Chapter 3: The Price of Knowledge

Chapter 3: The Price of Knowledge

The woman’s words echoed in Kaelen’s mind, colder and sharper than any winter wind. Your soul is fractured. You’ve already died.

For a paralyzing moment, he could only stare into her silver eyes, seeing a terrifying reflection of his own impossible truth. She knew. How could she possibly know? Was she another like him? Or something else entirely?

But the mystery she presented was a luxury he couldn't afford. The clock was ticking towards apocalypse. Rhys was the mission. Rhys was the only hope.

“Get out of my way,” Kaelen snarled, the words raw with desperation. He pushed past her, his shoulder brushing the strange, star-metal staff. It was unnaturally cold, a touch of the void in the warm morning sun.

“The threads you pull may unravel more than you intend, Scribe,” her chilling whisper followed him down the alley. He didn't look back.

The City Guard barracks was a fortress of order amidst the city's elegant chaos. Its walls were thick, practical stone, devoid of the glowing runes that adorned most of Aethelburg’s architecture. Here, the