Kael didn't resist as the hunters dragged him through the ruins. Not because he couldn't—though the bindings of Selene's magic still held firm—but because he needed answers.
If she wanted him dead, she'd had plenty of chances. Instead, she was dragging him somewhere, and that meant something.
The streets of Varethis loomed around them, the once-great capital now nothing but broken spires and silent graveyards. The air itself felt wrong here, thick with the weight of ancient curses.
Selene walked ahead, silent, her cloak trailing behind her. The other hunters moved in disciplined formation, their weapons never lowering.
After nearly an hour of walking, Kael saw it.
A fortress, half-buried beneath the ruins. Black stone, scarred by time and war, rose in jagged angles from the earth. Massive chains wrapped around the structure, as if something inside had once been restrained.
Something powerful.
Kael's jaw clenched.
"A prison."
Selene glanced at him, her golden eyes unreadable.
"Not just any prison."
The gates opened with a dull grind of metal, revealing a spiraling descent into darkness. Torches flickered along the stone walls, casting twisting shadows.
Kael inhaled slowly.
"You're taking me underground. That's never a good sign."
Selene didn't answer. She simply gestured forward.
The hunters shoved him inside.
The descent was long, the stone steps uneven beneath his boots. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The torches barely flickered now, their flames subdued, as if something in the depths drank the light.
Then—
They reached the bottom.
A vast, circular chamber stretched out before them, the walls lined with ancient runes. At its center, a single throne stood, carved from blackened bone and obsidian.
Kael's breath hitched.
It was the same throne from his visions.
A cage wrapped around it, made from chains that pulsed with a dull, crimson glow. But more than that—
He could feel it.
Something beneath the throne. Beneath the stone itself. A presence.
A whisper slid through his mind.
"Come closer."
Kael took an instinctive step back.
Selene finally spoke.
"You recognize it, don't you?"
Kael swallowed. "What is this place?"
Selene stepped past him, her boots echoing against the stone.
"The last Hollow King ruled from here." She turned, watching him carefully. "Before the throne devoured him."
Kael's pulse pounded in his skull.
"You brought me here for a reason."
Selene studied him for a long moment. Then, she gestured to the throne.
"Sit."
Kael laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Not a chance."
Selene sighed, almost as if she expected his answer.
"Then we do this the hard way."
The hunters moved.
Kael braced himself, every muscle tensing as he prepared to fight.
But before he could move—
The throne whispered again.
"Let me help you."
And this time, the sigil on his arm answered.
A pulse of dark power erupted from his skin. The chains sealing his magic cracked—just for a moment, just enough.
And Kael moved.
The closest hunter lunged—Kael twisted, his shackled hands snapping forward. The shadows obeyed.
A black tendril lashed from the ground, slamming the hunter into the wall.
The others hesitated.
Selene's golden eyes widened, but she didn't look afraid. She looked satisfied.
"That's more like it."
Kael exhaled sharply, the cursed magic thrumming through his veins. The throne's presence still called to him, but he ignored it.
For now.
"I'm not your king," he muttered.
Selene smiled.
"Not yet."
---
End of Chapter 10