Raden couldn't breathe. The air around him felt thick, suffocating, like it was pressing down on him from all sides. The room had grown eerily still in the aftermath of his actions. His sword was still clutched tightly in his hands, but the weight of it no longer felt like power—it felt like a shackle. The blood that stained the blade seemed to mock him, whispering a reminder of what he had done.
Jay's body lay lifeless on the cold stone floor, a crimson pool slowly spreading out beneath him. His face was still twisted in shock, his eyes wide and unblinking, forever fixed on Raden. His hand had fallen limp, his last, weak attempt at reaching for his friend forever unanswered.
"Raden..." Kamebrow's voice broke through the silence, smooth and cold, like a knife sliding into flesh. "You did what was necessary. You did well."
Raden didn't answer. He couldn't. His mouth was dry, his thoughts clouded with the image of Jay's face, his body crumpled in the same way Raden's soul now felt—broken, shattered, lost.
Kamebrow walked past him, stepping over Jay's body without a second glance. "The mission was completed. The traitor is dead. The empire will be pleased."
Raden's mind couldn't focus on the words. All he could see was Jay's face—his betrayal, his trust, and how he had ripped it all away. For the empire. For Kamebrow. But nothing felt real anymore. Everything had blurred into one unending nightmare.
"You think this is over?" the red-haired mage spoke suddenly, her voice filled with disgust. She was still standing there, not even trying to escape anymore, as if the carnage had drained her will to fight. "This isn't over, Raden. This is just the beginning of your downfall."
Raden's eyes turned to her, but there was no fight left in him. Her words hit him like a slap, and though he wanted to lash out, to end it, he couldn't bring himself to lift his sword. He had just taken a life. He had taken Jay's life. What more could he do now?
"You've lost," she said quietly, almost pityingly. "You're just like them. You're just a weapon, a tool for them to use. And in the end, they'll discard you, too."
A cold shiver ran through him. He couldn't argue. She was right. He had given himself to the empire, to Kacmebrow's orders. And now, there was no one left to care. No one left to save him.
The red-haired mage took a step closer, her voice softer now. "You think Kamebrow cares about you? About any of you? You're just another soldier to him. Another instrument of death. And when you've outlived your usefulness, you'll be left to rot. Just like the rest of us."
Raden could feel the truth in her words, but his chest was tight, a lump forming in his throat. He wasn't ready to accept it. Not yet.
Kamebrow turned back to Raden, his expression as cold and calculated as always. "You'll learn your place, Raden. And you'll carry out your duties as a Mage Breaker. There's no turning back now."
Raden wanted to scream at him. Wanted to tear him apart for all the lies, for everything he had stolen from him. But he didn't have the strength. He barely had the will to move. It was all too much. The empire. Kamebrow. The Mage Breakers. His own failure.
"Now," Kamebrow continued, stepping forward, "we return to the castle. Your real training begins now."
Raden looked at him, and for the first time, something in his heart hardened. He was done with being a pawn. But even as the thought came to him, he knew it was a fleeting one. What choice did he have? He was already too deep.
The red-haired mage's voice cut through his thoughts once more. "You'll be used until there's nothing left of you. And then they'll throw you away, just like the rest of us."
Raden didn't respond. He couldn't.
Kamebrow's sharp eyes glinted. "Take him to the castle," he ordered one of the other Mage Breakers.
The other Breaker, a tall figure with dark hair, moved toward Raden, his face an emotionless mask. But Raden was too far gone to care. He let the Breaker grip his arm and lead him out of the building, through the darkened streets, and toward the looming silhouette of the castle that dominated the skyline. It felt like the walls were closing in on him again, as though the entire world was conspiring to crush him under its weight.
As they passed through the gates of the castle, Raden couldn't shake the feeling that he was being swallowed whole.
Inside the castle, Raden was thrust into a cold, sterile room—a place where he would begin his transformation into a true Mage Breaker. The door slammed shut behind him, and the weight of the silence in the room felt like a tomb.
Kamebrow stood by the door, his arms crossed. "You will train here," he said, his voice as impersonal as ever. "You'll learn what it means to be a weapon of the empire. And you will carry out your missions without hesitation, without remorse."
Raden didn't respond. He couldn't. He had no words left.
For the first time in his life, he realized he was completely and utterly alone. The person he had been—before the bloodshed, before the betrayal—was gone. There was no coming back from it. He was just another tool, another soldier in Kacmebrow's army, and Jay… Jay was nothing but a memory. A distant, painful memory that would haunt him forever.
But in this moment, Raden realized something else. There was no more pretending. He had crossed a line—a line that no one could ever come back from.
Kamebrow's voice brought him back to the present, and for a moment, he almost wished it hadn't.
"Begin your training, Raden. You will be a Mage Breaker. You will hunt down those who threaten the empire. And you will never ask questions again."
Raden's fists clenched. He could feel the blood of Jay still on his hands, still staining his soul. But there was no escape now. No turning back.
The room felt colder, darker. And Raden understood, in that moment, the true cost of loyalty to the empire.