Kael had only seconds to react.
The first hunter lunged, twin daggers flashing in the moonlight. Too fast.
Kael barely raised his broken sword in time to block. Steel clashed against steel, sending sparks through the night air. His arms strained under the force—whoever these hunters were, they weren't common assassins.
They were trained killers.
Kael twisted, kicking his attacker back, but the others were already moving. Five, no, six of them. Armed with bows, curved swords, and throwing knives. Shadows flickered as they encircled him.
The masked woman who led them remained still, watching.
"Let's see what you are, cursed one."
Another attack—this time from behind.
Kael's cursed eye flared, and he ducked just as a blade whistled past his neck. He spun, his sword cutting through the darkness—but the assassin was already gone.
They were testing him.
He ground his teeth.
"You want to dance?" he muttered. "Fine."
The sigil on his arm burned as he let the curse awaken.
A wave of dark energy pulsed outward. The nearest assassin staggered—just enough for Kael to strike. His sword sliced across their chest, cutting through cloth and armor. The hunter choked, collapsing to the ground.
The others hesitated.
Kael exhaled, gripping his blade tighter. He could feel the curse feeding—drinking in the bloodshed. It was too easy to let it take control. Too easy to surrender to the power that whispered in his bones.
But he wouldn't.
Not yet.
The masked woman finally moved. Fast.
She closed the distance between them in an instant. Kael barely blocked her first strike—a dagger aimed for his ribs. He countered, aiming for her exposed side—
She was gone.
A blur of motion—then pain.
Kael grunted as her dagger sliced across his side, just beneath his ribs. His armor absorbed most of the blow, but blood still trickled down his waist.
The woman's golden eyes gleamed behind her mask.
"You hesitate."
Kael scowled. "You talk too much."
He lunged.
This time, he didn't hold back.
His cursed eye burned, and shadows twisted at his feet. He moved faster than before—his sword a blur as it clashed against her twin daggers.
For the first time, the woman looked surprised.
She leapt back, landing gracefully on the broken ruins. Her hunters regrouped around her, wary now.
Then, she smiled.
"Not bad."
Kael exhaled, his chest rising and falling. Blood dripped from his wound, but his grip on his sword was steady.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The woman tilted her head. Considering.
Then she spoke.
"My name is Selene Vaelthorne."
Kael froze.
Vaelthorne.
The name of a fallen bloodline. A family that had once ruled Varethis itself—before the empire crumbled.
A family tied to the same curse that now plagued him.
Selene studied his expression, then turned to her hunters.
"We take him alive."
Kael cursed under his breath.
This was not over.
---
End of Chapter 8