Chapter 19: The Betrayer

The snow crunched beneath their boots as Marcus Domitus led his men further into the wilderness. The forest had thinned, and now only a barren expanse stretched ahead—snow-covered ridges and jagged rocks jutting from the earth like ancient bones. Every step forward brought them closer to the heart of the threat, but Marcus felt as though they were walking toward something far worse than battle.

Gaius marched beside him, quiet and withdrawn. His face was pale, his eyes distant, as if he carried a weight that Marcus could not see.

"How much farther?" Drusus called from the rear, his voice strained with exhaustion.

Marcus didn’t slow. "Far enough that we won’t have to look over our shoulders."

"Assuming there’s anything left of us when we get there," Drusus muttered under his breath.

Seneca jogged to catch up with Marcus, his scanner clutched tightly in his hands. "The readings are growing stronger. Whatever’s ahead... it’s not just a fragment like before."

Marcus glanced at the flickering device. "Then we destroy it—whatever it is."

"And what if we can’t?" Seneca asked, adjusting a wire frayed by frost. "What if this... this thing is bigger than we realize?"

"Then we find another way," Marcus replied without hesitation.

Gaius gave a hollow laugh, drawing their attention. "You always make it sound so simple."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "It has to be."

The path led them to a narrow ridge that overlooked a deep ravine. At the bottom lay ruins—crumbled walls and shattered pillars buried beneath the snow. But something shimmered within the wreckage, a faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat.

Marcus knelt at the edge, studying the ruins. "We’re close."

Seneca adjusted his scanner. "There’s a source of power down there. It’s not eterium... it’s something else."

Drusus leaned over Marcus’s shoulder. "Looks like the kind of place people die trying to explore."

Marcus gave him a grim smile. "Then let’s make sure we’re not those people."

They climbed down into the ravine, their movements slow and cautious. The walls of the canyon closed in as they descended, and the air grew heavy with a strange, metallic tang. At the bottom, the ruins sprawled out in eerie silence.

"Fan out," Marcus ordered. "Check every corner."

The soldiers moved through the ruins, their footsteps muffled by the snow. Marcus ran his fingers over the ancient stones, their surfaces worn smooth by time. Symbols had been carved into the rock—symbols eerily similar to the ones they had seen in the shrine.

Seneca knelt beside a broken pillar, his scanner clicking softly. "This place... it’s tied to the echoes. Whatever was here—whatever is here—it’s part of the same force."

Marcus’s gaze drifted toward the glowing object buried beneath the rubble. "Then it ends here."

Gaius stood motionless at the edge of the ruins, his gaze fixed on the glowing heart of the ruins. His breathing grew shallow, and his hand trembled as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"It’s calling to me," Gaius whispered, his voice distant and hollow. "I can feel it... inside my mind."

Marcus stepped toward him. "Gaius. Stay with me."

Gaius turned slowly, his eyes filled with a strange, eerie light. "What if I can’t? What if... I was never supposed to?"

The words hit Marcus like a blow to the chest. For a moment, he saw not the friend he had known, but something else—a fragment of the darkness that had been chasing them since the cavern.

"You fight this, Gaius," Marcus said firmly. "We end it here. Together."

Gaius shook his head, his voice trembling with despair. "I don’t know if I can."

The tension shattered as Gaius suddenly lashed out, his sword arcing toward Marcus with blinding speed. Marcus reacted instinctively, blocking the strike with his own blade. Sparks flew as steel met steel, the sound echoing through the ruins.

"Stand down, Gaius!" Marcus shouted, forcing his friend back. "This isn’t you!"

Gaius’s face twisted in anguish, the light in his eyes flickering wildly. "I don’t know who I am anymore!" he cried, swinging again with desperate fury.

Marcus parried each strike, his movements measured and precise. "You’re Gaius Varro. You’re my brother-in-arms. And I’m not leaving you behind."

For a moment, Gaius faltered. But then, with a guttural roar, he drove forward, forcing Marcus to the ground.

Marcus lay beneath Gaius, sword pressed against his throat. He could see the torment in his friend’s eyes—the struggle between the man he had been and the thing clawing its way to the surface.

"You have to end this," Gaius whispered, his voice cracking. "Before I do something worse."

Marcus’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, his heart pounding in his chest. "No. I won’t."

"You don’t have a choice," Gaius whispered, tears freezing on his cheeks. "Please, Marcus. End it."

For a long moment, Marcus stared into his friend’s eyes. Then he slowly lowered his sword. "Not like this," he whispered. "We fight it together."

The glow in Gaius’s eyes dimmed slightly as Marcus’s words broke through the madness. He stumbled backward, dropping his sword. His body shook violently, as though fighting against invisible chains.

Seneca rushed forward, holding a device with trembling hands. "I’ve seen this before—it’s a tether, a kind of control. If I can break the connection, he might be free."

"Do it," Marcus ordered.

Seneca adjusted the device and pressed it against Gaius’s chest. A jolt of energy surged through him, and he cried out in pain—but slowly, the eerie light in his eyes flickered and faded.

Gaius collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. "Is it... gone?"

"For now," Seneca muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "But it’ll try again."

Marcus knelt beside Gaius, gripping his shoulder. "You’re still with us. That’s what matters."

Gaius gave a weak laugh, though it was tinged with exhaustion. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes," Marcus said firmly.

The soldiers gathered around, their expressions grim but determined. They had fought the echoes—and the enemy within. And somehow, they had come through the other side.

Marcus stood, gazing toward the distant horizon. "This isn’t over. But we’ve bought ourselves time. And that’s enough—for now."

With a nod to his men, Marcus turned toward the path ahead, leading them deeper into the wilderness, where greater challenges—and darker truths—awaited.