2025-04-13 06:58:34
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " Echoes of the Unbound Circle
The ground trembled beneath their feet, etched runes flaring with an eerie blue light that pulsed like a heartbeat from the earth itself. Kairo instinctively positioned himself in front of Ayame, his blade gleaming in the half-light of the forest's edge. The masked figure stood unmoved, his cloak billowing as if stirred by an unseen storm."Ayame, stay behind me," Kairo said in a low tone.Ayame's eyes were fixed on the runes beneath them. “These symbols… they weren’t just magic—they were meant to trap us here.”The figure slowly raised his staff, and with a faint hum, the runes grew brighter. “The Forest of Forgotten Whispers let you pass, but it does not erase what you’ve stirred, Kairo. The death of Ethan was only the beginning. The energy released when his blood spilled… awakened the Circle.”Kairo’s grip tightened. “If you’re here to avenge Ethan, you’re wasting your time. He got what he deserved.”A low chuckle came from behind the silver mask. “Ethan was a pawn, like so many be
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " The Whispering Waters of Yurei Vale
The forest behind them was still—too still.Kairo and Ayame trudged in silence, hands occasionally brushing but never quite clasping. Dirt clung to their boots, blood dried on their sleeves, and behind their eyes was the kind of exhaustion only battle—and loss—could bring.“Are you sure it’s dead?” Ayame finally asked, her voice a breath against the wind.Kairo didn’t answer immediately. His gaze remained forward, scanning the path ahead. The earth still trembled in a way he didn’t like. Not earthquakes—no, it was more subtle. A feeling beneath his feet, like a heart that refused to stop beating.“I’m not sure,” he said at last. “But for now, we’ve stopped it.”Ayame exhaled and stepped closer. “Then we keep moving.”They reached a fork in the narrow trail. One path led down into a fog-covered valley, the other curved upward along sharp cliffs that shimmered with crystals. Kairo hesitated, then pointed to the misty vale.“Yurei Vale,” he murmured. “A place the ancients called ‘the res
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " The Bloodstone Gate
The echo of their footsteps rang through the ancient corridor as Kairo and Ayame descended deeper into the ruins, the walls narrowing around them, etched with faded symbols that pulsed faintly beneath their touch. The air grew colder, heavy with dust and whispers of forgotten time.Ayame’s fingers trailed over one of the glyphs, its red hue flaring under her skin. “These markings… they’re not just from any civilization,” she murmured. “They’re from the Bloodborn Era—the age of the Crimson Emperors.”Kairo halted, eyes narrowing. “The ones said to have made pacts with living magic itself?”Ayame nodded slowly. “And ruled with blood as both sword and seal.”They turned a final corner, and the corridor opened into a vast underground chamber. At its centre stood a towering gate carved from obsidian and bloodstone. Its frame was interwoven with veins of crimson crystal, pulsating like a heart. Symbols spiralled across it—some familiar from Ayame’s family scrolls, others older than language
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " Embers of the Past
The power still sizzled under Ayame’s skin as she stood in the quiet aftermath. The red flames that had engulfed her now flickered gently around her wrists like whispering embers. Her breath was steady, but her heart raced with a rhythm she didn’t recognize—ancestral, relentless, unyielding.Kairo watched her carefully, arms folded, his expression unreadable. “How do you feel?”Ayame looked at her hands. “Like there’s something inside me that’s been waiting to wake up for centuries.”The spectral Keeper hovered near the altar, his translucent form growing fainter. “You now carry the Inochi no Honō—the Flame of Life. It feeds on your will, your resolve. Doubt it, and it will consume you.”Ayame nodded slowly. “Then I won’t give it the chance.”Kairo approached the mural behind the altar, tracing the outline of the chained entity. “Who is this creature? The one bound by your ancestor?”The Keeper’s gaze darkened. “It has no name spoken among mortals. We called it the Yokubō no Kami—the
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " Ash and Blade.
