Narul staggered back, struggling to keep his grip. Ruth didn’t give him the chance to recover. He stepped forward and slammed his sword into Narul’s side, the lightning exploding outward like a bomb. The lightning blast created a huge shockwave crushing everything on contact. The blast ripped through the cliff behind them, sending massive chunks of rock raining down the mountain. Ruth’s sword flashed in the air, a streak of silver charged with crackling lightning. Narul’s daggers moved to parry, his body twisting in and out of the shadows, but Ruth’s speed kept dragging him into the open. Sparks and shadows clashed again and again, each strike splitting stone and sending shockwaves tearing through the barren mountain. The ground trembled with every impact, as if the earth itself feared the two of them. A jagged ridge behind them shattered like glass under the force of a missed blow. Lightning burst from Ruth’s blade, searing across the landscape and burning away every pocket of shadow Narul tried to hide in. Narul’s daggers met the sword in a desperate guard, but the sheer weight behind Ruth’s strikes forced his arms numb. Every time their weapons met, the mountain shook and chunks of rock tumbled from the peaks. He fell to one knee, the dagger trembling in his hand. Ruth stood over him, his sword still sparking as the storm above began to fade. Narul tried to vanish into darkness again, but Ruth’s eyes followed the faintest flicker of movement. With a sudden lunge, Ruth’s left hand shot forward, catching Narul by the collar. Before the shadow wielder could slip away, Ruth yanked him forward and slammed him to the ground with bone-cracking force. The earth split beneath them, a crater forming where they landed. A huge shockwave of destruction created tremors around the place. Narul tried to escape but Ruth used all his strength but Ruth hands were like pincers grabbing him in place. Then with a force,Ruth yanked with a terrifying strength ripping his arms causing blood to spurt around. Narul gritted his teeth to hide his pain.Being an assassin,he knew how to contain the pain yet his gaze looked at Ruth with hatred. Ruth’s voice was low, calm, and terrifying as his grip tightened. "I didn’t harm your grandson because my son asked," he said, his eyes cold. "And you should be happy it’s me who came to fight rather than my brother. Lest you wouldn’t be ending up with an arm..." Narul’s eyes widened, a rare shiver running down his spine. In the Empire, everyone feared Veydrin, but those who were old enough to remember knew the truth,Ruth was bad but the elder was something far worse. He was a danger, a threat, a wolf in human skin. When the wolf started hunting,death was the only escape. With one violent motion, Ruth’s other hand gripped Narul’s arm and tore it from his body. The sound of ripping flesh and breaking bone echoed through the barren peaks. Blood sprayed across the shattered stones as Narul let out a choked cry of pain. "Don’t even dare touch Veydrins again," Ruth said, throwing the severed arm to the ground as if it were nothing. Narul stumbled back, as he was unable to support himself due to the missing hands Ruth’s lightning still danced across the ruined landscape, and the mountain seemed ready to crumble entirely. The wind carried dust, blood, and the scent of scorched stone as silence fell,broken only by the crackle of the fading storm. Around him, the once-barren mountain was now unrecognizable—split ridges, smoking craters, and shattered cliffs stretched in every direction. The air was thick with dust and the smell of scorched stone. The destruction they had left behind would stand for years, a scar on the land that told of the clash between lightning and shadow. Far beneath the surface, in a place where no sunlight had touched for centuries, an ancient cavern stretched endlessly into the dark. The air was heavy and damp, carrying the faint smell of blood and rot. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth from the ceiling, dripping water into black pools that reflected nothing. In the center of the vast chamber stood a towering stone wall carved with hundreds of tablets. Each one bore the faint outline of a name—the life tablets of those bound to a single oath. The silence was broken by a sudden, sharp crack. One of the tablets split in two. Then another. And another. The sound echoed unnaturally through the chamber, like brittle bones snapping under unseen hands. The torches along the walls flickered, their flames shrinking as if recoiling from some unseen force. In the shadows, twisted figures stirred—men with eyes clouded by madness, muttering to themselves, their bodies bent and scarred from years of torment. They watched the tablets break with silent, feverish anticipation, their breaths ragged. A man in a black robe, the cloth covering his sightless eyes, stepped forward. His voice cut through the chamber, sharp and demanding. His hands gripped the edge of the stone stand before him as another tablet split with a loud snap. "Why is it breaking?" He turned toward a trembling figure who stood at the side. "Where have these people gone?" The figure bowed slightly, his voice low and careful. "They have gone to the Heinzen Empire... to finish the task." The blind man froze. "What?" His tone rose in disbelief. "So they failed?" For a moment, there was silence. Then his face twisted with rage. He threw his head back and let out a scream that tore through the chamber. "Quickly! Find out who is the one behind this! I want this person to pay." The madmen scattered into motion, their footsteps echoing against the walls as they rushed to obey. The air grew colder, as if the cavern itself had taken notice of the command. Somewhere deeper in the darkness, whispers began to stir, spreading the news like a plague..