The ground trembled beneath their feet as the fortress shook, cracks spiderwebbing across the stone floor. Dust and debris cascaded from the ceiling as the entire structure groaned under the force of Kazimir's Plan B. The Fate-seals that had been tightening around Jude and Elara's bodies faltered for just a moment before they reignited, holding them firm.
Jude's heart raced as the building continued to collapse. He could hear the distant roar of crumbling walls and the whistling wind tearing through the structure. His mind spun, trying to make sense of what had just happened. One second, Kazimir had been fighting Soren—then the next, the ground itself was splitting apart as if they were in the middle of a warzone.
"Elara!" Jude yelled, straining against the Fate-seals. But the chains only dug deeper, their golden glow blinding in the chaos.
She met his gaze, her violet eyes filled with a mix of determination and something darker. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Jude nodded, struggling against the restraints that bound him. His mind flashed back to the moment Kazimir had set off the explosion beneath Soren. The captain had managed to avoid being caught, but how long would that last? And where had Kazimir gone?
A series of explosions echoed throughout the fortress, drawing their attention to the far wall, where a massive hole was now present—a jagged opening leading into the unknown. Through it, Jude could barely make out Kazimir's form, flickering as he dashed from shadow to shadow, clearly using the chaos to his advantage.
"You can't keep us trapped here!" Kazimir's voice echoed from the distance, full of that same reckless confidence Jude had come to expect. "It's about time to get this party started, don't you think?"
Suddenly, the Fate-seals around them flared, and the pressure intensified, but Jude saw a faint shift in the glow. There was a crack in the magic—just enough for him to slip through. He gritted his teeth, gathering all of his focus.
"I can't fail now."
With a sharp twist of his body, he broke free from the Fate-seals, sending them scattering across the room like shattered glass. He dropped to the floor with a hard thud, wincing as his legs hit the cold stone.
"Jude…" Elara's voice was strained, but there was relief in it. "You're free."
She, too, broke her restraints, though it took all her strength. She grimaced, clutching her side as if the effort had taken its toll. Her breath came in short gasps.
Kazimir's voice rang through the chaos again, cutting through the roar of destruction. "What are you waiting for? We've got no time to waste!"
Jude glanced around, his heart racing. The walls were crumbling, but there was a way out—if they could move fast enough. He could see the remnants of the Fatebound knights gathering in the distance, recovering from the explosion but clearly rattled. They weren't out of danger yet.
"Come on!" Jude grabbed Elara's arm, pulling her toward the opening in the wall. The two sprinted toward the exit, adrenaline pumping in their veins.
Behind them, the sounds of Fatebound knights shouting orders grew louder. Soren was already on his feet, fury in his eyes, his black sword cutting through the chaos as he advanced.
"He's coming," Elara muttered. "We can't let him catch us."
Kazimir's voice echoed back from the hole, now distant but still clear. "I've got an idea! Follow me!"
Jude didn't hesitate. He reached the hole first, climbing through the jagged stone. Elara was right behind him, her breath steady despite the strain. They moved into the darkened corridor beyond, where the air was thick with the dust from the collapsing building.
Kazimir was waiting for them in the shadows, standing at the end of a long, narrow hallway. "Nice to see you both made it," he said with a grin, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"You caused this mess. I hope you have a plan," Jude said, his voice low but laced with urgency. He glanced back. "We need to move. Fast."
Kazimir winked. "That's the spirit."
He snapped his fingers again, and the ground beneath their feet shifted. Stone tiles broke free, revealing a darkened tunnel below them. The hole widened and expanded into a cavernous space, just large enough to fit the three of them.
"This way," Kazimir said, stepping into the tunnel. His voice was quieter now, more serious. "This place won't hold long. We've gotta get out before the whole damn place comes down."
Jude glanced at Elara. She didn't need to be told twice.
They followed Kazimir down the tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the narrow space. The air grew colder as they descended deeper, the walls of the tunnel slick with moisture. Jude kept his focus ahead, the weight of the situation heavy on his mind. They were escaping, but how far would they get before the Fatebound Order caught up with them?
If we don't make it…
Suddenly, a sharp sound cut through the silence. The ground trembled beneath them again, but this time it wasn't the building collapsing. No, this was something different.
Jude stopped dead in his tracks. "What was that?"
Kazimir's eyes narrowed. "Trouble."
At the far end of the tunnel, shadows began to shift and move. Dark figures emerged from the blackness, their forms barely discernible in the dim light. But one thing was clear—these weren't ordinary Fatebound knights.
Jude's pulse quickened as he recognized the glint of Fate-seals in the darkness. There was a whole group of them, closing in on them from all directions.
"I thought you said we were safe down here!" Jude snapped, his hands already reaching for his sword.
Kazimir smiled grimly. "I lied."
The figures stepped forward, revealing their faces. They were unlike any knights Jude had seen before, more calculating, more dangerous. They wore black armor adorned with glowing runes, their eyes obscured by dark visors. These weren't just Fatebound soldiers. They were something more.
