Blood Hounds

The cold surged through Kael's veins like creeping frost, numbing his limbs, sinking into his bones.

"Do you remember what you promised me?"

Elias's whisper clung to him, a voice pulled from the depths of a past he had tried to forget.

Kael gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move, but the grip on his sword felt distant—like he was holding it through layers of ice.

"I remember."

The words were barely a breath, but they carried weight.

Elias's hollow eyes bore into him. "Then why did you break it?"

Kael's pulse thundered in his ears. He wanted to say I didn't, but the words wouldn't come. Because deep down, he wasn't sure that was true.

Elias pressed closer, his form shifting between shadow and something almost real. "You swore you wouldn't leave me behind."

Kael swallowed hard. "I didn't have a choice."

Elias's fingers tightened around the blade, and a shock of ice shot through Kael's arm.

"Liar."

The word hit harder than any blade.

Then, without warning, Elias shoved him back.

Kael staggered, his breath sharp. The moment his sword left Elias's grip, the cold vanished, leaving behind only a deep ache in his bones.

Rhia moved toward him. "Kael—"

Elias's head snapped toward her.

Rhia froze.

Elias tilted his head. "You don't belong here."

Darian, to his credit, was already moving. His dagger flashed, but before it could strike, Elias vanished.

A gust of cold air rushed past them.

Then Elias's voice whispered through the chamber.

"This is not for you. Leave now."

Kael forced himself upright. His sword felt heavier than before.

"No." His voice was rough but steady. "I'm not leaving."

Silence.

Then—laughter. Soft. Hollow.

"You never change," Elias murmured.

Kael exhaled sharply. "What do you want from me?"

Elias stepped forward again, and this time, his form solidified. He looked almost human now—his old self, the way Kael remembered him. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. The same scar across his cheek.

But there was something wrong about him. Something missing.

Elias's gaze softened, just for a moment.

Then he whispered:

"I don't want anything from you."

Kael's stomach twisted. "Then why are you here?"

Elias's expression darkened.

"To warn you."

The air grew heavier. The symbols on the walls pulsed like a heartbeat.

Fenrir growled low in his throat.

Darian's grip on his dagger tightened. "Warn us about what?"

Elias's hollow gaze met Kael's.

"They're coming for you."

Kael's breath caught. "Who?"

The lights flickered.

The walls trembled.

And Elias whispered:

"The ones who took me."

Then the door behind them burst open—

And the Black Hounds were already here.

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