NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70: The Sword That Hunts
Scene 1 – The Chamber of Blades
The stairway seemed endless. Each step echoed too loud, too heavy, as though the Vault itself was listening. Jemil's chest still burned where the curse writhed, the golden mark glowing faintly beneath his torn shirt. His wives flanked him, weary but unbroken.
At last, the stair opened into a vast chamber.
Blades.
Hundreds of them jutted from the floor, the walls, even the ceiling—rusted daggers, broken spears, warped swords. But they weren't scattered. They were arranged, forming a path spiraling inward toward the center.
And there, rising from the stone like a tower, was a colossal sword. Its steel shimmered faintly, veins of gold pulsing across its surface. Even from a distance, Jemil felt its gaze—because it was watching. Not a weapon. A predator.
The moment his foot touched the chamber floor, the air shifted. The blades hummed, vibrating with a sound too sharp for mortal ears. The wives froze, instincts flaring.
Kaelina's grip tightened on her cracked sword. She felt it immediately—the pull. A whisper in her mind, sharp and low. Come closer. Cast aside that broken thing. Take me. I will never fail you.
Her hand trembled. Her blade shook as if it too recognized the predator in the room.
Lyra's fire sputtered against her palms. "What… is that thing?" Her voice held unease, almost fear.
Nyssa shivered, her illusions flickering weakly around her. "It's not looking at me. It's looking at you two." She glanced between Kaelina and Jemil. "Like it already chose its prey."
Jemil's chest throbbed. The curse flared, chains crawling across his arms for a heartbeat. The predator-sword turned its golden gaze toward him, and he understood.
It wasn't just hunting Kaelina. It was hunting him.
The Mistress's voice slithered through the chamber, soft, amused.
"Welcome, Chainbreaker. Welcome, Swordmaster. The hunter does not simply kill—it chooses. Will you master the blade… or will it master you?"
The colossal sword pulsed, and every blade in the chamber hummed in answer, like a pack eager to strike.
The trial had begun.
Scene 2 – The Predator's Whisper
The hum of blades deepened until it pressed into Kaelina's chest like a heartbeat not her own. Her cracked sword vibrated violently in her grip, the fracture glowing faintly as though it might split in two at any moment.
The colossal blade pulsed again, golden veins crawling up its steel like serpents. Kaelina staggered a step forward without meaning to, her breath catching as a voice threaded into her mind.
You are strong. But your strength is wasted on fragility. Cast aside that broken toy. I will give you perfection. Power without failure. A vow without weakness.
Her jaw tightened, but her grip trembled. She could see it—herself wielding the colossal sword, her stance flawless, her enemies cleaved in two with a single strike. No crack, no hesitation. Only strength.
Lyra's hand caught her arm. "Kaelina—hey! Don't listen. That thing isn't a weapon, it's a trap!"
Kaelina jerked away, almost snarling. "You think I don't know that? You think I can't feel it?" Her chest rose and fell quickly, sweat on her brow. "But you don't understand. My blade—it's failing. Every strike brings it closer to shattering. I…" She swallowed hard. "I can't protect him like this."
The whisper returned, stronger, more seductive. You swore never to be bound again. Yet here you are, chained to weakness. I am freedom. I am the hunter's fang. Take me, and you will never kneel. Take me, and you will never break.
Her knees bent, her hand twitching as if to reach for the colossal blade.
Jemil's burning mark seared in response, glowing bright through his shirt. He felt it—the sword wasn't just whispering to her. It was testing her vow, probing for the cracks in her pride. And if she faltered, it would devour her.
"Kaelina!" Jemil's voice rang through the chamber, firm despite the pain in his chest. "You're not failing me. You never have. That vow you carry—that sword, cracked or not—is yours. Not something else's!"
Kaelina's breathing steadied for a moment, but the whisper remained, coiling deeper. The predator-blade wasn't done with her. It was only just beginning.
