Kael didn't breathe. Couldn't.
The figure stepping through the smoke was impossible—
wrong in every way, yet undeniably familiar.
Lord Aric Varyn.
His father.
Dead. Buried.
And standing six feet in front of him.
His black armor gleamed with fresh etchings of silver sigils, pulsing like living veins. His eyes—once cold obsidian—were now brighter, metallic, touched with something inhuman.
Kael's voice broke.
"…You're dead."
Aric smiled thinly. "Death is a door, son. You simply never learned how to open it."
Lira stepped closer to Kael, her hand brushing his.
He didn't pull away.
He couldn't take his eyes off the man who'd shaped his nightmares.
"How?" Kael growled.
Aric's gaze flicked to Lira. "She opened the way."
Lira froze. "Me?"
"You broke the heartstone," Aric said calmly. "And freed what was inside."
He looked at Kael. "Your mother's echo was the key. Her release… woke me."
Kael stiffened. "Don't. Don't speak like she helped you."
Aric laughed lightly. "But she did. Even in death, she is my greatest ally."
Something inside Kael snapped. Shadows pooled at his feet, but Lira squeezed his hand—just for a second—and the darkness steadied.
Aric's brows lifted. "Ah. The bond. How poetic. My heir chaining himself to a construct."
Lira flinched.
Kael stepped in front of her.
"You talk about her again," he said softly, "and I'll tear out whatever soul you brought back with you."
Aric's smile deepened. "Listen to yourself. So much fire. So much of her in you."
Then his tone shifted—sharp, commanding.
"We are leaving, Kael. The Council demands your surrender. They will forgive you only if I bring you myself."
Kael's fists clenched. "Forgive? For what? Their lies? Their hunters?"
"For defying your fate," Aric murmured.
Lira whispered, "Don't listen—"
Aric's gaze snapped to her.
"Quiet, vessel."
The word hit like a slap.
Kael's shadows surged uncontrollably. "She's not a vessel."
"She is exactly that." Aric's voice cut like a blade. "Your mother created her as a tool. A container. Nothing more."
Lira's breath hitched—pain, shame, anger—Kael felt all of it through the bond.
He snarled. "You don't get to define her."
Aric raised a brow. "Then let her show us what she is."
---
Without warning, Aric waved a hand—
and Lira collapsed.
"Lira!" Kael caught her before she hit the ground. Her body trembled, eyes glowing a fractured blue.
Her voice cracked. "Kael—I can't—he's—inside my head—"
Kael turned on his father, rage igniting his veins. "Let her go!"
Aric's tone was almost bored. "Relax. I merely awakened what sleeps in her."
Lira screamed.
Her hands clutched her temples, power rippling off her like heat from a wildfire.
Glass pillars around them cracked.
Runes flickered.
The air warped.
Kael held her tighter, whispering, "Stay with me, stay with me—"
Her body arched as memory slammed into her mind—memories not hers.
A woman's voice whispered through her:
"Rise, my child."
Kael felt it through the bond.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
Uncoiling.
He looked up at his father. "You're waking her—why?"
Aric clasped his hands behind his back, as if lecturing a student.
"Because the Shadow Queen cannot return without her vessel awakened. And once she rises, Nocturne bends."
Kael stared in horror. "You want her back."
"Of course," Aric said softly. "Your mother and I built an empire. Together. We will restore it—through you."
Kael stepped back, pulling Lira into his arms. "No. You won't touch her."
Aric's eyes softened with mock compassion. "You care for her. Truly? Even knowing what she carries?"
Kael's throat tightened. He didn't look away from Lira.
"Yes."
Aric exhaled. "Then she will destroy you."
---
The floor shattered beneath them.
Spikes of glass tore upward like teeth. Kael shielded Lira with his body as the world exploded around them. She whimpered, trembling violently, the bond pulsing erratic and painful.
"Kael," she gasped, "I can't hold it—"
"I've got you," he whispered, clutching her tighter.
Aric's voice thundered:
"Surrender, Kael. Before she burns you alive."
Kael lifted his head—eyes glowing with power.
"No."
He unleashed the bond.
Shadows rippled out from him in a wide, violent arc—
not black, but streaked with Lira's blue fire.
Their combined power collided with Aric in a shockwave that shook the entire sanctum.
Aric staggered—
just a step—
but it was the first time Kael had ever seen him move unwillingly.
His father wiped blood from his lip.
Impressed.
And furious.
"So," Aric murmured. "That's how powerful you've become."
Lira sagged against Kael, weak, trembling, eyes unfocused.
He picked her up—one arm under her legs, the other cradling her back.
Her head fell against his shoulder.
Kael faced his father.
"I'm not going with you."
Aric didn't blink. "Then you force my hand."
Kael's shadows rose defensively—
but Aric smirked.
"I'm not here to kill you, son."
He snapped his fingers.
The sanctum's doors burst open.
Dozens of armored figures flooded in—
their armor black stone, eyes glowing silver.
The Umbracast.
The Council's elite enforcers.
Kael tightened his grip on Lira and backed away, heart hammering.
Aric lifted a hand.
"Bring them."
The Umbracast advanced.
Kael whispered into Lira's hair, "Hold on. I'm getting us out."
"I trust you," she breathed, barely conscious.
The words hit him harder than any blow.
He grabbed her hand—
the bond flared—
and shadows swallowed them both.
---
They burst into a collapsing side corridor, crashing onto cold stone. Lira groaned softly, clutching her chest.
Kael cupped her face.
"Look at me."
Her lashes fluttered.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to lose control—"
"You didn't," he said. "He forced you."
Her breath trembled. "There's something inside me, Kael. Something your mother left. And it's waking."
Kael rested his forehead against hers.
"I won't let it take you."
"You might not have a choice."
He clenched her hands in his.
"I'll find a way. I swear it."
Her eyes glistened, full of fear and something deeper—
a fragile, aching tenderness.
"Kael…"
Her voice broke on his name.
Before he could respond—
the corridor shook.
The Umbracast were coming.
Kael pulled her into his arms again.
"We're leaving the sanctum. Now. I don't care where we run—as long as it's together."
She nodded weakly, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.
And Kael, heir of shadows, fled into the ruins of the undercity with the only person he'd ever chosen to protect—
as his father's army hunted them through the dark.