In the gritty streets of Kallzara, a small wayside town where light barely touches the alleys, Revan Sorna survives by his wits—and by magic long forbidden. With the help of a shadowy tome found in forgotten ruins beneath the city, Revan can summon shadows to deceive and distract, but such power comes with a price: shadows cannot be created from nothing, and his own is lazy and stubborn, testing his patience at every turn.

Revan’s partner in crime, Cassie, is a clever con artist with a talent for ice magic and a convincing lost-girl act. Together, they make a perfect team, surviving by picking pockets, pulling cons, and running from those who would see their kind dead or worse.

Tonight’s target is an easy mark: a drunken sailor leaving The Golden Pig tavern. But when Revan’s swift theft is interrupted by a brutal punch, the simple job spirals into something far more dangerous—and far more personal.

As dark secrets from the ruins threaten to surface and enemies close in, Revan and Cassie must rely on their skills, their magic, and each other to survive. But in a town where shadow magic is heresy and trust is a currency rarer than gold, survival might just mean losing everything.

Location: Iskarra's undercity and ArchivesTime: Nightfall, moments after the purge order is given


The scholar moved like a ghost — slipping through narrow alleys where flickering lanterns cast fractured light, weaving past silent sentinels and shadowed corners.


Behind them, the whisper of footsteps multiplied — an unseen hunt closing in.


A sharp clang echoed through the Archives as hidden wards triggered. The scholar's breath hitched.


With a surge of arcane energy, the scholar drew a ley-thread dagger — the faint hum of binding magic crackling along its edge.


The journals were strapped tightly to their chest, glowing faintly with protective wards.


The scholar darted into a hidden alcove — a cramped chamber lined with ancient runes and forgotten relics.


A figure waited there — a rogue mage once cast out from the Accord, known only as Kael.


"You're a fool to trust me," Kael said, eyes gleaming."But your pursuers want me dead too."


"Then we move together," the scholar replied, voice steady."If the Accord hunts us both, we have no choice."


Outside, the city's pulse quickened. The Accord's enforcers spread like shadows across every street and passage.


The scholar and Kael worked in tandem, weaving wards to cloak their trail and decrypting hidden passages in the Archives.


Each step brought them closer to the Silent Watcher's tether — and to secrets powerful enough to change everything.


As dawn broke, the enforcers closed in on their location.


With a surge of desperation, Kael opened a sealed portal — a swirling veil of midnight and starlight.


The scholar hesitated — then plunged through.


Behind them, the howls of the Accord's hunters echoed.


They emerged far beyond Iskarra's reach — beneath ancient stone arches where the leyline's hum was strongest.


The scholar looked down at the journals, then at Kael.


"The truth is more dangerous than I feared."


"Then let's make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."


They set off — deeper into the unknown, the Crown's fragments waiting to be found… and stopped.


Chapter 35 - Flight Through the Shadows