The air was thick with the stench of incense and dark enchantments as Lyrex prepared a ritual. She moved with precise purpose as she channeled her energy into reviving one of the deadliest assassins the world had ever known Leloid Chex. Chex, an ex-member of the Order of the Vieled, had vanished in the wake of a mission gone awry, presumed dead. Yet here he lay, still as death, until Lyrex whispered the final spell. The dark magic surrounded him pulling him back to life, and a heartbeat sung within him once more. Leloid's eyes snapped open, and for a moment, tense emptiness clouded his face. But Lyrex's gaze was strong, her voice haunting "Welcome back, Leloid. I have a task for you.
As he awakened, fragmented memories flashed through Leloid's mind. He remembered shadows, blood-soaked missions, the scent of danger. Kaelin—Kaelin's face surfaced from the basis of his memory. The young, sharp-witted strategist who had been his closest companion, a brother in all but blood. He felt a glimmer of loyalty, but a darker force pulled at him now. The spell binding him to Lyrex's will urged him forward, suppressing the softer memories, twisting his purpose. He was no longer his own, but a weapon wielded by Lyrex.
Days later, Kaelin and Eira moved through the dense forest, still shaken from their confrontation with the Guardian and the revelations that followed. But something else gnawed at Kaelin. A presence he couldn't quite place, a feeling of being watched. And then, in the blink of an eye, he saw him, a shadowy figure moving with terrifying speed, eyes like embers locked onto him. Leloid Chex.
"Kaelin…" Leloid's voice was hollow, as if it echoed from some place far away, almost unrecognizable. Yet Kaelin recognized it, memories of a friend thought long gone.
"Leloid?" Kaelin's voice cracked, disbelief in his tone. Eira watched, her hand on her weapon.
"You're supposed to be…" Kaelin still hesitant to believe his senses. But Leloid's gaze was hard, different from the Leloid's he remembered.
"There's no time for sentimentality, Kaelin," Leloid said, his tone resolute. His movements were swift, as shadow magic flickered around him, readying an attack. "Lyrex has brought me back, and my orders are clear. Surrender, or face the consequences."
Kaelin dodged, and as the fight began, it was evident that Leloid's skills had not dulled. They clashed, magic against shadow, each attack and counterattack fueled by years of training together. But amid the combat, Kaelin saw glimpses of the Leloid he once knew—the hesitant flicker in his eyes, a split second of hesitation before each strike. Memories from their time in the Order flooded Kaelin's mind: Leloid's dry humor, his quiet guidance.
"Leloid, don't you remember?" Kaelin's voice was a plea in desperation "We were comrades… friends."
For a brief moment, Leloid's expression softened, his hand lowering slightly. The bond between them was too deep to be completely erased, but the spell held him tightly. "It doesn't matter anymore," he whispered, more to himself than to Kaelin, before attacking again with renewed fury.
Eira watched the exchange, understanding that Kaelin kept holding back in the battles. She had seen him in countless battles, had watched him make choices that no one else could stomach. But now, with Leloid, something was different. "Kaelin," she called out, "you can't hold back, not against him."
But Kaelin's heart kept reluctant, Memories of Leloid's mentorship flashed in his mind, Kaelin had never fully processed the loss of his friend, and now, here he was, alive but bound to an enemy's will. The thought of hurting him felt like reopening an old wound that had never healed.
With Eira's words in his ear, Kaelin steadied himself, realizing he couldn't falter. But as he prepared to defend himself fully, Leloid paused, an inner struggle flaring in his eyes. He lowered his weapon slightly. "Kaelin… I didn't want this," he whispered, his voice in pain.
The momentary vulnerability in Leloid's eyes told Kaelin that part of his old friend was still in there, But Lyrex's binding spell tightened around him, forcing his body back into action. "I… I can't," he said, though his voice cracked, betraying the torment within, his moves faltered, growing slower, "Kaelin, get back, he said, voluntarily covering himself in shade while vanishing into the air to avoid more attacks.
"Why didn't you finish him?" Eira asked concerned.
"Because that's not who he really is," Kaelin replied, his gaze fixed on the darkness where Leloid had vanished. "Lyrex has twisted him into something he's not. and I'll get her for this." he said with an intense battle angry face.
As they continued on their path, Kaelin's mind raced, haunted by the memories of the man he had once called a friend, the friend who had saved his life countless times and who, even in his unwilling servitude to Lyrex, still carried fragments of loyalty and honor.
The encounter left Kaelin in awe at the length Lyrex could go to bring them down and revive the Architect. And if she could resurrect Leloid and bind him to her will, then the depths of her power—and her alliance with the Architect—were darker and more dangerous than he had ever anticipated.