The decision came faster than thought.
Aran stepped forward.
"I'm not going with you," he said.
Vael didn't look surprised.
"Then you've chosen the harder path," he replied calmly.
Aran held his gaze.
"Maybe," he said. "But it's mine."
For a brief moment, something unreadable passed through Vael's eyes. Not anger. Not approval. Something deeper.
Then—
A sound.
Sharp.
Close.
A scream echoed from the far end of the street.
All three of them turned.
Smoke began to rise above the rooftops.
Lena burst out of the room instantly, blade in hand.
"What was that?" she asked.
Kalen followed, already scanning the shadows.
"That," Vael said quietly, "is what happens when time runs out."
Another explosion.
Closer this time.
The ground trembled.
People began to run through the streets, shouting, pushing, chaos spreading like wildfire.
Aran felt the amulet burn against his chest.
Not warning.
Calling.
"They're not just looking for me anymore," he said.
Vael nodded.
"They've started the hunt openly."
Lena cursed under her breath.
"This whole area's about to collapse into madness."
Kalen stepped forward, his voice sharp.
"Then we move now."
But Aran didn't move.
His eyes were fixed on the smoke rising in the distance.
Something was wrong.
This wasn't just destruction.
It was controlled.
Directed.
"They're pushing people," Aran said slowly.
Vael looked at him.
"Toward something," Aran continued.
Kalen's expression changed.
"A trap," he said.
Lena tightened her grip.
"And we're in the middle of it."
Another shockwave hit, stronger than before. A nearby wall cracked, dust falling into the alley. The noise of the city had transformed completely now—fear, panic, disorder.
Vael stepped back slightly.
"This is where I leave you," he said.
Aran snapped his gaze to him.
"You're just walking away?"
Vael's expression didn't change.
"I warned you," he said. "What you do next… is your choice."
Lena stepped forward, anger flashing.
"You knew this would happen."
Vael didn't deny it.
"I knew it would start," he said. "Not where."
Kalen's voice turned cold.
"And you still came here."
Vael met his eyes.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then he looked back at Aran.
"You're not ready," he said.
Aran stepped forward.
"Then why not help?"
Vael's answer came without hesitation.
"Because this isn't your war yet."
And with that—
He turned.
And disappeared into the chaos of Ravak.
Gone.
Just like that.
Lena stared after him.
"I don't like him," she said.
Kalen nodded.
"You're not supposed to."
Aran said nothing.
His focus had shifted.
The amulet was pulsing rapidly now, almost painfully.
He turned toward the direction of the smoke.
"They're calling something," he said.
Lena frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Aran stepped forward.
"I don't know… but it's not just destruction."
Kalen exhaled slowly.
"Then we don't run from it," he said.
A pause.
"We find it first."
Lena looked at both of them like they had lost their minds.
"You want to run toward the chaos?"
Aran nodded.
"They want me," he said. "So we use that."
Lena sighed.
"I'm starting to hate that plan."
But she followed anyway.
They moved through the streets quickly, pushing against the flow of people escaping. The further they went, the worse it became. Fires spread along the buildings. Smoke filled the air. Shadows moved between the flames—figures in dark cloaks, directing, controlling, watching.
Aran saw them.
And they saw him.
One of them raised a hand.
Pointed.
A signal.
"They found us," Lena said.
"No," Aran replied.
"We found them."
The cloaked figures began to move toward them, silent and precise. Not running. Not rushing. Confident.
Too confident.
Kalen stepped forward slightly, placing himself between Aran and the incoming threat.
"Stay behind me," he said.
Aran didn't listen.
Instead, he stepped beside him.
"No," he said. "We face them together."
Lena rolled her eyes slightly.
"Great," she muttered. "That makes it worse."
The first attacker reached them.
Fast.
Too fast.
His blade cut through the air toward Aran—
But Lena was faster.
She blocked it, twisting her body and striking back with precision.
Kalen followed instantly, taking down another attacker with a clean, controlled movement.
Aran stepped back—
Then stopped.
No.
Not this time.
He raised the amulet.
It exploded with light.
The street lit up in a burst of energy, forcing the attackers to stagger back. The flames around them flickered wildly, shadows stretching unnaturally.
The cloaked figures hesitated.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
Aran stepped forward.
The light followed him.
Not wild.
Focused.
Controlled.
The power was changing.
So was he.
The fight had begun.
And this time—
He was not running.