Chapter 16: The Price of Power
Kael drifted in a void of endless stars, his body weightless as he was carried forward by an unseen force. He felt neither fear nor pain—only the pull of something greater guiding him. The dream had taken hold of him again, but this time, it was different.
A silver light pulsed above. He looked up to see the twin moons—Lumina and Noctis—watching him, their glow casting long shadows across a crumbling world. Beneath him, the land stretched endlessly, but it was not the world he knew.
It was broken.
Mountains cracked, their peaks crumbling into dust. Rivers ran black with corruption, their waters sluggish and lifeless. Cities burned—vast spires swallowed in violet Rift energy, twisting into monstrous shapes.
And then, at the heart of the devastation, he saw the Throne.
The Shattered Throne stood atop a ruined citadel, carved from obsidian and Riftstone, pulsing with dark energy. It called to him, a whisper in his bones, urging him forward.
But someone else was already there.
A figure sat upon the throne, his body draped in shadowed fire, his eyes gleaming with something ancient and terrifying. The Flame Unseen burned around him, but it was not the silver light that Kael wielded. It was dark—a corrupted mirror of his own power, tinged with violet Rift energy, coiling and shifting unnaturally.
Kael took a step forward, and the figure’s gaze lifted.
Varyn.
Draped in his dark cloak, his face unreadable, Varyn sat on the throne as if he had always belonged there. Power radiated from him—not the celestial purity of the moons, but something else. Something wrong.
And then, as if acknowledging Kael’s presence, Varyn raised a single hand.
The world obeyed.
Cities fell. Skies darkened. The land itself twisted, reshaping under his will. People—men, women, children—collapsed, their eyes glowing with Rift energy before they rose again, twisted and enslaved by his power.
Kael gasped, horror clawing at his throat.
This was not just destruction.
This was dominion.
A world bent under the weight of a single will.
Varyn’s voice echoed through the void, smooth and measured.
"You cannot stop what is already set in motion."
Kael tried to move, to summon his flame, but the dream held him still.
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The moons above flickered, and for the first time, their light dimmed.
"It was always meant to be mine."
With a wave of his hand, the world shattered—splitting into endless fragments, each one corrupted, each one enslaved to the Rift’s will.
And Kael screamed.
Kael’s body flinched in the real world.
Lirien, who had never left his side, sat up immediately. “Kael?”
But he did not wake.
His breaths came faster, his fingers twitching against the sheets. He was trapped in something deep, something powerful.
And then—the knock at the door.
Sylas exchanged a glance with Rhea before cracking it open.
A figure stood there, calm and collected.
Varyn.
Wrapped in his dark cloak, his face unreadable, he entered the room with slow, deliberate steps. His sharp eyes flickered to Kael, lingering for just a second too long.
“I believe we need to talk,” he said smoothly.
Lirien stiffened. She had never trusted Varyn, and after everything, she wasn’t about to start now.
Sylas leaned against the table, arms crossed. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I imagine not.” Varyn’s voice remained level, but there was something in his tone—something careful, controlled. “Kael’s display in the desert has made him a target. It won’t be long before forces beyond Aurelia come looking for him.”
Mira, who had been sitting in the corner, scoffed. “You talk like you know something.”
Varyn smiled—polite, unreadable. “I make it my business to know things.”
Rhea, flicking a dagger between her fingers, raised an eyebrow. “And what, exactly, is your business in this?”
Varyn’s gaze swept over them, assessing. “I came to offer a solution.”
Lirien’s fingers curled into the fabric of Kael’s blanket. “Why do I feel like this solution benefits you more than it does us?”
Varyn didn’t blink. “Because I have no interest in pretending otherwise.”
Sylas let out a low chuckle. “Well, at least he’s honest about being shady.”
Varyn turned back to Kael. “The city will not protect him. Not when fear sets in. I know a place where he can be kept safe, away from the eyes of those who seek to use him.”
Mira’s jaw clenched. “Why should we trust you?”
Varyn’s smile was slow. “Because you don’t have another option.”
The room fell into tense silence.
Lirien was the first to break it. “And where exactly would you take him?”
“A stronghold outside Aurelia’s influence. Somewhere quiet. Safe.” Varyn’s gaze flickered to Lirien. “Where he can recover... without interference.”
Rhea exhaled slowly. “See, that all sounds very reasonable. But forgive me if I don’t trust a man who doesn’t introduce himself before making life-altering suggestions.”
Varyn gave a small, amused tilt of his head. “Names have power. If mine mattered, you’d already know it.”
Lirien’s instincts screamed against it. But Kael was vulnerable, and Aurelia was growing restless. It was only a matter of time before the wrong people got involved.
Sylas rubbed his jaw. “If we do this, we’re not handing him over. We go with him.”
Varyn nodded, as if he had already expected that. “Of course.”
Lirien exhaled. “Fine.”
But she wasn’t letting Kael out of her sight.
She wouldn’t trust Varyn.
Not yet.
As the others gathered their things and prepared to move, Varyn lingered beside Kael’s bed for a fraction too long.
His gaze wasn’t one of concern.
It was one of calculation.
Kael twitched slightly, lost in his dream.
Varyn’s expression remained unreadable.
"You cannot stop what is already set in motion."
Kael stirred, as if hearing the words in his sleep.
Varyn turned away.
Kael was more than a warrior now.
He was a key.
And the Shattered Throne was waiting.
