NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: Chains of the Forgotten
Recap – Chapter 62: The Blade's Kiss
Jemil and the swordmaster passed the tower's trial of illusions and temptation, resisting the Predator's Fang's whispered hunger. Their oaths bound them together, forging trust stronger than the tower's manipulations. Desire lingered unspoken, but their bond held.
Yet the tower's trials are relentless. Past sins, forgotten faces, and buried truths await them on the next floor.
Main Story
Scene 1 – The Stairway of Shadows
The obsidian staircase twisted upward, slick with shadows that seemed to writhe beneath their feet. Each step echoed like the heartbeat of the tower itself, slow, patient, and omniscient. Mist curled around their ankles, rising in faint spirals that obscured the steps ahead.
The swordmaster led, her armor gleaming faintly in the dim light, her blade drawn, fingers tight around the hilt. Jemil followed, Predator's Fang in hand, its faint pulse a steady reminder of the storm it carried within.
Shadows thickened with every step. Whispers curled around their ears, low and insidious.
"Jemil… you forgot me. You left me behind."
The voice wasn't just a memory—it clawed into his chest, twisting his chest with pangs of guilt and confusion. Faces materialized in the mist: a friend, a lover, a figure from a life he couldn't fully recall. Each mouth moved in unison, repeating the accusation: "You forgot us. You abandoned us."
Jemil staggered, gripping the Fang tightly. The whispers tugged at his sanity, each syllable a chain around his mind.
The swordmaster grabbed his arm, steadying him. "Focus on me, on the present! The past doesn't get to decide what happens now!"
Her warmth anchored him, a lighthouse in the storm of memories clawing to break him. Jemil inhaled, straightening. Her presence… anchors me.
Scene 2 – A Face from Before
The mist condensed into a solid form, coalescing into a figure whose presence hit Jemil like a hammer. Tall, familiar, and yet wrong—someone he should recognize, though his memory failed him.
"You… don't remember me," the figure said, voice sharp, icy. "But I remember you. Every promise you made… every vow you broke."
The swordmaster stepped in front of Jemil, eyes narrowing, sword ready. "Whatever you are, you won't touch him."
The figure smirked, eyes glinting. "Ah, the loyal companion. Clever, strong… but blind. Do you know what he gave up for you? For all of you?"
Jemil's chest tightened. A faint burn spread beneath his skin—the Mark stirring, memories clawing at the surface. Faces, laughter, losses he could not place but felt in the marrow of his bones.
He met the figure's gaze steadily. "I don't remember it all. But I protect them now. That's enough."
The figure's smirk twisted, turning into a sneer. "Enough? Can you protect them… when the chains of the forgotten drag you into the past?"
Scene 3 – The Trial of the Forgotten
The tower shifted violently. Walls became chains of spectral light, each link containing ghostly faces, memories trapped and screaming in silence. Their cries pressed into Jemil's mind, tugging at every corner of his soul.
The swordmaster stepped onto the chains as if they were solid stone, gripping her blade. "Stay with me. Focus on now, not them. We can't fight shadows."
The chains writhed, attempting to ensnare them, tendrils of light curling around their legs and arms. "You abandoned us… you swore and failed… you will remember our pain…"
Jemil's hands burned with energy. Fire, shadow, and lightning erupted from the Fang, wrapping around him in a protective surge, yet even this felt fragile against the ghosts clawing at his mind.
He roared, voice echoing against the spectral chains: "I won't abandon anyone again! I don't care what I forgot before—I remember them now, and I remember you!"
The swordmaster's hand found his. Her touch was firm, grounding, even as the chains tried to pull them apart. "Then we break them together," she shouted.
Scene 4 – Breaking the Chains
Jemil slammed the Fang into the largest cluster of chains. Sparks and energy erupted outward, fire and lightning meeting the ethereal glow of the links. The chains quivered and groaned, but did not break immediately.
The swordmaster moved with precision, slicing through links with swift, practiced arcs of her blade. Each swing freed a trapped face, whose silent cries softened into grateful nods as they ascended into the ether.
The figure from before lunged from the shadows, its form partially solid, partially spectral, wielding memories like weapons. Jemil met it with a strike of the Fang, lightning and shadow surging from the blade. The swordmaster's weapon struck simultaneously, cleaving through illusions, their movements synchronized perfectly.
The chains shattered entirely. Faces dissolved into motes of light, drifting upward. Silence followed, heavy but welcome.
The figure collapsed, kneeling. "You… you truly remember. You fight for all of them."
Jemil breathed heavily, holding the Fang close. "I fight for everyone I can."
The swordmaster, kneeling beside him, let a faint smile touch her lips, hidden under the mask of discipline. Her eyes flickered with something unspoken—a mixture of pride, relief, and perhaps the faintest trace of desire.
Scene 5 – The Stairway Ahead
The chains dissolved completely. The stairway shifted, glowing pale white, opening toward a platform far above. The air hummed with quiet power—a rare calm between trials.
The swordmaster sheathed her blade, turning toward Jemil. "We made it. This floor… it's done."
Jemil lowered the Fang, still pulsing faintly. "For now. But the tower isn't finished. The next floors… they won't be any easier."
Her lips pressed into a line. "Then we'll face them together."
Jemil glanced at her. Her walls were still there, but they had cracks wide enough for trust—and maybe, for something more.
The tower whispered faintly, approving in its omnipresent way. A bond forged in defiance, tested by memory and trust, had survived. For now.
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 64: The Shattered Oath
The tower rewards strength but punishes overconfidence. The next floor tests not only Jemil and the swordmaster's power but also the limits of their oath. Illusions of betrayal, resurfacing faces, and the reappearance of forgotten wives will challenge them.
Can their bond withstand the trials ahead, or will the tower shatter the promises that have kept them alive?
Call to Action (CTA)
🔥 Chains are broken, but the tower never rests. Memories and illusions press down on Jemil, testing every oath, every trust. Will their bond survive the next trial?
👉 Don't miss Chapter 64: The Shattered Oath to see if Jemil and the swordmaster can endure the tower's next challenge!