The night air reeked of blood and fire.
Caius stood frozen atop the crumbling rooftop, his breath caught somewhere between disbelief and sheer panic. The battle had begun without them. The plan had been to strike three days from now—to prepare, to gather their forces, to make the first move.
Instead, the city streets below had already erupted into war.
Smoke curled into the air, thick and suffocating, mingling with the metallic stench of death. The once-quiet districts of Evernight were painted in firelight, illuminating the chaos below. Rebel soldiers clashed with the Hollow Legion, blades flashing, armor breaking. Screams—of pain, of fury—rippled through the streets.
Selene stood beside him, her body tense, her daggers clenched in white-knuckled fists.
"Caius," she said, her voice low, urgent. "What the hell just happened?"
He tried to answer. He couldn't.
His mind was still spiraling—how much time had passed? They had been inside the Veil for minutes, maybe an hour. But here… days had slipped by without them.
He clenched his jaw, his heart pounding.
The Veil played with time.
And now, because of it, they were already losing.
A deafening boom shattered through the streets below.
Caius's head snapped toward the sound just in time to see the first gate collapse.
The rebels had tried to hold it. He saw them—bodies scrambling over broken barricades, arrows raining from above, magic flaring in desperate bursts. But the Hollow Legion was a tide that could not be stopped. Their forces swarmed the streets, black armor gleaming, silver-masked faces devoid of emotion.
And leading them—
Caius's stomach dropped.
A Black Flame Knight.
The figure moved with terrifying precision, wreathed in hellfire, cutting through the rebels like they were nothing. Every step left charred bodies in its wake.
A soldier tried to strike from behind. The Black Flame Knight turned without hesitation—one effortless swing of its blade, and the man crumpled.
Selene inhaled sharply. "That's not just any knight."
Caius already knew.
He had heard the name whispered before.
Calrix, the Hollow King's Executioner.
The battlefield belonged to him.
And the rebels didn't stand a chance.
Caius forced himself to breathe.
Panic wouldn't help. Fear wouldn't change the battle below.
They had to move. Now.
"We need to find Elias," he said, turning to Selene. "If the battle started without us, it means something changed. We need to know what."
Selene didn't hesitate. "Agreed."
They sprinted across the rooftops, weaving through the shadows as the battle raged below. Smoke stung Caius's lungs, the heat of spreading fires licking at his skin.
Evernight was coming apart.
As they reached the northern district, he spotted the rebel banners—their forces had made a stand here, holding a narrow stretch of the city against the Hollow Legion's onslaught.
Then he saw Elias.
The rebel leader was barely standing, his sword slick with blood, his face streaked with soot. Around him, rebel forces held the line, their expressions grim, their bodies battered.
Selene and Caius leapt down, landing in the midst of the chaos.
Elias's eyes widened. "Where the hell have you been?"
Caius didn't have time for a full answer. "The Hollow King moved early. Why?"
Elias scowled. "Because we were betrayed."
A cold dread coiled in Caius's chest.
"What?"
Elias wiped blood from his mouth, nodding toward the chaos beyond. "A week ago, Garran went missing. Then, two days ago, the Hollow Legion attacked us before we even made our move. Someone told them everything."
Selene swore under her breath. "So that bastard sold us out."
Caius's stomach twisted. Garran—one of their own—had betrayed them?
Elias's expression darkened. "It gets worse."
He turned, motioning toward the center of the battlefield.
Caius followed his gaze—and his blood ran cold.
There, amidst the chaos, a figure stood tall, his armor unmistakable.
Garran.
But he was no longer a rebel.
He stood alongside the Hollow Legion, clad in black steel, his blade coated in the blood of his former allies.
Caius's mind reeled. This wasn't just betrayal.
This was a death sentence.
Before Caius could process it, a terrible roar split the battlefield.
The air shuddered. The firelight dimmed.
And through the thick smoke, Calrix, the Black Flame Knight, turned his head toward them.
His mask gleamed, his burning sword dragging against the ground, leaving molten scars in the stone.
He had noticed them.
And now, he was coming.
Elias's face went pale. "We're dead."
Selene gritted her teeth. "No. We run."
Caius knew they weren't ready for this fight. Even at full strength, he wouldn't stand a chance against a Black Flame Knight. And now, with his time-magic failing…
If they stayed here, they would die.
He grabbed Elias's arm. "We retreat. Now."
Elias hesitated. Caius saw the conflict in his eyes—the warrior in him wanted to stand and fight. Wanted to make a final stand.
But there was no victory here.
Only death.
Finally, Elias gave a sharp nod. "Fall back!" he roared to the remaining rebels. "We regroup at the second gate!"
The soldiers didn't hesitate. They broke away, fleeing through the alleyways.
Caius ran with them, his heart hammering.
Behind him, the Black Flame Knight began to move.
Each step sent waves of heat through the battlefield, the shadows bending in his presence.
And then—
Caius felt it.
A shift in the air. A pressure behind his ribs.
Time itself trembled.
For a brief, horrifying second, his power reacted—not to him, but to something else.
The Watcher.
Caius stumbled, nearly falling. The Veil's presence was still there, lingering just beneath reality, waiting, watching.
And in that moment, he understood.
This war… this battle… it wasn't about the Hollow King anymore.
It never had been.
The true enemy wasn't the man on the throne.
It was the thing behind him.
And now, it was watching Caius directly.
Selene grabbed his arm, yanking him forward. "Caius, move!"
He shook himself free of his paralysis and ran.
The war was raging around them.
But something far worse was coming.
And if Caius didn't find a way to break free from time itself…
None of them would survive it.