Ashes of the Forsaken

The war council chamber was unlike any other place in the kingdom.

It was not built for luxury.

It was built for control.

A vast circular room, its black marble walls lined with banners of the five great noble houses.

A long, curved table sat at the center, its surface carved with the kingdom's history—

Or at least, the version they allowed to exist.

And tonight, Kieran was walking into the heart of it.

The guards did not stop him.

Calderon had seen to that.

But as Kieran entered, he felt the weight of their stares.

Powerful men.

Generals, noble lords, war strategists—the ones who dictated the kingdom's future with whispers and signatures.

And sitting at the head of it all—

King Edric Valtorne.

The ruler of the kingdom.

The man who had once commanded an empire built on a lie.

And the man who had never known Kieran existed.

Until now.

The chamber was silent as Kieran took his seat beside Calderon.

He did not bow.

Did not lower his gaze.

Because weakness was death in this room.

And if he wanted to survive—

He had to be seen as an equal.

King Edric's sharp, steel-grey eyes studied him.

"Duke Calderon." The king's voice was calm, but laced with command. "You've brought an unfamiliar face to this council."

Calderon did not hesitate.

"This is Kieran. My new advisor on matters of war."

A ripple of displeasure moved through the room.

But no one challenged it.

Not yet.

Because they were waiting.

Waiting to see what kind of man Kieran was.

Waiting to see if he was worth acknowledging.

Or erasing.

Again.

It didn't take long.

"Calderon," a voice sneered.

Kieran turned his head, locking eyes with Lord Alric Dane—one of the king's most trusted advisors.

A man who thrived on discrediting those beneath him.

"You expect us to believe this—boy—has anything of value to contribute?"

Kieran smirked.

"Would you like me to prove otherwise?"

Silence.

The room tensed.

Lord Dane's eyes narrowed.

"Go on, then," he sneered. "Tell me, Kieran—why should we listen to you?"

Kieran exhaled slowly.

Then, he spoke.

"Because I know the war never ended."

A hush fell over the room.

A dangerous hush.

Eyes flickered with hidden intent.

Some with curiosity.

Others with fear.

And at least one with recognition.

A subtle shift in the room.

An understanding between only a few of them.

The Keepers were here.

Watching.

Listening.

Waiting to see what Kieran truly knew.

King Edric's expression remained unreadable.

But the tension in the room shifted.

"Explain."

Not a request.

A command.

Kieran's mind raced.

He had expected resistance.

But now—he saw an opportunity.

A chance to make them think he was useful.

A chance to force his way into their world.

So he leaned forward.

And he lied.

"I've spent years in the slums," Kieran said. "Listening. Learning."

"The people whisper of disappearances. Entire towns abandoned overnight. Strange movements in the wilds."

He paused, letting his words settle.

"Things that don't match the kingdom's history."

"Things that suggest we were never truly at peace."

King Edric's fingers drummed against the table.

"And you believe this is evidence of an ongoing war?"

Kieran met his gaze.

"I believe we've been fighting a war in the dark—whether we acknowledge it or not."

The king studied him.

The others watched.

But the real threats in the room?

They didn't react.

Not with words.

Not with gestures.

They simply observed.

Measured.

Waiting for Kieran to reveal what he truly knew.

And that was how he found them.

The Keepers.

Men who should have dismissed him.

Men who should have scoffed, ridiculed, ignored.

But instead—

They were silent.

And that meant they were listening.

"If you're right," King Edric mused, "then what do you propose?"

Kieran smirked.

"Let me investigate."

A few nobles scoffed.

"You expect us to give a street rat the authority to question our military forces?"

Lord Dane sneered.

"This is absurd. We don't need some nameless bastard stirring paranoia."

Kieran's smirk widened.

"I think you do."

He let his words hang.

"Because if I'm wrong, you have nothing to lose."

"But if I'm right?"

His voice dropped slightly.

"Then this kingdom is standing on a war it doesn't even realize it's fighting."

And that was when the king's expression finally changed.

Just slightly.

Just enough.

Kieran had planted the seed.

And now—he waited for it to grow.

The silence stretched.

Kieran could feel it.

The moment of hesitation.

The pull of uncertainty that no ruler dared to show.

And then—

"Very well."

The king's voice was quiet, but absolute.

"Duke Calderon, your advisor will be granted provisional authority to conduct an investigation."

Kieran breathed steadily.

He had done it.

He had taken a step into their world.

But the way the Keepers watched him?

The way their eyes flickered with unreadable calculations?

He knew.

This was only the beginning.

As the war council ended, the nobles filtered out.

Kieran waited.

Watched.

And as he stood to leave—

A voice stopped him.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Kieran turned.

A figure stood in the shadows.

Not a noble.

Not a general.

But someone who had been silent the entire meeting.