The masked warriors didn’t hesitate.With a shriek of wind and steel, they surged forward as one. The ground trembled under the charge of the hammer-wielder, while the staff-bearer raised a hand, casting an arc of black flame that streaked through the air toward Ayame.Kairo was already moving.His cursed blade sang as it met the first attacker’s glaive, the impact sending a shockwave through the cliffside. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed again, and again. Kairo moved like a phantom—every dodge, every strike, calculated and lethal.Ayame stepped into the path of the incoming flame. Her own fire flared from within, and with a shout, she thrust her hands forward. A wave of crimson heat erupted from her palms, devouring the black fire midair and pushing it back.The staff-bearer stumbled, caught off guard by the purity and force of her flames.Ayame advanced, her eyes glowing.“You think I don’t know fear?” she growled. “I lived with it every day. But now I am its flame.”Her fire c
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " Beneath the Surface of Silence
The morning fog wrapped around them like a mourning veil as Kairo and Ayame made their way through the ruins of the forest temple. The air was damp, heavy with a stillness that felt unnatural—as if the world itself was holding its breath. Birds no longer sang. Even the wind whispered in hushed tones, careful not to disturb what had been buried just days ago.Ayame walked beside Kairo, her fingers brushing against his. Neither had spoken since the burial of the staff. The battle with the masked figure, the collapse of the Circle’s curse, and the sacrifice it had demanded still weighed on them. Aysel’s death lingered like smoke after fire—present in every breath, in every step forward.Kairo stopped near a half-broken statue of an old deity, moss growing over its blind stone eyes. “This place used to be sacred. I can feel it… like echoes, still trapped in the walls.”Ayame nodded, her voice soft. “It wasn’t just a battleground—it was a gate. The staff, the runes, the Circle… they, were
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " The Truth Beneath the Steel.
The vault was eerily quiet, save for the low hum of magic vibrating through its stone bones. As Kairo stepped forward, the floating lights adjusted, illuminating the space like it had been waiting for him all along.Ayame remained close behind, eyes scanning every wall, every artefact that surrounded them. Swords suspended midair, frozen mid-swing. Scrolls rolled tightly with golden bands. Even the scent here was strange—like time itself had no dominion.Soris walked ahead, her silver hair trailing like moonlight, the pendant of the Unbound Circle still glinting against her chest. “This place holds every record of the war,” she said softly, almost reverently. “The first war. The one they erased from the histories.”Kairo frowned. “The war between the Silent Blade and the Circle?”Soris shook her head. “Before that. The war created us both.”She led them to a pedestal at the centre of the room. A sphere rested atop it, humming with soft, pulsing light. It seemed alive, breathing with q
BLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade " The Sanctum of Shadows
The descent into the lower sanctum was like walking into the forgotten marrow of the world. The passage wound downward in endless spirals, carved in obsidian stone and lined with glowing runes that pulsed like slow, ancient heartbeats. Dust choked the air, but not from neglect—it was the kind of dust that clung to history itself.Kairo led the way, Nocturnis strapped across his back, its faint hum resonating with the sigils etched into the walls. Every step down felt heavier, not just with exhaustion, but with weight—of responsibility, of legacy, of the buried truth now clawing its way into the light.Ayame followed close, her fingers tracing the runes as they passed. Her sword remained sheathed, but her body was taut, alert. She had fought beasts and men, watched friends bleed out in her arms—but nothing felt as ominous as this quiet.Soris walked in silence, her face unreadable. The light from her pendant offered no comfort now, only dim clarity.“What exactly lies at the bottom?” A
Latest Chapter
The Watchers Beyond the Ridge
