Chapter 101 — The Artifact Awakens
The rogue faction struck at dusk on the eastern border, where jagged volcanic ridges met the shadowed passes of the Ashen Canyons.
Varak, a battle-scarred Traditionalist warlord who had never accepted the Hybrid Queen, had gathered two hundred fanatics. They called themselves the Pure Shadow, believers that Liora's very existence was poisoning the realm. They carried an ancient relic — a cursed mirror said to have been forged during Seraphiel's failed rebellion, designed to "purify" corrupted minds.
Cairis had insisted on leading the strike force himself. "These fools need to see their king's face when their rebellion dies," he had said.
Liora rode beside him on her shadow steed, the Veilheart Keystone resting warm against her collarbone. Through their soul bond, she felt his steady confidence and protective warmth.
