The knock came again.
Three sharp taps. Pause. Two more.
Lira's hand shot to her dagger.
Kael didn't move. He felt it—deep in his bones. The System pulsing. Warning. Enemies close. Trained. Dangerous.
Outside, the wind picked up. Rain blew sideways now, hammering the windows.
"This is your final warning. Open the door, or we come in swinging."
Lira mouthed something under her breath.
Kael leaned in close. "How many exits?"
She pointed silently to a trapdoor behind the fireplace. "Leads into the root cellar. But it's tight. Only one can go at a time."
Another knock. This one heavy—a boot against the wood.
They were out of time.
Kael stood. "Get in. Now."
She looked like she wanted to argue.
"Lira, go."
She hesitated, then crawled into the hidden space, pulling the door shut behind her.
Kael turned to face the entrance.
The System buzzed in his mind.
> Threat detected: Level B Combat Unit – Inquisition Knight. Spell options limited. System Authority: Level 1. Warning: Mana Capacity unstable. Soul core unbonded.
The door exploded inward.
A knight in black armor stomped through the wreckage, sword drawn. His face was hidden behind a helm engraved with the Empire's sigil.
Two more entered behind him—smaller, faster. Crossbows aimed at Kael's chest.
"Hands where we can see them!" one barked.
Kael didn't move.
The main knight stepped forward. "You are harboring a known fugitive. Surrender, and we might keep your execution clean."
Kael looked at his hands.
> System.
"Give me something stronger than Decay."
> Accessing secondary spell.
Unlocked: "Borrowed Death."
Type: Spirit Class.
Effect: Temporarily summons the soul of a deceased warrior through corpse resonance. Duration: 15 seconds. Side effect: +3% Corruption.
Kael's lips curled into a grin.
"Too late for clean."
He whispered the incantation.
"Borrowed Death."
The room turned cold.
The fire went out.
Behind Kael, the shadows lengthened. A figure began to rise from the dirt floor—skeletal armor, glowing eyes, and a rusted blade in its bony hand.
One of the soldiers screamed.
The spectral warrior lunged.
Steel clashed with soul-blade. The knight barely blocked before being flung backward into the table, shattering it.
Kael ducked as a bolt whizzed past his head. He kicked over the cauldron, sending hot herbs and smoke into the air.
Another crossbowman fired blindly. Missed.
Kael sprinted forward.
The borrowed spirit swung its blade. This time, it connected.
The knight's armor cracked. His scream was short—cut off by a second swing that shattered his chestplate.
Thump.
He collapsed.
The other two panicked.
One tried to run.
Kael grabbed a fire iron from the wall and drove it into the man's side before he made it to the door.
The last one stumbled backward—weapon dropped, mouth trembling.
Kael stared at him.
> "Let him go."
The System hesitated.
> "No."
Kael frowned. "What?"
> "Host must feed."
His fingers moved without permission.
The last man froze. Shadow tendrils erupted from Kael's palm, wrapping around the soldier's body like ropes.
"Wait—please—"
Kael's body didn't listen.
The magic drained the man's life. His skin paled. His mouth hung open in a silent scream.
Then silence.
The body slumped.
Kael staggered backward, grabbing his head.
His veins glowed faint black for a moment before fading.
> Borrowed Death: expired. Corruption: 4%. Vitality absorbed: +12%. Spell matrix stabilized.
He dropped to his knees, breathing hard.
The house was a wreck—bodies everywhere. Blood. Smoke. That awful cold still clinging to the walls.
The trapdoor creaked open.
Lira climbed out slowly, eyes wide.
She took in the corpses. The shattered furniture. The unnatural silence.
"...What the hell was that?"
Kael stood slowly. "A spell."
"You summoned a ghost."
Kael shook his head. "Not a ghost. A death echo. A memory of a warrior's soul."
She stared. "That's… that's Third Circle forbidden magic. I only read about that in—"
She stopped.
Kael looked at her. "In noble records?"
She bit her lip.
They locked eyes.
Then, suddenly, Lira grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the wall.
"You idiot!" she hissed. "Do you have any idea what they'll do to us if they find this?! You didn't just kill soldiers—you used a soul-binding spell inside imperial territory!"
Kael didn't push back. He just stared at her—watching the panic flood her face.
Then he said quietly, "They were going to kill you."
She stopped.
Her hand loosened on his shirt.
Kael continued. "They had a warrant. Your name was on it."
Lira paled.
"I saw it on the commander's scroll."
She let go of him and stumbled back. Sat down hard on a broken chair.
"...They tracked me here."
Kael nodded.
She looked up at him. "Why did you stay? You could've run."
"I owed you," he said simply.
They sat in the silence again.
This time, heavier.
Finally, Kael asked, "Is there a place you can go? Somewhere safe?"
Lira didn't answer right away.
Then: "There's an old outpost in the western forest. It's abandoned, but I used to train there when I was younger. No one goes near it anymore."
He nodded. "Then we go at first light."
She looked at him. "We?"
"I'm not letting you die just because you helped me once."
Her eyes narrowed. "And what do you get out of this?"
Kael didn't blink.
"Revenge."