rumors spread of Kareth's betrayal. Some whispered that Haven itself was no longer safe. Others demanded Kael be sent away, fearing his demon blood would draw Malakar's wrath.
Galen confronted Kael openly in the training yard. "Your presence endangers us all. How many more must die before you see it?"
Kael's rage flared, but Selena stepped between them, her voice sharp. "Enough. He is not the enemy."
Galen's eyes narrowed. "Then who is?" He turned and walked away, his cloak snapping behind him.
Kael stood shaking, his fists clenched. His wolf growled low, sensing the storm in him.
That night, Kael sat with his sisters, their hands cold in his. He whispered, "I will not let this curse take you. I swear it."
Elira smiled weakly. "You always swore things you could not keep."
Sora's voice was soft, but fierce. "Then this time, keep it."
Kael bowed his head, tears falling onto their hands.
In the shadows, Eryndor watched. His eyes burned with memory, with pain, but also with resolve. Quietly, he murmured to Vale, "He will need more than training. He will need allies. The curse cannot be broken alone."
Vale nodded grimly. "Then we will seek them. Even if it means walking into kingdoms that hate us."