By dawn, Kael was introduced to the Grave-Wardens: a small, disciplined group tasked with burning the dead before they could rise. Kael watched, fascinated and repulsed, as corpses were carried to pyres, soul-light visible even in the smoke. Each body was handled with care and ritual, a practiced dance between death and survival.
Varen, the Warden in charge, tested him by showing a corpse still quivering with life. Kael's stomach lurched. The Wardens' discipline contrasted sharply with his newfound power; they burned the dead without taking the soul, a discipline Kael could not yet comprehend.
He lingered at the pyres, feeling the tug of temptation. Every soul that flared against the ashes called to him. For the first time, Kael wondered if the dead whispered because they sought release, or if he sought them for something darker.