"They never vanish. They only wait."—Talon, during the first wars“Movement near the ridge. East line, second outpost.”The whisper rippled through the early morning fog like a tremor. A young scout named Ilven, barely seventeen winters old, squatted low against the stone edge of the observation post, peering through the mist with a pair of brass binoculars. His fingers trembled—not from the cold, but from the sight before him.At first, it was just shapes. Shadows in the trees, subtle enough to be mistaken for wind-stirred branches. But Ilven had been taught by one of the best. Talon had trained these scouts himself, and his words echoed in Ilven’s head: "If the wind feels like it’s holding its breath, it’s because something is trying to stay hidden."And the wind was still. Too still.Ilven pulled back, heart pounding.“Riders. Three of them. Marked in black. Watching us.”He turned to the hawkmaster beside him, who was already tying a note to the leg of the sleek bird perched on h
Ripples in Still Water
"The wind shifts even when the forest sleeps."—Ayame’s last recorded words in her journalThe days following Raien’s fifth birthday passed like soft wind through tall grass—quiet, unbothered, but not without purpose. The kingdom was in bloom. Fields once soaked with blood now burst with grain. The markets in Haven were filled with laughter and voices from distant lands. Children ran freely without the fear of arrows or war drums.Kairo watched it all with a deep, settled pride. The world had become what he once fought for but never believed he would live to see. And yet, something stirred—something he couldn’t quite name.Ayame noticed it too.“You’ve been staring at the horizon a lot,” she said one evening, brushing her fingers through his greying hair as they sat on the porch, Raien asleep behind them.Kairo nodded slowly. “The wind feels… wrong.”She tilted her head. “Wrong how?”He hesitated. “It’s too calm.”Ayame smiled gently, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’ve lived in
A Name Forged in Peace
"He will not carry my blade… but he will carry my heart."—Kairo, standing before the gathered crowd beneath the Spirit Tree of HavenThe morning sun filtered softly through the high branches of the Spirit Tree, its leaves rustling with whispers of the past and murmurs of the future. At the base of the tree, a crowd had gathered—warriors, elders, farmers, children, and council members—all wearing robes of ceremonial gray laced with crimson thread, a color that symbolized rebirth among the Silent Blade.Kairo stood before them, his arms gently wrapped around the small, swaddled infant in his hands. He wore no armour today, only simple linen robes dyed in charcoal, a sash of silver silk draped across his shoulder—the mark of a father among his people. Beside him, Ayame stood glowing not only with pride but a quiet fatigue. Her smile, though soft, bore the strength of a woman who had endured blood and pain to bring light into the world."He will not carry my blade," Kairo repeated, his v
The Quiet Flame.
"Push Mama Push !"The wind that brushed across the courtyard of Emberhold felt softer that morning. Even the ever-burning flame atop the central spire flickered with a gentler glow, as if the very kingdom was holding its breath—waiting.Inside the citadel walls, a different kind of battle raged. One not of swords and blood, but of breath and sweat and the unrelenting rhythm of life being ushered into the world.Ayame's cries echoed down the stone corridors, sharp and primal, yet threaded with fierce determination. Kairo stood just outside the chamber, fists clenched, heart pounding harder than it ever had during any battle. The silence of a warrior was easy. But this silence—this waiting—was unbearable.He paced. His steps left shallow prints in the dust covering the hallway floor. Talon sat nearby, sharpening a dagger out of habit, but even he had paused now, the blade resting against his thigh as he glanced at Kairo.“You’d rather face ten Veylun generals than wait through this, wo
A New Dawn Rises
The wind swept softly across the Scorchlands, no longer carrying the scent of burning ash and blood. Instead, it bore the stillness of mourning—and of rebirth. The first light of dawn painted the ruined ridges in hues of gold and pale rose, washing over the cracked stones of what remained of the Temple of Kindled Bones.Kairo stood alone at the edge of the ridge, his silhouette cut against the horizon, watching the sun rise. His cloak fluttered in the breeze, half-torn from battle, smeared with ash and the blood of both allies and enemies. His blade, now sheathed across his back, felt heavier than ever—not from weight, but from memory.Behind him, the survivors stirred.The Ashguard had suffered heavy losses. More than half of their number had fallen either on the field or within the temple’s collapsing heart. But those who lived carried a fire in their chests that no darkness could smother. And ,with the fall of Veylun and the purging of the Temple’s corrupt energy, the land itself s
A Temple Awakens.