Kazimir stepped forward, spinning a golden coin between his fingers. "Looks like we've got company."
Jude tightened his grip on his blade. Elara, too, was ready, her spear held firmly in her hands.
"Get ready," Kazimir muttered. "This won't be easy."
The tension in the air thickened, and as the first of the armored figures lunged forward, the battle for their freedom began anew.
Jude barely had time to register the first strike before it came screaming toward him. A Fate-sealed blade, its edge gleaming with an unnatural glow, tore through the air at breakneck speed. Instinct kicked in. He ducked, barely avoiding decapitation as the weapon scraped the tunnel wall behind him, sending sparks flying.
Elara reacted just as fast. Twisting on her heel, she deflected another strike with her spear, the clash of metal ringing through the narrow passage. The force behind it nearly sent her stumbling, but she held firm, eyes locked on their attackers.
Kazimir, of course, was grinning. "Oh, you guys really don't mess around," he muttered, flipping his coin in the air. "Fine, I'll play along."
The black-armored enforcers moved with inhuman precision, their attacks synchronized, their movements eerily silent. These weren't ordinary knights. Jude could feel it, the way fate itself seemed to bend around them, like they were an extension of destiny rather than people.
Then it hit him.
"These guys…" he muttered under his breath, blocking another strike as his feet slid across the damp ground. "They're not just Fatebound knights."
Elara's spear lashed out, forcing one of them back. "What do you mean?"
"They're Enforcers," Kazimir answered before Jude could. His tone was unusually serious. "They're the ones they send after us, the Wild Cards."
Jude clenched his jaw. Of course. The Fatebound Order wouldn't just let a fatebreaker like him slip away. They had an elite force designed for people like him—people who defied fate, people who broke the script.
The Enforcer in front of him stepped forward. Jude could barely see his face beneath the dark visor, but he could feel the pressure radiating from him. It wasn't just strength. It was certainty.
"You do not belong," the Enforcer intoned. His voice was hollow, as if he was speaking through the will of fate itself.
Jude gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Too bad. I never asked."
The Enforcer moved first. One second, he was standing still, and the next, he was in front of Jude, his blade already descending.
Jude barely had time to react. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, but something else was holding him back—something he couldn't see, like an invisible force keeping him tethered to the moment. The attack was meant to hit him. Fate itself had already decided.
Too bad he didn't care.
Jude twisted fate. Just a fraction, just enough to make sure the strike that was supposed to land would miss.
At the last second, the Enforcer's blade veered off course, slashing harmlessly past Jude's shoulder instead of cleaving through him.
The Enforcer hesitated.
Jude smirked. "Looks like fate's got a few cracks in it."
But the moment was short-lived. The Enforcer adjusted. Jude could feel it. Fate was re-aligning itself, trying to force things back into order. His small act of defiance had already sent ripples through the world, and the Enforcers were adapting.
Elara struck first. She moved like lightning, her spear crackling with energy as she thrust it toward one of the Enforcers. But just as the tip was about to pierce his armor, the air shifted. The Enforcer twisted his body moved like a marionette being pulled by invisible strings and Elara's spear was suddenly redirected, missing completely.
Jude's eyes widened.
"They're forcing the outcome," Elara gasped.
Kazimir let out a low whistle. "Oh, that's dirty."
Jude tightened his grip on his sword. It made sense now. These Enforcers weren't just following fate. They were enforcing it, bending reality itself to make sure the outcome they wanted would always happen. It didn't matter how fast or strong Jude was. If fate had already decided that he would lose, then he would lose.
Jude exhaled sharply. "Elara, Kazimir—stall them."
Kazimir raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure, let me just—"
The Enforcers were already closing in, their movements seamless, their strikes coordinated like they were acting as a single entity. Elara barely dodged as one of them aimed a precise slash at her throat. Kazimir, to his credit, flipped backward, pulling a handful of glowing cards from his sleeve.
"Alright, boys," he muttered, "let's see how much you like a little randomness."
He snapped his fingers, and the cards shot forward, scattering through the air. Each one glowed with a different energy. Some crackled with electricity, some shimmered like illusions, others burned with raw fire. The Enforcers hesitated.
Kazimir grinned. "Oh? Didn't see that coming?"
The cards exploded, sending shockwaves through the tunnel. The Enforcers staggered, but they didn't fall. They adjusted, their bodies shifting unnaturally to absorb the impact.
Jude saw his chance.
He rewrote fate again. Not just for himself, but for the battlefield itself. He forced a different outcome. One where the Enforcers didn't react in time. One where their bodies didn't adjust.
For a single, fleeting moment, fate hesitated.
And that was enough.
Jude moved. He surged forward, blade in hand, and struck. His sword cut through the first Enforcer's armor, the Enforcer froze, his body locking up, as if a puppet with its strings severed.
The others reacted instantly, but now they were the ones struggling to keep up. Jude had broken the script.
