The wind howled through the ruins of Vael’Thalos, carrying the scent of blood and burning torches.
Kael ran.
His boots pounded against the cracked stone, his breath coming fast, uneven. Every muscle screamed in protest, but the fire in his veins burned hotter, forcing him forward. Behind him—shouts. Metal clashing. The Imperium was in chaos.
They would come for him.
The Mark still pulsed beneath his skin, a foreign presence coiled around his spine, whispering without words. It wasn’t just a brand. It wasn’t just power. It was something else.
Kael forced the thought aside. He had no time to understand. The ruins stretched before him, jagged remnants of a civilization lost to time. Crumbling spires loomed overhead like the bones of dead gods, casting long shadows in the moonlight. He ducked behind a fallen pillar, pressing his back against the cold stone, forcing his breathing to steady.
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The Inquisitors wouldn’t stop hunting him. Not until he was dead.
A flicker of movement.
Kael tensed, his pulse spiking.
A shadow detached itself from the ruins ahead—not an Inquisitor. Something else. A figure. Cloaked. Watching.
Kael’s fingers curled into fists. He had no weapon, no armor, nothing but the Mark’s burning presence inside him. If they were with the Imperium—if they tried to stop him—
The stranger stepped forward. A woman. Tall and lean, her cloak shifting with the wind. Her face was hidden beneath a hood, but her voice was calm. Almost amused.
"You run well for a dead man."
Kael didn’t move. His body remained coiled, ready to fight, but his mind was racing. She wasn’t an Inquisitor. No imperial sigil. No armor. No torchlight reflecting off polished steel.
She tilted her head slightly, watching him.
"You don’t know what you are, do you?"
His jaw clenched. "I don’t have time for riddles."
"Good. Then let’s keep this simple."
She took another step forward.
"Come with me if you want to survive."
Kael exhaled slowly. Every instinct screamed at him to run.
But he didn’t.
Because deep down, he knew—
The Imperium wasn’t the only thing hunting him now.