Chapter 24: Betrayal Revisited

Lucas stepped forward.

“Bind him,” he ordered. “He’s not worth the risk.”

Mira’s words from before echoed in Ash’s head: That’s suicide.

Maybe it was. But Ash had already made his choice.

The chains whipped around his wrists, but instead of pulling away, he pulled in. His skin split as he strained, blood dripping onto the ground.

And then the world shifted.

Blood rippled, pulsing like liquid fire. It surged up the chains, coiling, hissing, alive. The knights cursed, stumbling back.

Ash’s voice was raw, savage.

“You call me worthless? Then choke on what worth really looks like!”

The blood lashed out, slicing through steel like paper. Armor cracked, men screamed, crimson mist filled the air.

Lucas’s eyes widened—not with recognition, but with fear.

For the first time, Ash saw the mask break.