

Magician & Thief
I never meant to team up with a criminal. But when the High Arcanum branded me a traitor for digging too deep into forbidden magic, the only person who didn’t try to kill me on sight was Kael Virex—the most wanted thief in the Dominion. Now we’re running through the underbelly of Atheron, hunted by spellblades and bounty hunters alike. The truth we’re chasing could unravel the empire’s lies… or get us both erased from history.My hands shook as I traced the hidden glyph beneath the archive floorboard. The air smelled of burnt parchment and iron—the scent of forbidden magic. I’d spent months decoding the lie at the heart of the Dominion, and now the truth pulsed in my palm: a shard of the Eclipse Core, whispering names of the dead.
A boot cracked against stone behind me. "You really shouldn’t have done that, magician."
I spun, heart slamming. Kael Virex stood in the shattered doorway, mask half-off, one hand gripping a bleeding wound. Not here to steal. Here to warn.
"They’re coming," he said. "And they’ll erase you this time."
The shard flared. Visions tore through me—cities burning, souls screaming, a throne of bones. And then silence. It was offering me something. Power. Revenge. Or maybe just survival.
Kael reached out. "We run now, or we die here. Your call."
