When Kael opened his eyes, he was no longer in the cave.
He was in a castle.
A massive, golden-lit, suspiciously clean castle.
The kind nobles probably built to compensate for small mana reserves.
Chandeliers dangled like glass teeth, walls stretched too high for logic, and everything smelled faintly of roses and old magic.
And there—right in the center, sprawled like a queen—was her.
Red dress. Legs crossed.
One arm draped over the sofa like she owned gravity.
A smile curved on her lips, slow and knowing.
Kael froze.
No matter how much he told himself to focus, there was no ignoring it—she was beautiful.
Stupidly beautiful.
"Ah," he said, clearing his throat.
"Um. Miss. Who are you?"
He tried to sound innocent.
He failed.
She chuckled—low and warm and very, very dangerous.
"Don't fear, boy. I'm not here to harm you," she said, voice like wine in a world without hangovers.
"You may call me Yue."
Kael nodded stiffly.
His eyes kept trying to betray him.
Then she stood.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The red dress moved like it had performance anxiety, clinging in ways that felt illegal across at least five kingdoms.
Kael stared straight ahead, pretending his brain wasn't melting.
Focus.
You're not here for... whatever that is.
You're here for answers.
"What... do you want from me?" he asked, even managing to sound serious.
Yue stretched—arms overhead, hips tilting just slightly—and Kael's brain cracked.
His inner sigma was screaming:
Don't fall for it. This is basic seduction magic.
His inner simp, meanwhile, had already written vows.
He got a nosebleed.
Naturally.
Yue tilted her head, amused.
"You're cautious. I like that."
Kael wiped his nose.
"It's called survival."
"I don't want anything from you," she said, stepping closer.
"I want to give you something."
Kael's thoughts immediately tripped and faceplanted into a gutter.
Give?
Wait. Is she—?
His face turned red.
Ass or—?
Yue blinked once.
Then flushed.
"Oh gods, no!" she coughed, waving her hand as her own cheeks turned slightly pink.
"What are you even thinking, boy?"
Kael didn't answer.
Just tried to look at the ceiling instead of her neckline.
"I'm talking about giving you "my sword"."
Kael blinked.
Then blinked again.
Wait... sword?
Which sword is she talking about?
More importantly—
Does she even have a sword?
His expression slowly morphed from suspicion to full-bodied horror.
Without a word, he took a cautious step back—then another—then covered his butt with both hands like a noble girl at her first unchaperoned ball.
His eyes scanned her dress like it was concealing unspeakable trauma.
Yue stared at him, baffled.
He didn't blink.
Finally, her face twisted in realization.
And then—
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she shouted.
Kael flinched.
She pointed a finger at him like she was about to smite him.
"When I said sword, I meant a magicalweapon, you moron!
Steel! Enchanted!
A piece of ancient, blood-soaked craftsmanship passed down through the ages! Not—" she waved furiously,
"—whatever you're imagining with your weird little face!"
She was panting now.
Kael, hands still firmly protecting his back, blinked again.
There was a long silence.
Then Yue exhaled sharply, turned away.
Calm down, Yue.
You need him. You can't kill him.
Yet.
Kael finally relaxed his posture.
A little.
"Oh," he said sheepishly. "That kind of sword."
"YES," she snapped.
Another pause.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you being so... generous?
Just handing me a magical sword? What's the catch?"
Yue sighed.
The kind of sigh used by women who were about to expertly manipulate someone with mommy issues.
"I was once a lone mage," she began, her voice soft and laced with just the right amount of tragic elegance.
"Too powerful. Too feared. Too independent."
Kael nodded slowly. "Relatable."
She ignored him.
"They saw me as a threat.
So they ambushed me.
Cowards. A dozen of them—mages, nobles, kings.
All at once. I barely escaped. Crawled into this hidden temple."
Her eyes shimmered slightly, and she looked away.
"But I couldn't heal. My body gave out. And eventually... I died."
Kael sniffled.
Yue blinked at him.
Was he... crying?
She tilted her head slightly, genuinely surprised.
Maybe he was more sensitive than she thought.
How sweet.
Kael wiped his nose on his sleeve.
"Sorry. I just—people dying alone in a cave temple really hits me.
Probably trauma from my past life."
Yue cleared her throat.
"Anyway," she continued, "with my last breath, I created a magical inheritance.
Behind that sealed door you saw—yes, that one—is my sword."
She stepped closer, voice low and dramatic.
"I've waited all this time for someone worthy.
Someone with true mana aptitude.
A strong soul.
And finally…"
She placed a delicate hand over her heart.
"You."
Kael tilted his head, eyes wide with naive excitement.
"So... if I take the sword, I can become a hero?"
Yue nodded with practiced grace.
"The greatest hero of this era."
Kael's eyes lit up.
"I've read about this.
You know—those stories where the main character gets some ancient sword and boom—life changes.
Power, respect... a girl by day, and…"
He wiggled his brows.
"Company by night."
Yue's smile froze slightly.
"…Yes."
Kael grinned.
"And then her sister?"
There was a pause.
"…Sure," Yue said, blinking.
"And then her mother?"
"…Technically still possible," she said, now visibly sweating.
Kael opened his mouth again.
"And after that, maybe her—"
"What kind of cursed novels are you reading, boy?" Yue snapped, hands half-raised like she was about to perform an exorcism.