Scene 3 – Jemil Under the Blade's Gaze
The colossal sword pulsed again, and this time its golden veins flared brighter. The hum of the surrounding blades shifted, no longer pulling at Kaelina alone—they turned toward Jemil.
The burning mark across his chest ignited in response, searing hot, chains spreading up his neck and across his arms. His knees buckled, and for a moment, the room blurred.
Then the voice came. Not in his ears, but in his bones.
Prey… and predator both. You bear chains not of your own making. Cast them aside. Take me, and the curse will be nothing before my edge. Wield me, and even your wives will kneel—not as shackled, but as conquered.
Jemil clenched his fists, his breath harsh. The curse throbbed like it wanted to answer, golden fire burning his veins. For a heartbeat, he saw it—the sword in his hands, Kaelina at his side, Lyra and Nyssa behind him, not equals but followers. His wives, yes, but bound by obedience, not love.
The image twisted, seductive and vile all at once.
The Mistress's chain burns you. But I? I will free you. You will hunt instead of being hunted. Accept me. Rule, Jemil.
The colossal sword's hum deepened, and the smaller blades around the chamber rattled violently. One tore free of the ground and hurtled toward him. Jemil caught it out of reflex, his curse flaring as the weapon dissolved into golden sparks in his hand.
The predator was testing him. Tasting him.
Jemil's chest heaved, sweat dripping down his temple. "You think I'd… chain them? That I'd rule them instead of stand with them?" His voice cracked, but his fire burned hotter. "I'd rather burn with these chains than betray them like that."
The burning mark seared painfully in answer, as if mocking him.
Kaelina staggered closer, eyes sharp despite the pull of the blade. "Jemil—don't you dare falter. If it takes me, fine. But it will not take you."
The colossal sword pulsed, louder, hungrier. It would not let them go so easily.
Scene 4 – Clash of Temptations
The chamber of blades throbbed with sound. Every sword lodged in the walls and floor vibrated in perfect rhythm with the colossal predator-blade, each note a lure that seeped into marrow and mind. The golden light from the cursed weapon illuminated every jagged edge of stone, every bead of sweat rolling down Jemil's face.
Kaelina staggered forward, her sword trembling in her grip, its edge clashing against the invisible pull of the predator's will. "This… is no trial," she hissed, her chest rising and falling with the weight of each breath. "It's a hunt."
The predator-blade's voice rumbled through the chamber, neither male nor female, but something primal, something born of hunger.
Hunt, yes. And prey you are… unless you become predator. You, blade-born girl. You have always feared betrayal—always clung to vows. But a vow is nothing without strength to enforce it. Take me. Wield me. And no vow will ever be broken again.
Kaelina's eyes widened, her grip faltering. The words sank deep into old wounds, memories of broken oaths, of being left to bleed by those she trusted.
"No," she growled, shaking her head as if to tear the whisper from her skull. But the predator pressed harder, feeding on the cracks in her heart.
He will betray you too. The Chainbreaker? He is cursed. Even now you see it. The burning mark spreads across his skin. Will you keep your vow when he becomes a beast? Or will you be the first to strike him down?
Kaelina froze. Her gaze darted to Jemil, whose chest was already glowing with golden fire, the chains crawling like veins across his arms and throat.
Jemil gritted his teeth against the burning. The voice dug into him as well, different but equally cruel.
Why fight this? She doubts you. She will cut you down the moment you falter. But if you claim me, she will never raise her sword against you again. She will kneel—not in chains, but in awe. All of them will. Lyra, Nyssa, Kaelina. Yours not by vow, but by conquest.
The cursed mark flared painfully, and Jemil stumbled to one knee. He clutched his chest, sweat dripping, his vision warping as the predator's illusion wrapped around him.
He saw Kaelina advancing, her blade raised, her eyes not of loyalty but of suspicion. Lyra's flames turned toward him, Nyssa's illusions snaring him. They were no longer his allies, no longer his wives, but hunters.
Strike first, the voice urged. Take me, and you will never be prey again.
Jemil's hand hovered over the hilt of a sword rattling near his feet, vibrating with golden hunger. His pulse hammered in his ears.
