The underground smuggling den's air grew thick with tension as distant shouts echoed down the tunnels. Elara, Lira, and Serket had barely caught their breath when the first runes flared to life along the walls—academy enforcers had found their trail. The den's wards cracked under a barrage of suppressive magic, and the heavy iron grate above them groaned open. Torchlight poured in, followed by armored boots.
"End of the line, heretic!" Master Garrick's voice boomed from above. He descended first, his sealed dire wolf snarling at his side, its eyes glowing with the dull red of forced obedience. Behind him came eight more enforcers, each with a different beast: chained falcons, venomous serpents, hulking boars. Nets and crossbows gleamed in their hands.
Elara backed against a crate, her hand instinctively reaching for Serket. The scorpion's tail arched high, venom dripping in slow, deliberate beads. Finally, a real fight, Serket thought, her mental voice laced with eager sarcasm. Let's see if these fools taste better than the last ones.
Lira's fingers flew over her gadget belt, pulling out a handful of smoke orbs and a collapsible crossbow. "We can't hold them all here," she whispered urgently. "Tunnel exit's our only shot."
But the enforcers fanned out, blocking the narrow passageways. Garrick raised his hand, a glowing Command Seal pulsing on his gauntlet. "Surrender the beast, Voss. Your 'voluntary bond' ends tonight. We'll re-seal the Hedetet properly—and you'll face the academy's justice."
Elara's emerald eyes flashed with defiance. "You mean you'll chain her again until she breaks like your wolf? No. She chose me. That's stronger than any seal."
A low growl rippled from the wolf, its muscles twitching under the strain of its rune. Garrick sneered. "Choice? Beasts don't choose. They obey. Attack!"
The enforcers surged forward. Serket met the first wave with a whip of her tail, venom splashing across armor and causing two guards to collapse in convulsions. Lira's smoke bombs detonated, filling the cavern with choking, spice-scented fog. Elara ducked behind crates, heart hammering, while Serket shielded her with sweeping pincers.
But they were outnumbered. A serpent beast struck, its fangs grazing Serket's leg. The scorpion hissed in pain, her movements slowing. Lira fired a bolt from her crossbow, pinning a falcon's wing to the wall, but another enforcer tackled her, pinning her arms.
Elara cried out, "Lira!" She lunged to help, but Garrick's wolf barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. The beast loomed over her, jaws wide.
Time seemed to slow. Then a shadow moved—swift, lethal, and utterly silent.
A sword flashed in the torchlight, cleaving through the wolf's collar in one clean stroke. The Command Seal shattered, the rune flaring and dying. The wolf yelped in confusion, staggering back as the forced bond dissolved. Before Garrick could react, the blade's owner spun, slamming his shoulder into the enforcer's chest and sending him sprawling.
The stranger was tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair cropped short, his face weathered by years of sun and battle. Greek-inspired armor—bronze greaves, a scarred leather cuirass—covered a body built for war. Storm-gray eyes scanned the chaos with cold precision. A short sword in one hand, a round hoplon shield in the other, he moved like a man who had fought a thousand battles and won every one.
"Back off," he growled, voice low and rough, carrying the faint accent of the island archipelagos. "Or I start collecting heads."
The enforcers hesitated, unsure of this new threat. Kairos—though Elara didn't know his name yet—didn't wait. He charged, shield bashing one guard aside, sword parrying a serpent's strike. Serket, recovering, joined the fray with renewed vigor, her pincers snapping at legs and tails. Together they carved a path through the stunned enforcers.
Within moments, the cavern was littered with groaning bodies and broken seals. Garrick, blood trickling from his lip, scrambled back toward the ladder. "This isn't over, Voss! Valerian will hear of this!"
Kairos watched him flee, then sheathed his sword with a sharp click. He turned to the trio, expression hard.
Elara rose slowly, helping Lira to her feet. "Thank you," she said, voice steady despite the adrenaline. "Whoever you are."
Kairos's gaze flicked to Serket, then to the faint glow of the voluntary bond between them. His jaw tightened. "I'm Kairos. And I didn't do it for you." He gestured at the freed wolf, now cowering in a corner, confused and frightened. "I did it because I hate seeing beasts turned into mindless weapons. My family was torn apart by one—raging under a tamer's seal. I watched my sister die screaming while the beast's eyes glowed with that cursed red light. Tamers like you—" he spat the word, "—are no better than the ones who commanded that monster."
Elara flinched, but she met his eyes without flinching. "I'm not like them. I don't use seals. Serket chose me freely. She's not enslaved."
Kairos snorted, his scarred hands flexing. "That's what they all say at first. Until the power corrupts them. I've seen it too many times." He glanced at the wolf again, something like pity crossing his face. "Go, beast. You're free."
The wolf hesitated, then bolted into the tunnels, disappearing into the shadows.
Lira stepped forward, hands raised placatingly. "Look, stranger, we're not your enemy. We're trying to stop the enslavement, not add to it. Elara's the only tamer I've ever met who refuses to force bonds."
Kairos studied Elara for a long moment, gray eyes searching hers. He saw no lie there, but the scars of his past ran deep. "Maybe," he said finally, voice gruff. "But I don't trust tamers. Not anymore."
Elara nodded slowly. "I understand. But thank you anyway. You saved our lives."
Kairos shrugged, already turning to leave. "Don't thank me. Just stay out of my way."
He started up the ladder, but paused halfway. Without looking back, he added, "If you're really different… prove it. Don't become what I hate."
Then he was gone, boots echoing into the darkness.
Elara exhaled, the weight of his words settling on her shoulders. Serket nudged her gently with a pincer. Grumpy, but he's got good instincts. And a nice swing with that sword.
Lira chuckled despite everything. "Well, that was dramatic. But he's right about one thing—we need to get moving. The academy will send more than enforcers next time."
Elara stared at the ladder where Kairos had vanished, a strange warmth stirring in her chest amid the fear and exhaustion. "Yeah," she murmured. "But I think we'll see him again."
As they slipped deeper into the tunnels, heading toward the coastal ruins of Dvarakara, Elara felt the first faint thread of something new. Not just a bond with a beast—but the possibility of something human, too. Slow, wary, and full of old wounds.
But the path ahead was long, and the world needed changing.