They moved through the stone halls like ghosts, shadows in a place that had forgotten light. The Council's hideout beneath the mountains wasn't built like a prison—it was built like a tomb. Cold. Silent. Designed to make you forget the sun even existed.
Chase followed the girl—her name still unknown, her footsteps eerily quiet. She led with a kind of nervous urgency, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, as if expecting death to round the corner behind them.
"How long until they notice I'm gone?" he whispered.
"Minutes. Maybe less," she said. "I disabled the closest wards, but I couldn't touch the core network. The moment a patrol doesn't check in, alarms will sound."
"Then we run."
"Wrong," she said, stopping at a fork in the corridor. "You run. I'm not leaving. I've got to shut down the extraction gates, or they'll just track you down with a binding tether."
"You seriously think I'm leaving you behind after all this?"
She looked back, meeting his eyes. "Yes. Because I didn't break you out to get rescued."
Chase stared at her, trying to read between the lines. There was more behind her words—pain, regret, maybe even a death wish. But now wasn't the time to argue.
Instead, he nodded. "Fine. But if you die, I'm coming back from wherever they drag me to and smacking your ghost."
A small, grim smile touched her lips. "Deal."
She tossed him a thin metal rod etched with tiny glyphs. "Conduit spike. Activate it if you need to fry a ward or blow a door."
"Appreciate the upgrade."
Then she vanished into the shadows, and Chase turned toward the west passage, heart hammering. His magic, though still flickering like a dying flame, was strengthening. He could feel his vampiric instincts sharpening again. Vision. Hearing. Reflexes. All coming back online.
Then he heard it.
Boots.
Fast. Coordinated. Coming straight for him.
He pressed himself against the wall as a group of masked Council enforcers rounded the corner—three of them, all armored, all armed with enchanted spears crackling with containment energy.
No time for stealth.
Chase stepped out from the shadows, conduit spike in one hand, the other flaring with raw blood magic.
"Hey, boys," he said with a smirk. "Miss me?"
The first guard lunged—and Chase twisted, dodging low. He jammed the conduit spike into the runes on the man's armor and whispered, "Boom."
A surge of lightning burst from the spike, short-circuiting the containment glyphs. The enforcer screamed as magic exploded through his armor, flinging him backward like a ragdoll.
The second and third attacked in tandem. Chase blocked one strike with his forearm, blood hardening over his skin like armor. He ducked the second, rolled, then slammed both fists into the floor.
The stone cracked. Obsidian veins ruptured with a flash of crimson, and a shockwave of magic rippled outward, sending both guards flying into the walls with a sickening crunch.
He stood there, breathing hard, hands glowing with unstable arcane fire. Not at full power yet—but getting there. Fast.
He took their keycards and weapons, sprinting down the hall toward the surface gate. Every corridor was a blur of flickering torches, grim statues, and warded doors. Every heartbeat felt stolen.
Alarms started to scream.
Scarlet light flooded the halls as emergency runes activated. Chase felt the pulse of the citadel awaken—like some ancient beast shaking off sleep. Security constructs. Magical sentries. He was running out of time.
Then—boom.
The walls to his right exploded outward in a cloud of black smoke and shattered stone. A towering golem stepped into view, obsidian skin laced with silver runes, fists big enough to crush a dragon skull.
"Oh come on," Chase muttered. "You guys really went all-out for me, huh?"
The golem raised its fists.
Chase raised his middle finger.
The fight was chaos. Spells flying. Blood magic clashing with arcane tech. Chase ducked and weaved, dodging blows that could level buildings. He summoned a shield of scarlet flame, using it to reflect a beam of pure mana. The corridor cracked around them.
Then he saw it: a weak spot near the core rune etched into the golem's chest.
He leapt, flipped over the creature midair, and drove the broken conduit spike into the rune with all his weight.
The golem froze. Glowed. And exploded in a burst of light and ash.
Chase landed hard, rolled to his feet, and didn't stop moving. The main gate was close. He could feel fresh air. Freedom.
He burst through the final corridor—and stopped.
Marius was waiting.
No mask. No robe. Just a dark smile, standing in front of the massive gate etched with the Council's seal.
"Impressive," Marius said. "But not surprising."
Chase's hands ignited with fire and shadow. "Get out of my way."
"You're not ready."
"Don't care."
"You'll lose everything."
Chase stepped forward. "I already have."
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Magic crackled between them like a storm trying to break through.
Then Chase launched the first strike.