Chapter 5: Blood Oaths and Broken Ties

The underground hideout was dimly lit, the flickering torches casting shadows along the stone walls. Elara’s heartbeat pounded in her ears as she took in the sight before her—a circle of warriors, their faces hardened by war and betrayal. Kaelen stood beside her, his presence an unshakable force, but even he couldn’t shield her from the scrutiny of the rebels.

“This is her?” a deep voice echoed through the chamber. A man with a scar running across his cheek stepped forward, arms crossed. “The lost princess? The one we’re supposed to risk our lives for?”

Elara lifted her chin. She had been raised to command respect, but here, in this forgotten corner of the world, she was just another outsider.

“She’s not here to be protected,” Kaelen said, his voice cold. “She’s here to fight.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd. A tall woman with piercing gray eyes—clearly one of the leaders—stepped closer, studying Elara.

“If she wants to be one of us, she must prove it,” the woman said. “A blood oath.”

Kaelen’s body tensed beside Elara, but he said nothing.

Elara’s throat tightened. A blood oath—an unbreakable pact sealed by magic. It would mark her as one of them, but if she betrayed them, the magic would turn against her, burning her alive from the inside out.

A blade was unsheathed, glinting under the torchlight. The woman extended it to Elara. “Do you swear loyalty to the rebellion? To fight against the lies that have bound this kingdom?”

Elara hesitated for only a second before gripping the blade. “I swear it.”

She sliced the blade across her palm, the sting sharp but fleeting. The woman did the same, pressing their wounds together. A surge of energy coursed through Elara’s veins as ancient magic sealed the oath.

But just as the ritual completed, the doors to the hideout slammed open.

“They’ve found us!” someone shouted.

A storm of chaos erupted as armed assassins poured in—the Shadowborn had come.

Kaelen grabbed Elara’s wrist, pulling her behind him as blades clashed and screams echoed through the chamber.

The blood oath was complete. But now, it might be the very thing that gets her killed.

The chamber erupted into chaos. The Shadowborn assassins, cloaked in darkness, moved like wraiths through the torches’ flickering light, their curved blades gleaming with lethal intent.

Elara’s pulse pounded as a figure lunged at her, his dagger aimed for her throat. Move! her instincts screamed, but her body felt frozen, her mind struggling to catch up with the carnage unfolding around her.

At the last second, Kaelen’s sword clashed against the assassin’s blade, deflecting the attack with brutal force. His voice was sharp as steel.

“Fight, Elara. Or you die.”

Something snapped inside her. This was no longer the sheltered world of the palace, where she could rely on guards or diplomatic power. Here, survival meant blood and steel.

The assassin lunged again. This time, she was ready.

She ducked low, narrowly avoiding his blade, and drove her dagger into his side. The man grunted in pain, stumbling backward. The sight of blood on her hands sent a strange mix of horror and exhilaration through her.

A second assassin came at her—this one faster. Elara barely managed to dodge his strike, but as she turned to counter, something exploded inside her.

A rush of power—wild, untamed—surged through her veins. The air around her grew thick, vibrating with unseen energy. The assassin froze mid-attack, his body stiffening, his eyes widening in confusion.

Then—he collapsed.

Elara gasped, stumbling backward. What had she just done?

Kaelen, cutting down another enemy, caught sight of her. His expression shifted—from battle focus to something darker. Something dangerous.

“Elara…” His voice was low, edged with something unreadable.

Before she could respond, a sharp pain pierced through her skull. The room spun. The energy within her pulsed violently, growing stronger, uncontrollable.

The rebels, the assassins, even Kaelen—they all blurred together.

Then—blackness.

Everything vanished.

Darkness swallowed her.

Elara drifted in an abyss, weightless, her body burning from within. A pulse—steady, ancient—echoed in her mind. Who are you? a voice whispered, sending chills down her spine.

Then, pain.

A sharp, electric jolt ripped through her body, forcing her eyes open.

She gasped, her vision blurry, her limbs trembling. The sounds of battle were distant now, muffled like they came from another world.

“Elara!”

Kaelen’s voice was sharp, cutting through the haze. His hands gripped her shoulders, his face tense. “What the hell did you just do?”

Elara blinked, struggling to breathe. The air around them was thick with energy, a strange golden glow lingering on her fingertips. The Shadowborn assassin she had faced lay motionless at her feet, his body completely still—not dead, but frozen in time.

She staggered backward. “I—I don’t know…”

The rebels around them exchanged wary glances. Even the battle had paused for a moment, everyone witnessing what had just happened.

The woman who had led the blood oath, the one with the piercing gray eyes, stepped forward. “That was magic,” she said, her voice unreadable. “But not any magic I’ve seen before.”

Magic?

Elara’s heart pounded. That wasn’t possible. She had no magic. She had never shown any sign of it before.

Kaelen exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “This just made everything worse.”

A sharp whistle cut through the air—one of the rebels signaling.

“We have to move,” another voice called. “More are coming.”

Kaelen turned to Elara. “Can you walk?”

She nodded, though her legs still trembled beneath her. He didn’t hesitate—grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the shadows.

They fled through the hidden tunnels of the rebel hideout, torches flickering as they ran. Elara’s pulse raced, but she barely had time to catch her breath.

Kaelen didn’t stop until they were deep underground, where the walls dripped with moisture, the air thick with earth and stone. Only then did he release her, his golden eyes burning into hers.

“You need to tell me the truth,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “What are you?”

Elara swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

But deep down, something inside her whispered that it was only the beginning.