By the time they reached the surface, dawn had begun to stain the sky with red.
But Velmire did not wake to birdsong or merchants' shouts.
It woke to the sound of bells.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Syaoran froze as the last echo rolled through the streets like thunder.
Four chimes.
A full purge.
Kira's expression darkened. "Someone's dead. Or about to be."
They emerged from the ruins through a hidden grate in the garden behind an abandoned chapel. From there, they could see smoke rising across the rooftops. Not the drifting plumes of chimney stacks—thicker, darker.
Fire.
And marching.
Syaoran could see the glint of black armor down every major street.
The Black Watch was moving in force.
He felt a knot twist in his gut.
"The tavern."
Kira caught his arm before he bolted. "Wait. If they know about the boy—Teren—they'll be watching it."
"They won't hurt her," he said. "They won't—"
"They will." Her grip tightened. "This is what the king does. He punishes kindness. If she's still alive, you running in will only sign her death."
He shook her off, cold fury in his eyes. "Then I'll just have to move faster than them."
---
The alleys had changed since yesterday.
Where once there were beggars, now there were bodies. Hung from posts. Thrown into gutters. Silent protests from the crown.
Syaoran didn't stop to count. He didn't blink. His focus burned like a blade honed by rage.
He reached the tavern just as a group of Watch soldiers rounded the corner.
The front door was broken in. The window shattered.
He slipped around the back, through the kitchen entrance. Quiet. Fast.
Inside, flour dust floated through the air like ash. Tables overturned. Blood on the counter. The old tea kettle shattered on the ground.
"Rinna…" he whispered.
He moved through the shadows, into the storage room.
That's where he found her.
Madam Rinna sat in her old wooden chair, shoulders slumped, a shallow cut across her temple. Breathing—but weak.
Beside her, Teren lay unconscious, bruised but alive.
Syaoran knelt beside her, taking her hand.
Her eyelids fluttered open. "You're late… again…"
He let out a breath—half relief, half pain.
"I'm here," he said softly.
"They searched everything," she whispered. "Tore up the ovens. I told them nothing."
His fists clenched.
Teren stirred. "They took it…"
Syaoran turned. "What?"
Teren's eyes were glassy. "The parchment. The map. They found it."
A chill crawled up Syaoran's spine.
Then, from outside—
"He's in there!"
Kira's voice snapped from the alley: "Syaoran, MOVE!"
He didn't hesitate.
He threw a bucket of flour over the lantern fire, dousing the room in smoke and choking dust. He slung Teren's arm over his shoulder, lifted Rinna with his other, and barreled out the back.
Kira appeared in the alley with a gust of wind at her heels, hurling a spell behind her that cracked the stone street and sent two soldiers flying.
"We need to split!" she shouted.
"No," Syaoran growled, his lightning already stirring. "We end this."
Kira looked at him—really looked at him.
And for the first time, she didn't argue.
---
They ran through the alleyways, weaving a path toward a safer haven. But the Watch was closing in—and worse, behind them, the sound of chanting rose.
Not military orders
Not commands
Cultists
And they were following the scent of Veilborn blood.