Someone whose presence had gone unnoticed—until now.

"You think you've won something today?"

The man stepped forward, his face still hidden in the dim light.

"All you've done is make yourself visible."

Kieran held his gaze.

"Good."

He smirked.

"That was the point."

The figure studied him.

Then, without another word, he disappeared into the darkness.

Kieran exhaled.

Tomorrow, he would begin his investigation.

Tomorrow, he would finally start hunting the truth.

But tonight?

Tonight, he had made sure the real players knew his name.

And that meant—

The Keepers were coming.

Kieran left the war council chamber, stepping into the long corridors of the royal palace.

His mind was still racing, calculating everything.

He had done what no one else had dared to do—

He had made the Keepers notice him.

And now, they would either try to use him… or try to kill him.

The palace was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that meant he was not alone.

Kieran kept his pace steady, his expression unreadable.

But his instincts were sharp.

He could feel them.

Eyes in the dark.

Watching.

Waiting.

And then—a flicker of motion.

A figure stepped out from the shadows.

Not a guard.

Not a noble.

But one of them.

A Keeper.

The man was tall, robed in black, with piercing eyes that seemed to cut through the air itself.

Not young.

Not old.

But somewhere in between—ageless in a way that felt unnatural.

"You've made a mistake, Kieran."

The voice was calm.

Measured.

Dangerous.

Kieran didn't blink.

"You'll have to be more specific. I make a lot of mistakes."

The man smiled.

"You should have stayed forgotten."

Kieran kept his expression neutral.

He wasn't a fool.

This wasn't a noble issuing an empty threat.

This was someone who had the power to make good on it.

"Funny," Kieran said. "I don't remember getting a choice in that."

The Keeper took a slow step forward.

"No. But you have a choice now."

His voice was soft.

"Walk away from this. Disappear again. And we will let you live."

Kieran's fingers twitched.

They weren't going to kill him.

Not yet.

They still weren't sure what he knew.

Which meant he still had an advantage.

Kieran exhaled slowly.

"And if I don't?"

The Keeper smiled.

"Then we erase you properly this time."

A pause.

"No resurrection. No second chances."

Kieran grinned.

"You're assuming I'll make it easy for you."

For the first time, the Keeper's expression changed.

A flicker of something behind his calm exterior.

Not anger.

Not frustration.

But interest.

"You think you're clever."

Kieran shrugged.

"I think I'm alive. And that's more than you expected, isn't it?"

The Keeper studied him.

Measured him.

Then, he sighed.

"Very well. You want to play this game?"

He leaned in slightly.

"Then play it carefully."

"Because we do not tolerate loose ends, Kieran."

Kieran didn't flinch.

"Neither do I."

The man's lips curled into something almost amused.

Then, he stepped back into the shadows.

And just like that—

He was gone.

Kieran exhaled slowly.

He had expected the Keepers to react.

But not this quickly.

Not this directly.

They weren't just watching him now.

They were testing him.

Seeing if he would break.

Seeing if he would run.

He wouldn't.

Because if they were finally acknowledging him—

That meant he was getting closer to the truth.

Kieran turned down a side corridor, slipping through one of the lesser-used exits of the palace.

The night air was cold against his skin.

He breathed it in, steadying his heartbeat.

This had been a victory.

A small one.

But a victory nonetheless.

Because now—

The Keepers knew his name.

And soon—

He would know theirs.

Kieran didn't return to the slums immediately.

He took the long way through the city, weaving through side streets and forgotten alleys.

Because there was one more stop he needed to make.

And when he reached the secluded meeting point, Dame Corvalis was already waiting.

She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

"Well?" she asked.

Kieran smirked.

"They noticed me."

Corvalis didn't react.

Not outwardly.

But Kieran saw the flicker of satisfaction in her gaze.

"Good," she said.

"That means it's finally starting."

Kieran exhaled.

"They made me an offer."

Corvalis raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

Kieran's smile was sharp.

"I told them to go to hell."

Corvalis chuckled.

"That's one way to handle it."

Her gaze darkened slightly.

"You realize this means they'll be coming for you soon."

Kieran nodded.

"Let them."

His voice was steady.

Unshaken.

Because now—

The Keepers weren't just watching him.

They were reacting to him.

And that meant he had finally stepped onto their board.

Kieran turned toward the city, his mind already moving ahead.

He had gained his seat at the war council.

He had forced the Keepers to acknowledge him.

Now—

He had to find a way to tear them apart from the inside.

Because the war they had buried was beginning to resurface.

And Kieran was no longer just a forgotten name.

He was a threat.

As he walked away, Corvalis called out behind him.

"What now?"

Kieran smirked.

"Now?"

He glanced over his shoulder.

"Now, we see just how far they're willing to go to stop me."

Because if the Keepers thought they could erase him again—

They were dead wrong.