The clash of steel against steel echoed across the Scorchlands like war drums from a forgotten age. Heatwaves distorted the air, painting a hellish mirage as fire and shadow collided in the basin before the Temple of Kindled Bones.Kairo spun through a Shadowflame warrior, parrying a thrust and driving his blade into the man’s side with practiced precision. Behind him, Ayame’s war cry rose above the chaos, her twin blades dancing arcs of light, cutting through the onslaught.But the enemy kept coming—wave after wave, their eyes glowing with a sickly red light, as if possessed by the very flame Veylun had promised them. They fought not with strategy, but with frenzy. With belief. With madness.Talon fought beside Kairo, back-to-back, blades flashing like twin bolts of vengeance. “This is madness!” he shouted over the roar of flames and death. “We’re not going to hold this line!”Kairo gritted his teeth and drove his heel into the ground, launching a clean upward slash that sent two mor
The March to the Scorchlands
The wind shifted as dawn crept across Haven’s eastern wall, painting the citadel in warm hues of bronze and amber. Kairo stood on the parapet, arms folded, his gaze cast toward the jagged silhouette of the Scorchlands beyond the horizon. The land he had only ever seen in the tales of the Silent Blade—legends of firestorms, buried relics, and a forgotten war.Below him, the city stirred. The clang of armor, the groan of leather harnesses, the rhythm of preparation. Haven was awakening for war.Behind him, Ayame approached, her armor a glint of silver threaded with flame-colored filigree. A blade rested at her hip, not ceremonial this time, but sharpened and ready.“Never thought I’d live to see a march like this again,” she said quietly.Kairo didn’t move his gaze. “We don’t have a choice anymore.”“He’ll strike the Temple. That much is clear.”Kairo nodded. “And we have to reach it first.”Ayame’s voice softened. “You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you? Veylun.”A shadow crossed
Embers of the East
The eastern skies were a tapestry of crimson and gold as Talon rode along the narrow cliffs that overlooked the Valley of Whispers. His hood was pulled low, a scarf masking the lower half of his face as dust churned around him in gritty gusts. Each hoofbeat echoed against stone, a lonely rhythm in a land that had long forgotten mercy.He hadn’t slept much since departing Haven. The memories of the past—of the Order before its fall, of the wars that scorched these lands—whirled around in his head like ghosts refusing to rest.And now, the Queen had sent him to chase another.The Flamebearer.A myth, a warning, a symbol of a power too dangerous to wield and too tempting to ignore. If he truly existed, Talon knew this mission could be the difference between victory and annihilation.As the sun dipped lower, Talon reached the broken outpost of Rikar’s Edge. Once a proud sentinel on Haven’s border, it now lay in ruin—scorched walls, collapsed watchtowers, and blackened stone suggesting som
The Queen’s Flame
The moon hung like a silent witness above Haven, silver and cold, casting its light over a city on the edge of transformation. For the first time in decades, the mountain stronghold thrummed with purpose—not fear. Not vengeance. But something more enduring. The forging of the Ashguard and the reawakening of the Oathstone had lit a fire in the hearts of Kairo’s people. A fire that would soon be tested.Ayame sat alone in the Queen’s chamber, wrapped in a deep red robe, her hand resting protectively over her swelling belly. The room was quiet, save for the soft crackle of the fireplace and the distant murmurs of soldiers preparing below. Her fingers traced the edge of a map laid out before her, eyes narrowing on the southern borders—where Veylun’s spies had last been sighted.She knew war was coming.She had felt it in the wind when the Oathstone had been restored. Power awakened always echoed across the land, and their enemies would feel it too.But war wasn’t what worried her the most