Chapter 8 – The Crimson Reveal
Kael moved through the forest with a hunter's silence, shadows curling at his heels. Every tree, every breeze—felt like it watched him. Like something ancient knew he was awake now.
Then, he heard it again.
That laugh.
Soft. Familiar. Dangerous.
> "Took you long enough," Roan said, leaning against a tree.
She wore her red cloak like war paint—only this time, the blades strapped to her thighs gleamed wet with blood. Behind her stood three others. Hooded. Silent. Marked with tattoos Kael didn't recognize.
> "Who are they?" he asked.
Roan's smirk was different now. Not teasing—sad.
> "They're like me," she said.
> "Orphans of Guild Wars. Mercenaries. Monsters."
She stepped closer.
> "We were hired to kill you."
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The Contract
Kael's breath caught.
"You… knew who I was all along?"
Roan looked away.
"No. I didn't know it was you—not until Eronvale."
She threw a scroll at his feet. He unrolled it.
> Contract Seal: Thorn Crown Guild
Target: Kael, Subject of Shadow Class
Bonus clause: Deliver his heart to the Guildmaster personally.
Kael's hands clenched.
"And you still followed me?"
Roan stared at him.
"No," she said. "I chose to protect you."
> "Because the guilds fear you.
And anything they fear that much… deserves a chance to fight back."
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Ambush
The ground exploded.
Dozens of feet thundered in from all sides—bounty hunters, guild trackers, and rogue Class wielders—all zeroing in on Kael's position. The air shimmered with activated skills. Bows crackled with flame-tipped arrows. Axes screamed down from the sky.
> "Scatter!" Roan barked.
Her team vanished into combat as Kael stood in the center, calm.
Then he whispered:
> "Codex Umbra—Unseal technique:
Shadow Gate: Wrath of the Abyss."
Black fire burst from his core. Reality tore open. A dozen phantom Kaels stepped forward—echoes of death, mimicking his fury. Each of them lunged at a different enemy.
> Technique unlocked: Abyssal Army (B-Rank)
Temporarily summons shadow clones that share 50% of your current stats.
Screams filled the forest. And Kael moved like death incarnate.
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The Unseen Enemy
But in the chaos, something else stirred.
A masked figure stood above them on the cliffs. Watching.
Unlike the bounty hunters, he wasn't after money.
He wanted power.
> "So the boy lives," he whispered.
"The Shadow Rank blooms again."
He stepped into the wind—and vanished.
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End of Chapter 8