Chapter 5: Shadows in the Night

The wind howled through the dense Vale of Nyx, its haunting whispers sending shivers down Seraphina’s spine. The forest was a place of legend—a threshold between worlds, where spirits roamed and ancient powers lay in wait. Few dared to venture into its depths, but Seraphina had no choice.

Cassian was somewhere beyond these trees, and the Dark King’s forces were already on the move.

“Remind me again why we’re walking toward certain death?” Kael muttered, tightening the straps on his leather bracers as he trailed behind her.

Seraphina shot him a glare. “Because if Cassian dies, so do our chances of stopping the Dark King.”

Kael sighed. “Right. Heroic sacrifice. How noble.”

They moved cautiously, their boots sinking into the damp earth. The moonlight barely reached through the thick canopy, leaving them in near darkness. Every snap of a twig sent their hands flying to their weapons. The Elders’ guards wouldn’t follow them here—but something else might.

Then, through the trees, a flash of silver.

Seraphina stopped abruptly, her heart pounding.

Cassian.

He was slumped against the roots of an ancient oak, his breathing ragged, his cloak torn, and his sword coated in blood.

Seraphina rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside him.

“Cassian,” she whispered, hands already glowing with magic as she brushed his sweat-dampened hair from his face.

His eyes fluttered open—stormy gray, filled with pain and something else… relief.

“Took you long enough,” he rasped.

Seraphina let out a shaky breath, pressing a glowing hand to his chest. “What happened?”

Cassian winced as the magic seeped into his wounds, sealing torn flesh. “The Dark King’s scouts. They found me before I could reach you.”

Kael cursed. “If the scouts are here, the Dark King isn’t far behind.”

Cassian forced himself upright, gripping Seraphina’s wrist. “We don’t have much time. He’s raising an army, Seraphina. A force unlike anything we’ve seen before.”

Seraphina swallowed hard. The legends of the Dark King spoke of a sorcerer so powerful that even the gods themselves feared him. He had been sealed away centuries ago, but if he had truly returned…

Then the world was doomed.

Cassian’s grip tightened. “There’s something else.”

Seraphina met his gaze. “What?”

Cassian hesitated, his expression darkening. “He’s looking for you.”

A chill ran down her spine.

Kael frowned. “Why?”

Cassian exhaled sharply. “Because she’s the key to his resurrection.”

The words slammed into her like a tidal wave.

“That’s impossible,” she whispered. “The Elders sealed him away—”

Cassian shook his head. “They didn’t seal him. They only delayed him.” His fingers brushed against her cheek, his voice softer now. “And now, Seraphina, he needs your magic to finish what he started.”

Silence hung between them.

Seraphina was the key.

The Dark King didn’t just want her dead—he wanted to use her.

Kael let out a low whistle. “Well, that’s… horrible.”

Cassian’s jaw clenched. “We need to leave before they find us.”

But before Seraphina could answer—

A low growl rumbled through the trees.

The three of them froze.

Cassian cursed under his breath. “They’re already here.”

From the shadows, glowing red eyes appeared, one by one.

The Dark King’s hounds of the abyss had found them.

And they were not getting out without a fight.