Kael shrugged.
"The ones with good ratings."
Suddenly, the ground beneath the dream-castle trembled.
A deep, rumbling quake that made the chandeliers sway like nervous debutantes.
Yue turned to him, her voice uncharacteristically urgent.
"Alright, boy.
Just say this rune—'ᚨ ᛖ ᛚ ' ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚢ ᚾ'—and grab your fate by the throat."
Kael blinked.
"That's poetic."
Yue smirked.
"No. It's desperate.
Now go."
He nodded.
"Thanks, I guess."
A loud crack split the dream.
The world around him shattered like cheap glassware at a noble's wedding.
Kael gasped and woke with a start—still in the cave.
Still damp. Still cold. Still undeniably real.
He sighed.
"Well. That wasn't traumatic at all."
His eyes drifted to the massive door, still bound in those ominous red chains.
He stood, dusted himself off, and muttered,
"Worst power nap of my life."
Then he raised his hand and spoke the rune, voice steady despite everything.
"ᚨ ᛖ ᛚ ' ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚢ ᚾ."
A dull hum echoed through the cave.
The air shifted.
The chains snapped—one by one—like thread under fire.
With a groan that sounded suspiciously like regret, the great door creaked open.
And what Kael saw beyond it…
Took his breath away.
Also possibly his common sense.
This was not what he expected.
At all.
A sword rested solemnly on the altar, glowing faintly—ominously—like it had killed things.
A lot of things.
Recently.
The altar itself wasn't even touching the floor.
No.
That would be too reasonable.
It hovered.
Above a pool.
Not of water.
Of blood.
Thick. Dark. Still-warm-looking blood.
Because of course it did.
A narrow bridge stretched out toward the altar, swaying just enough to make Kael's stomach suspicious.
He looked down at the pool.
The surface shifted—not lazily, not peacefully—but in that specific way that saidsomething big is awake and considering options.
Faint sloshing echoed.
Shadows moved beneath the surface like something blind but curious was circling below.
Kael's instincts screamed.
So did his dignity.
They both lost.
He glanced around.
Nothing but the bridge.
He sighed.
"No going back, huh?"
He stepped forward.
The bridge groaned under his weight.
Audibly.
Rude !!
"Great," Kael muttered. "Very welcoming."
He took another step.
The bridge creaked louder.
If wood could sound sarcastic, this was it.
"God… oh god, I'm coming," he whispered, grimly amused by how much that could be taken the wrong way.
He smirked despite himself.
'Well, if I fall, at least I'll drown in drama.'
Finally, he reached the altar.
The sword pulsed red, like it was holding its breath… or waiting for someone stupid.
Which, apparently, was him.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered,
"God… oh god, I'm coming."
The bridge creaked louder as if mocking him.
'Well, at least if I fall, I'll make one hell of a splash,' Kael thought, smirking despite himself.
Kael finally reached the altar.
The sword lay there, glowing a deep, ominous red—exactly as Yue had said, a source of immense power.
Behind the altar, Yue stood, her eyes shining with expectant happiness.
"Claim your destiny, Kael. Wield it," she urged softly.
Kael nodded…
Then..
Then....
Then,....with both hands, raised his middle fingers.
''...''
Yue's smile froze.
She blinked.
"Is something wrong, Kael?"
He tilted his head.
"Drop the act, bitch."
The warmth evaporated from her voice like blood from hot stone.
Yue's eyes narrowed, and when she spoke, her words dripped with cold fury.
"Mortal... how dare you speak to me like that?"
Kael smiled mildly, like someone who'd just found mold in the wine and decided to serve it anyway.
"There we go," he said. "That's more like it."
Her smile was gone now—replaced by something older, sharper.
"So," she said, voice curling like smoke,
"You're not as dumb as you look. You figured it out."
She stepped around the altar, movements graceful but now distinctly… less human.
"You know I'm deceiving you.
Impressive.
But it changes nothing."
She gestured to the sword, pulsing faintly behind her.
"That's your only path forward. Wield the sword… or rot here."
Kael looked at her.
Then at the sword. Then back at her.
He began to walk—slowly, deliberately—circling the altar.
"I'm going out," he said.
"And you're going to tell me how."
Yue laughed.
Not like a person, but like something that had forgotten it was one.
"Do you think threats matter here?" she asked, her voice rising like wind in a tomb.
"You are a flicker.
A breath. A footnote with legs.
I am Yue—sorceress of the Sixth Rank, slayer of kings, binder of demons, sealer of the Abyss.
I have watched empires rise and crumble, entire bloodlines wither.
What, mortal, can you possibly do to me?"
Kael didn't answer.
He just…
He just… lowered his hands slowly toward his zipper.
Yue's expression faltered.
"…What are you doing?"
Kael met her gaze, unblinking.
"If you don't tell me how to leave, I'm going to mark your sword in the most ancient way known to man."
Her mask cracked.
Hard.
"You wouldn't."
"It's already happening," he said.
"Five seconds."
Yue recoiled as if slapped by divine embarrassment.
"Okay! Okay!
I'll tell you!
Just—step away from the altar, you animal!"
Kael paused, eyebrow raised.
"That's better."
She glared, lips curled with disdain.
"You shameless, insolent creature."
Kael grinned.
Most honest man in the world, remember?