Elara followed his lead, thrusting her spear forward and landing a clean strike on the second Enforcer. Blood sprayed against the stone.
Kazimir laughed. "Damn, you really are a Wild Card."
Jude wiped sweat from his brow. The battle wasn't over. Fate would try to reassert itself. The Enforcers would keep coming.
But for the first time, Jude felt it. He had gained ground.
And he wasn't stopping now.
"Elara, move!" Jude shouted as another Enforcer lunged at her.
She twisted her spear, meeting the attack head-on. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, her muscles straining against the force of the blow. The Enforcer was relentless, pressing forward, his movements eerily fluid as if guided by something beyond himself.
Jude turned to intercept another enemy, but Kazimir beat him to it.
The gambler flicked his wrist, and three golden cards shimmered into existence, each one crackling with energy. "Time for a little bet," Kazimir muttered, his grin never fading. He tossed the cards forward, and the second they left his fingers, they multiplied into dozens, filling the narrow tunnel with glowing projectiles.
The Enforcers hesitated.
Jude took the opening. He dashed forward, his blade flashing in the dim light, and struck. The Enforcer barely managed to shift, but Jude had already rewritten the outcome. The soldier's body jolted as his armor cracked, a fatal gash splitting through his chest.
The Enforcer staggered, a faint glow flickering from within him. Jude's stomach churned.
He wasn't just fighting men. He was fighting fate itself.
Elara, still locked in combat, gritted her teeth as she drove her spear into her opponent's shoulder. The Enforcer didn't even flinch. Instead, he grabbed the shaft of her weapon and twisted, yanking her off balance.
Jude moved before he could think. "No, you don't."
He rewrote it.
Instead of her stumbling, Elara regained her footing instantly. The Enforcer's grip loosened for just a fraction of a second—just enough. Elara capitalized, wrenching her spear free and driving it upward, straight through his visor.
The Enforcer went rigid, then collapsed.
Kazimir whistled. "Man, this is getting fun."
The gambler was still playing his own game, weaving through the battle like a ghost. His cards spun around him, shifting unpredictably, changing form and function in an instant. One moment they were shields, deflecting incoming strikes, the next they were blades, slicing through the air at impossible angles.
Jude didn't understand how Kazimir's power worked yet, but one thing was clear—he thrived in the chaos.
"Jude," Elara panted, pressing her back against his for a brief moment. "This isn't working. We're cutting them down, but they keep adapting."
She was right. The remaining Enforcers were already moving differently, their attacks more refined, more precise. They were learning, adjusting their tactics, forcing fate to lean back in their favor.
Jude cursed under his breath. He had to do something bigger. Something they wouldn't expect.
Then an idea hit him.
"Elara, Kazimir," he called out. "I'm going to force a reset."
Kazimir's golden eyes lit up. "Oh? Now that sounds risky."
Jude ignored him. He focused, feeling the threads of fate coiling around them, constricting, trying to force him back into the script.
He reached out.
Not just to his own fate. Not just to the Enforcers'.
But to the entire battlefield.
The weight of it slammed into him like a collapsing building. Time seemed to slow. The echoes of every possible future rushed into his mind—victory, defeat, death, survival, a thousand different outcomes screaming at him all at once.
His head pounded, but he pushed forward.
Fate dictated that they would lose. That was the inevitable outcome.
Jude shattered it.
The tunnel itself reacted. The ground trembled violently, the very walls rejecting the rewritten fate. Cracks split along the ceiling, dust raining down in torrents. The Enforcers hesitated—not because they chose to, but because fate itself had been thrown into disarray.
Jude gasped for breath, his vision flickering. The strain of forcing such a massive rewrite was more than he had ever attempted before. His body screamed in protest, but he held on.
Elara's voice cut through the haze. "Jude! The tunnel—"
The entire passage was caving in.
Jude forced himself to move. "Run!"
Kazimir was already ahead of them, slipping through the chaos like a shadow. "I love when plans go sideways," he called over his shoulder.
Elara grabbed Jude's wrist, dragging him forward. They sprinted, the air thick with dust, the roar of collapsing stone filling their ears.
Behind them, the Enforcers were lost in the destruction. Whether they survived or not, Jude didn't know. He didn't have time to care.
The tunnel narrowed, the exit just ahead.
One last push.
Jude reached out, twisting fate one last time, ensuring that they would make it through—just barely.
And then, with a final burst of speed, they leapt through the crumbling passageway.
The tunnel collapsed behind them, sealing off the way back.
Silence.
Jude lay on his back, staring up at the cavern ceiling above them, his body aching in ways he didn't know were possible. His breath was ragged, his mind foggy from the sheer strain of what he had just done.
Elara sat up beside him, coughing. "You… you did it."
Kazimir, standing nearby, dusted himself off with a grin. "Now that was a hell of a gamble."
Jude closed his eyes, letting exhaustion wash over him. He didn't know where they were. He didn't know what would happen next.
But for now, they were free.
And that was enough.