Location: Eastern Ravines – Edge of the Old Thorne Territory
Wind howled through the canyons like the cry of long-forgotten spirits. Damien stood at the ledge, eyes narrowed at the serpentine trail that wound toward the shattered ruins in the east. Behind him, Nora was silent—haunted by the truth Ellric had just revealed.
Her bloodline wasn't just noble. It was ancient. Strategic. Powerful. And now, exposed.
Cyrus adjusted the sat-comm on his wrist. "No signal. Whatever's out there is jamming us. We're going in blind."
"Then we move carefully," Damien said. "No mistakes. If Victor is alive and hiding out here, we won't get a second chance."
They descended into the ravine, flanked by two of Damien's elite—Kellen and Aria—silent shadows trained for reconnaissance and silent takedowns. Nora trailed just behind Damien, her fingers twitching at her side, where a small blade was hidden beneath her jacket. She had learned not to rely on magic or legacy alone.
The further they walked, the colder it became. Not just the air—but the energy. It gnawed at their bones.
"Stop," Aria said suddenly. She pointed to the stone floor.
A trail. Fresh.
Blood.
Damien crouched, brushing two fingers across the crimson specks. It wasn't animal. It was human—and recent.
"Someone's injured," Nora whispered.
Cyrus drew his weapon. "Or luring us."
They followed the blood trail deeper into a cavern at the base of the ravine. Inside, the temperature dropped to near freezing. Ice lined the walls. And then they saw it—a symbol etched in glowing crimson across the cave ceiling:
A fusion of the Kane and Thorne crests.
Nora's breath caught. "This place…"
Suddenly, a figure stepped from the shadows.
Older, his hair streaked with silver, yet sharp and regal in posture. His eyes were a mirror of Damien's. But colder. Hardened by years of exile.
Victor Kane.
"Well," he said, voice calm, almost amused. "Took you long enough."
Damien stepped forward. "You're alive."
Victor smiled faintly. "I never died. Just erased."
Cyrus raised his weapon, but Victor didn't flinch.
"I'm not here to fight you," Victor said. "Not yet. But you've stepped into something bigger than you realize."
"We came for answers," Nora said, standing beside Damien. "We want the truth."
Victor nodded slowly. "Then listen carefully. The Kane bloodline… was never meant to rule alone. It was born with a twin line. The Thorne bloodline. Yours, Nora."
She blinked.
Victor's eyes narrowed. "But Seraphina destroyed the balance. She orchestrated the fall of the Thorne matriarch. She forged treaties to divide us. And now… she wants to wake the Vault of Elarion. That power belongs to you, not her."
"The Vault is real?" Damien asked.
Victor stepped forward and pulled something from inside his cloak—a fractured crystal, glowing faintly red.
"This is one shard. You'll need three to open it. And your enemies already have one."
He tossed the shard to Damien.
"Find the next. Stop Seraphina. Or this world will belong to her."
Before they could speak again, Victor vanished into the shadows behind the cavern wall.
Gone.
Aria cursed under her breath. "He disappeared."
Damien clenched the shard tightly. "He gave us what we needed."
Nora stepped close, her voice calm but steady. "And we finally know what we're up against."
Damien nodded, eyes cold with resolve. "Let's move. Before Seraphina gets any closer."