With a nod, Castrol stepped aside, and Arteus slipped out into the chilly night air. The tavern door creaked shut behind him, and he was met with the quiet whispers of the night. He made his way through the shadows, his thoughts racing. The stars above were obscured by the heavy clouds that had rolled in, casting a pall over Sovereign. The town was asleep, the only sounds the distant howling of the wolves and the occasional snort from the horses in the stables.

Arriving at the shed that had become his makeshift shelter, Arteus pushed open the door and stepped inside. The musty scent of straw and old wood was comforting, a stark contrast to the tumult of emotions that churned within him. He lay down on the makeshift bed, his eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling above. The darkness wrapped around him like a blanket, a silent witness to his tumultuous thoughts.

Since his arrival in Sovereign, the world had turned on its head.

In the quiet of the night, Arteus couldn't shake the image of Ava from his mind. Her eyes had held a spark of the divine, a spark that mirrored the destiny that had driven him from Barley. He had met another with the Pledge of Birthright, and her fate was as tangled with his own as the threads of destiny that bound them all.

Ava had displayed powers that seemed impossible, wielding the very essence of creation itself. He had seen her bend reality, spawn arms out of anything, heal the gravely injured, and even restore lost limbs. Her touch had brought forth miracles and terror in equal measure, leaving those who bore witness forever changed.

Tobias Kingg, the man he had just left behind in the tavern, had spoken of these things with a knowing smile. It was clear he had been watching, waiting for the moment to reveal his true intentions. Arteus had felt the weight of his gaze, the unspoken challenge that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this enigmatic figure than met the eye.

Now, as he lay in the darkness, he could hear the distant murmurs of voices, the leaders of Sovereign gathering in the tavern's main room with Barley's controversial 'leader'. The walls of the shed seemed to pulse with the intensity of the conversation, the very air vibrating with the power of their words. He knew that the fate of the town, perhaps the world, was being decided in that very moment.

But what of his own fate? Arteus rolled over, the straw beneath him rustling as he did. He had no love for Millie, Lilly and even less for Castrol Pennant. Yet, something in the way that Tobias Kingg had spoken to him had left him feeling... unsettled. Was it the knowledge that this stranger had been watching him, guiding events from the shadows? Or was it the way he had talked about Ava and the others with the Pledge of Birthright? It was as if he knew them all, intimately and deeply.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He knew that the path ahead was fraught with danger and deception. Every person he met could be a wolf in sheep's clothing, waiting to pounce and tear him apart. Yet, he couldn't help but feel drawn to the idea of finding others like him and Ava, to understand the true nature of this pledge that had wreaked havoc on their lives.

With a heavy heart, Arteus went to bed that night, his mind racing with thoughts of his destiny and the pledge that bound him. He had seen the power of belief, the way it had shaped-shifted the very fabric of Sovereign. He knew that to harness such power, he would have to navigate a minefield of doubt and manipulation.

The next morning, he was abruptly awakened by a scream that pierced the pre-dawn stillness. It was a sound that sent a jolt of terror through the sleeping town, a scream that spoke of horror and pain. His eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright, the straw sticking to his sweat-dampened clothes. His hand automatically went to his axe, his heart hammering in his chest like a blacksmith's hammer.

Without a moment's hesitation, he sprinted towards the sound, his boots thudding against the cold, damp earth. The town was coming to life around him, doors slammed open, and worried voices called out into the morning. He knew the scream had come from the town square, a place that was both a beacon of hope and a stage for tragedy in Sovereign.

As he rounded the corner, his heart sank as he saw the gathering crowd, their faces a mix of shock and horror. He pushed through them, his breath coming in ragged gasps. At the center, he found the source of their distress.

A child's body lay on the cold, hard ground, a gruesome sight that made his stomach churn. The boy couldn't have been more than eight years old, his limbs hacked off, his eyes gouged out, and his mouth open in a silent scream. The crimson pool that surrounded him formed an unmistakable pattern, a sigil of ancient and dark magic that Arteus was not too sure of.

The stench hit him like a physical blow, a pungent miasma that seemed to cling to the very fabric of his clothes. The child's body was a twisted mockery of what it had once been, a testament to the kind of evil that lurked in the shadows of the world. Arteus stumbled back, his hand flying to cover his nose and mouth as he tried not to retch. The smell was overpowering, a mix of iron and decay that seemed to seep into his very soul.

But from his periphery, Tobias Kingg stood at the edge of the crowd, his smile as enigmatic as ever, his eyes never leaving Arteus. It was as if he was watching a play unfold before him, one that he had written and directed. Arteus felt a white-hot fury ignite within him, the flames of his anger threatening to consume him. He knew that look, had seen it before in the eyes of those who enjoyed the suffering of others.

Sovereign had a murderer on the loose.

-To Be Continued-