Darkness swallowed Kael whole.
He could feel the maze shifting around him, warping like a living thing. The shadowy assassins—faceless and relentless—moved without sound, their blades slicing through the air.
Kael had no time to think. Only time to survive.
The First Kill That Wasn't
A blade came for his throat. He twisted his body, barely dodging, and slashed with his dagger.
Nothing.
The blade passed through the shadow assassin's form as if cutting smoke.
Another enemy struck from behind. Kael vanished in a flicker of darkness, reappearing several feet away.
"Damn it… they're not real," he realized. "They're made of the labyrinth itself."
If physical attacks wouldn't work, then he had only one option: becoming the hunter, not the hunted.
Awakening the Eclipsed Bloodline
Kael closed his eyes, steadying his breathing. He reached inward, searching for the strange energy buried deep within him—the power that had kept him alive after his betrayal.
The power of the Eclipsed Bloodline.
For a moment, nothing.
Then—whispers.
Not from his enemies, but from the darkness itself.
"Command us."
Kael opened his eyes. His vision had changed. The shadows were no longer just enemies—they were threads, strings waiting to be pulled.
The assassins lunged.
Kael moved, but not like before. He didn't dodge—he dissolved. His body melted into the surrounding darkness, flowing through the air like ink in water.
The moment he reformed, he was behind his enemies. He didn't swing his blade—he willed the shadows to consume them.
The assassins froze.
Then, one by one, they disintegrated into nothing.
Kael exhaled. His entire body burned, but for the first time, he understood.
"The darkness is not my enemy. It is my weapon."
The Final Trial
The labyrinth shifted one last time, revealing a final passage leading upward. A voice echoed through the chamber—this time, not a whisper, but a commanding presence.
"You have taken the first step toward mastering what was meant to control you. Rise, Kael Veyne. The Obsidian Veil awaits."
Kael clenched his fists and walked forward.
The trial was over. But his true test had only just begun.
---