The low hum of the Drayce estate's great hall was an eerie contrast to the storm raging outside. Kael stood at the heart of it all, drenched from the rain, his cloak heavy and dripping onto the polished marble floor. Dozens of faces stared back at him—faces he had grown up with, some he even dared to trust.
But now, all he saw was judgment.
"Kael Drayce, you are hereby accused of the murder of Lord Orven Veylan," a booming voice declared. It belonged to Lord Revan Drayce, his father—a man who had never spared Kael so much as a kind glance in his twenty-two years of life.
The words hit like a hammer. Kael's mind reeled. Lord Veylan? Murdered? He barely knew the man, let alone had any reason to kill him. His thoughts raced, but the icy stares of the gathered nobles froze the words in his throat.
"You deny it?" His father's voice cut through the silence, cold and unyielding.
"I—I wasn't even—" Kael stammered, shaking his head.
"You weren't even where, Kael?" Another voice chimed in, smooth and serpentine. It belonged to Adrian, Kael's older brother. Adrian stood tall and confident, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "The body was found in the Lower Ward, near the docks. The very place you were seen skulking about last night."
Kael's eyes widened. "I was there because you—"
"Enough!" Lord Revan barked, slamming his cane onto the floor. The sound echoed like a thunderclap. "The evidence is clear. Witnesses saw you fleeing the scene, and the dagger found at Lord Veylan's throat was one of our own—marked with the Drayce crest!"
The room erupted into whispers, the venom of gossip spreading like wildfire. Kael clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. It didn't make sense. He had spent the last ten years as the family's discarded son, the black sheep. He had no power, no status, nothing to gain from killing a noble.
But the truth didn't matter. Not to them.
"Father, please! I was set up!" Kael shouted, his voice breaking. His gaze flicked to Adrian, whose smug expression never wavered. The bastard was enjoying this.
"Set up?" Lord Revan sneered. "You bring shame to our name even in your lies. You will face judgment for this crime."
A cold weight settled over Kael. Judgment. In the Drayce family, judgment was never fair. His heart pounded as two armored guards approached, their hands gripping his arms roughly.
"No!" he protested, struggling against their grip. "This is a mistake! Adrian knows something! Ask him!"
Adrian's chuckle was soft but cutting. "You've always had such a vivid imagination, little brother."
Kael's blood boiled, but his strength was no match for the guards. They dragged him toward the exit, his pleas ignored by everyone in the room. The last thing he saw before the grand doors shut was Adrian's smug face—and Serena Veylan, Lord Veylan's daughter, standing in the shadows with a cryptic expression.
Later That Night
The cell was damp and freezing, the walls dripping with condensation. Kael sat on the cold stone floor, his back against the wall, his mind racing.
He had always known he was expendable to the Drayce family, but this? Framed for murder, sentenced to death? Adrian's ambition was no secret, but to go this far... Kael's fists clenched.
A faint creak broke the silence. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing at the cell door.
"Still alive, I see."
The voice was soft, feminine. Serena Veylan stepped into view, a hood concealing most of her face. She knelt down, her gloved fingers wrapping around the iron bars.
"What do you want?" Kael spat.
"I want to help you," she said simply.
Kael scoffed. "Help me? Your father is dead, and you're here to help his supposed killer?"
Her expression didn't waver. "I know you didn't kill him."
"Then tell my father that!" Kael snapped.
She shook her head. "No one would believe me. And if you think you can convince Lord Revan, you're more naïve than I thought."
Kael glared at her but said nothing.
"I came to give you something," she continued, reaching into her cloak. She pulled out a small, intricately carved box. "This was found at the scene of my father's murder."
Kael's breath hitched. "And you're giving it to me?"
"Call it... a gamble." She slid the box through the bars. "If you're innocent, then this might help you prove it. If not..." She rose to her feet, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "Then may the gods have mercy on your soul."
Before Kael could respond, she disappeared into the shadows, leaving him alone with the mysterious box.
He stared at it for a moment before gingerly opening the lid. Inside was a small, jagged shard of obsidian, glowing faintly with an unnatural light.
As his fingers brushed against it, a searing pain shot through his hand. His vision blurred, and a voice—deep, ancient, and full of malice—echoed in his mind.
"You have awakened me, mortal. Do you seek power... or death?"
Kael's world went dark.