Chapter Seventeen: The Chains of Blood
The wind howled as Kael stood rooted in place, staring at the scorched symbol burned into the earth beneath his feet. The silence was no longer empty—it throbbed with questions, rage, and the twisted echoes of long-buried truths.
He looked up toward where the Obsidian Keep had vanished, his breath shallow. The voice still lingered in his mind.
"I was right."
But Kael's heart was far from convinced.
"If you were right…" Kael muttered, fists tightening at his sides, "then why was my father like that? Why did he crave blood? Why did everyone—Andrew, David, you—betray him in the end? Even Andrew, his most loyal friend…"
The air split like a blade cutting through flesh.
And Mihai's voice returned.
"Because loyalty has its limits, Kael. Especially when blood is the price."
The mist gathered again, swirling, folding reality back into itself. From the shroud of shadow stepped Mihai, his presence commanding, his black cloak fluttering despite the still air. This time, there was no pretense. No illusion.
He came to speak. And to be heard.
Kael faced him head-on, eyes burning. "Explain it to me. No riddles. Why did Andrew betray my father?"
Mihai tilted his head slightly, studying Kael like a scholar inspecting a long-forgotten artifact.
"You speak of betrayal as though it's simple. As if Andrew turned against Andreas for ambition, or hatred. But his betrayal had one reason. One single purpose."
He took a step forward.
"Natalia."
Kael blinked. The name hit him like a blade to the chest. "Who?"
"Andrew's younger sister," Mihai said, his voice low and grave. "The one light in his cursed life. She was taken by Andreas… and never seen again. The world never knew her name because it was stricken from the records. But Andrew never forgot."
Kael's jaw clenched. His voice came out hard. "Taken… why?"
Mihai turned his gaze to the heavens. "Because she was powerful, Kael. Born with the gift of spirit flame, a rare and divine magic Andreas believed he could harness, bend to his will—or destroy, if necessary. He feared her. But instead of killing her, he kept her locked away… to break her slowly, or use her in some future war."
Kael's stomach twisted. The image of his father grew darker with every truth he unearthed.
"Andrew… was desperate. He knew Andreas couldn't be confronted directly. So he tried to bring him down through power, politics, and war."
Mihai raised his fingers and extended them one by one as he listed:
"First, he created The New Order—a nation built on enchanted warfare, thanks to Andrei. It failed. Andreas crushed it when Andrew hesitated to kill innocents."
"Second, the Kingdom of Andrew. A righteous kingdom meant to inspire rebellion. But he lacked the manpower, and Andreas's armies tore it apart within a year."
"And then… the final attempt—Ashren. The kingdom that rules the continent today. He did not rule it openly. He placed pawns. Controlled from the shadows. And this time, he succeeded."
Kael's heart thundered in his chest. "He created three nations… just to get to Andreas? Just to save his sister?"
"Yes," Mihai said. "And every time he failed, a piece of him died. His hands soaked in blood, his legacy fractured, his soul twisted by guilt."
Kael staggered back, overwhelmed. This was too much. Everything he'd believed about his lineage, the tales of heroes and villains, had been shattered into chaos and sorrow.
"So my father… wasn't betrayed because he was wrong," Kael whispered, "but because he wouldn't let go of power."
Mihai's eyes gleamed. "Your father was a beast, Kael. A brilliant beast who believed in domination. He never feared death—but he feared loss. And to him, letting Natalia live free was a threat."
Kael's breath came sharp and fast.
And then—
Steel slid free of its sheath.
Kael raised his sword, gaze burning with a fire only truth could forge.
"Then tell me the rest. All of it. Every war, every betrayal. The truth about Andrew. About Andreas. About what's coming."
Mihai looked at the blade, unfazed. In fact—he smiled.
"And if I don't?"
"Then fight me," Kael growled, stepping forward. "If I win, you tell me everything. If I lose… I'll know I still have more to become."
A silence passed between them.
Then, for the first time, Mihai unsheathed his own weapon—a curved black blade that hummed with cursed energy. The air around them seemed to recoil in fear.
"Very well, Kael."
"Let us see how far you've come."