Location: Veilborn Sanctuary, beneath IskarraTime: Just after midnight, after the revelation
The air was thick with magic and mistrust.
The scholar and Kael stood before the Veilborn emissary, the faint glow of leyline runes casting shifting patterns on their faces.
The Pact
The emissary extended a hand, woven with threads of shimmering ley-silk.
"This tether will bind our fates.It grants you access to our knowledge —but also marks you as ours."
The scholar hesitated, then took the tether.
Kael's eyes flicked to the shadows, wary.
"What price?"
The emissary's smile was cold, almost sad.
"The Crown's hunger is patient.So are we."
The First Test
No sooner had the pact been sealed than the chamber trembled violently.
Runes flared bright — alarms triggered.
Outside, the city was waking to chaos.
Betrayal's Echo
Word had spread — the Accord's factions moved swiftly.
The scholar's safehouse was compromised.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"They're coming.And this time, it's not just the Accord."
A hidden faction — mercenaries working for the masked woman — surged through the streets, hunting.
Fleeing Into Darkness
The scholar and Kael fled through secret tunnels beneath Iskarra, the Veilborn tether glowing faintly — a lifeline and a leash.
"We've bought time," the scholar said, breath ragged."But the real war begins now."
Aftermath
In the distance, the city burned — an omen.
The veil between ally and enemy had torn.
And beneath it all, the Crown's hunger stirred, growing.