Kaelina saw the hesitation. She saw his trembling hand, the mark burning brighter than ever. For a moment, the predator's words felt true—would Jemil strike her down before she had the chance to betray him? Her heart clenched, a storm of doubt and loyalty crashing inside her.
"No," she whispered to herself, then louder: "NO!" Her shout cut through the predator's whisper, and she lunged forward—not to strike Jemil, but to slam her blade against the ground between them. Sparks flew, steel against stone, a barrier against the growing hunger in his eyes.
Jemil snapped back at the sound, his breath ragged. His gaze locked with hers. For a fleeting second, the illusion shattered, and he saw not a betrayer but the same stubborn, fiery woman who had once vowed her blade to him, even when the world had abandoned him.
Kaelina's voice trembled, but her words were iron. "I don't care what this cursed blade shows me. I don't care if you burn, Jemil. I vowed to stand with you—and vows only break if I let them. Do you hear me? I won't betray you. Even if you betray yourself."
The predator-blade roared, its voice a shattering chorus that shook the chamber.
LIES. Words are nothing. Blood is truth. Prove it. Prove which vow is real!
A dozen smaller blades ripped free from the ground and shot into the air, circling Jemil and Kaelina like wolves around prey. The predator wanted blood, wanted one of them to strike the other, to give in to doubt or desire.
Jemil staggered to his feet, chest still burning, fists clenched. His voice cracked under the weight of fire and temptation. "I won't—be your predator. And she won't be my prey."
Kaelina raised her blade, golden sparks lighting her face. "Then we fight this together. Vow against hunger. Trust against temptation."
The circle of blades closed in, shrieking through the air.
And at the heart of the chamber, the predator-blade pulsed, watching, waiting, hungering for the moment their resolve would snap.
The chamber screamed with steel. Blades spun in the air like vultures circling carrion, their edges catching the golden light that pulsed from the colossal predator-blade at the chamber's heart.
Jemil and Kaelina stood back to back, breath ragged, eyes locked with an unspoken vow. Her sword was steady in her hands despite the tremor of the predator's call, and his curse blazed across his chest and throat, chains of light biting into his flesh.
Strike. Break. Choose.
The predator's voice thundered in both their skulls, primal and merciless.
A dozen smaller blades dove at once. Kaelina's steel rang out as she slashed two from the air, sparks cascading around her. Jemil, with his burning mark searing brighter, caught another barehanded—and instead of cutting him, it dissolved into golden fire that surged into his veins. He staggered, gasping, the predator's laughter echoing in his bones.
Kaelina spun, her hair a wild halo as her blade deflected another strike. She shouted over the storm of steel:
"Jemil! Don't let it in! You're stronger than this!"
But when she looked—really looked—his eyes were glowing faintly gold, the mark crawling further across his chest like living chains. His fist clenched, power crackling in it, power that wasn't his own.
The predator's whisper slithered into both their ears, heavy and undeniable.
One will fall. One will kneel. Decide who is hunter—and who is prey.
The storm of blades closed in, their tips all aimed at the two of them.
Jemil roared, Kaelina raised her sword—
And the predator-blade's voice cut the air with a single word that froze everything.
Choose.
The chamber exploded in golden light.
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 71: Vows in the Ashes
The predator-blade's demand echoes like a war drum—choose. The chamber of steel erupts in golden fire, and Jemil and Kaelina are thrown into a trial that is no longer just about survival, but about trust.
The swarm of living blades descends with merciless hunger, testing not only their skill but the bond between summoner and swordmaster wife. Each strike forces Jemil closer to surrendering to the predator's call, and each heartbeat tempts Kaelina to doubt her vow.
The curse burns hotter, chains spreading further across Jemil's body, until it seems even his will might shatter. But Kaelina's blade and Jemil's defiance collide against the trial in one desperate stand.
And in the ashes of the storm, one truth will emerge:
Are they hunters bound by love—or prey shackled by fear?