Valenport bled in silence.
By the third night, the city wore its wounds openly—burned-out shops, alleys slick with blood, whispers of families dragged from their homes. And through it all, the Council's grip tightened like an iron chain around our throats.
I hated it.
I hated watching people bow their heads out of fear, hated hearing their laughter silenced. Most of all, I hated that the Serpents had become the Council's perfect weapon—an unholy leash snapping at anyone who dared resist.
But I wasn't the same man I had been when this all started. Neither were my companions.
We gathered in the Resistance tunnels, lit by the dim glow of Mira's sigils etched into the stone. Eldric's voice carried across the chamber, hard and steady despite the tremor in his hand as he pointed at the worn map.
"They're not hiding anymore. The Council has declared curfew across Valenport. Anyone caught outside after sundown is either conscripted—or disappears." His jaw clenched. "This city is becoming their cage."
Ryn leaned over the table, her eyes sharp as her daggers. "Then we need to break the locks before the cage closes. Where's their hold weakest?"
Eldric's gaze flicked to me, then to the others. "The eastern ward. But it's not just guards patrolling now. The Council sent one of their high enforcers to oversee it."
A hush fell.
I had heard rumors of the Council's enforcers—men and women twisted by power, their Soul Resonance warped until they became living weapons. No one who faced them returned the same.
Loran broke the silence first, scoffing as he rested his axe on his shoulder. "Good. Been waiting to test myself on something that actually hits back."
Ryn shot him a look that could've cut stone. "This isn't a tavern brawl, Loran. If we rush in blind, we'll all die."
Mira spoke softly, but her words carried weight. "Not if we fight as one. That's why I came back, Kael. Not to run, not to hide—because I knew you'd need me here. All of you would."
Her eyes lingered on mine, steady and unflinching despite the shadows of her past. I wanted to tell her how much those words meant—how much Ryn's loyalty and Loran's reckless strength had already kept me alive. But there was no time for sentiment.
I forced my voice to steady. "We can't wait for the Council to crush us piece by piece. We strike the eastern ward. Not to win a war—but to send a message."
Eldric looked at me long and hard, then finally nodded. "If you're serious about this… then we'll back you. But understand, Kael—this won't just be another skirmish. This is a declaration."
I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword. My Soul Resonance pulsed inside me, hot and insistent, as if it too hungered for the fight ahead. "Good. Let them hear it. Let the Council know that Valenport isn't theirs to choke."
We left the tunnels as dusk bled into night. The city above was quiet, too quiet. Shops shuttered, streets abandoned. Torches burned along the ward walls, their flames sharp and unnatural—warding sigils woven into the fire.
As we crept closer, the air itself thickened. The taste of iron filled my mouth. My Soul Resonance screamed at me before I even saw him.
The enforcer.
He stood in the center of the street, broad-shouldered, his armor etched with the Council's crest. His face was hidden by a mask of black steel, and every breath that escaped him came out like smoke.
Ryn froze beside me, her voice low. "He's waiting. He knew we'd come."
Loran grinned. "Saves me the trouble of finding him."
But when the enforcer raised his hand, shadows stirred behind him—dozens of Serpents slithering into view, blades glinting in the torchlight.
I swallowed hard, forcing the fear down. They wanted to break us here, make an example out of us before the whole city.
Not tonight.
I stepped forward, sword drawn, my voice cutting through the silence. "Council dog!"
The enforcer tilted his head slowly, as if weighing my worth. Then his voice echoed through the mask, low and terrible.
"Three nights have passed, Kael. Now your time is mine."
My Soul Resonance surged, brighter than ever, humming through my veins like a second heartbeat. I looked back at Ryn, Mira, and Loran—my clan. My family. They nodded, no hesitation in their eyes.
The storm was here.
And this time, Valenport would hear us roar.