NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64: The Shattered Oath
Recap – Chapter 63: Chains of the Forgotten
Jemil and the swordmaster overcame the tower's trial of memory, breaking chains that held the echoes of forgotten allies. They faced spectral reflections of the past, defying illusions that threatened to twist their bond. With the Predator's Fang and their combined strength, they freed the trapped spirits and solidified their oath.
Yet the tower is relentless. It doesn't test only strength—it challenges trust, memory, and the very promises that bind hearts together.
Main Story
Scene 1 – The Door of Fractured Promises
The obsidian stairway ended at an immense door carved from black stone. Crimson veins pulsed through the surface like arteries pumping malice. The air vibrated, carrying whispers that seeped into Jemil's mind—soft at first, then insistent: "You swore… you failed… your promises are fragile."
He pressed a hand against the door, feeling the subtle vibration of power beneath the surface. Every heartbeat echoed with unease, and his chest tightened.
The swordmaster stepped beside him, eyes scanning the darkness around the door. "This floor… it won't challenge our strength. It wants our hearts. It wants our trust."
Jemil's hand tightened on the Predator's Fang. Then we'll show it trust can be stronger than any blade.
The door slowly groaned open. Beyond it, the floor shimmered with fractured reflections, as though the past and present had been shattered and scattered across the space.
Scene 2 – The Hall of Broken Vows
They stepped into a hall lined with mirrors, each reflecting twisted variations of themselves. Jemil saw himself with a cruel grin, Predator's Fang stained with the swordmaster's blood. The swordmaster's reflection pushed him away, smiling coldly, betraying him in every possible way.
A cold chill ran down her spine. "These… these are not illusions. They are tests of our oaths."
Jemil narrowed his eyes, chest tight. "Then we survive the test."
A mirror rippled, and Jemil's reflection lunged, striking the swordmaster. She gasped, readying her blade instinctively, but Jemil grabbed her wrist firmly. "It's not real. Focus on me. Focus on now."
She met his gaze, tension trembling in her posture. "Right… together," she whispered.
The whispers pressed from every corner: "One false step, and you shatter everything you swore to protect."
Together, they advanced, ignoring the hall's insidious attempts to fracture their bond.
Scene 3 – The Mirror of Temptation
At the end of the hall, a massive mirror appeared, far larger than the rest. Unlike previous mirrors, it reflected Jemil and the swordmaster not as twisted images, but as their ideal selves: smiling, laughing, utterly at ease with one another.
The swordmaster's eyes flickered. "It… it's showing us what we could be, not what we are."
The mirror warped suddenly, tendrils of shadow creeping along its edges, twisting smiles into mockery. Affection became feigned, trust became suspicion.
A voice hissed from the mirror: "Your bond is fragile. One doubt, one hesitation… and it all shatters."
The swordmaster's hands trembled. Her chest heaved, a blush rising to her cheeks. She gripped her sword tighter.
Jemil placed a hand on her shoulder, voice calm but commanding. "We've survived hunger, temptation, and memory. This… this is nothing. We fight together. Now."
The mirror convulsed violently, cracking illusions—but whispers lingered, subtle, testing every step forward.
Scene 4 – The Specter of a Broken Oath
From the shattered mirror shards, a figure emerged: a specter of a wife or ally lost to time, her form half-shadow, half-light. Her golden eyes glimmered with accusation.
"You… forgot me," she said softly, yet the blade of betrayal cut deep. "You swore to protect all of us… and yet here you stand."
The swordmaster stepped protectively in front of Jemil, blade raised. "Together. We face this together. Whoever you are, you don't break him."
Jemil gritted his teeth, gripping the Fang as lightning coiled around it. "I may have forgotten once, but I remember now. Every promise. Every bond. I will not fail again."
The specter hesitated, shock crossing her shadowed features, then she dissolved into motes of light. The whispers softened, retreating.
Scene 5 – The Stairway Ahead
With the specter gone and the mirrors shattered, the stairway ahead solidified. A soft pale light bathed the path upward, a quiet reprieve from the relentless trials.
The swordmaster sheathed her blade and exhaled slowly. "We survived… the tower can't break our oaths, not while we fight together."
Jemil lowered the Fang, its pulse faint, almost approving. "For now. But the tower will escalate. The next floors… it's going to test every bond we've built, everything we've sworn to protect."
Her lips pressed into a line, faintly flushed, eyes averted. "Then we'll face them… together."
The Predator's Fang pulsed gently, its whispers no longer hunger, but approval—acknowledging the bond forged in defiance, strengthened by trust, and tempered by trials.
⚔️ End of Chapter 64: The Shattered Oath
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 65: Echoes of the Lost
The tower climbs higher, its floors no longer simple tests of strength or skill—they are mirrors of the past, warped by memory and desire. On this floor, Jemil will confront echoes of those he once knew: wives, allies, and perhaps even enemies, whose faces and voices he can no longer fully remember.
But these are not just illusions. The tower twists them with intent, forcing Jemil to question everything he holds dear. Each echo whispers truths half-remembered, lies carefully shaped to pry at the bond between him and the swordmaster.
For the swordmaster, too, the trials will push her limits. Shadows of betrayal, temptation, and doubt will test her trust in Jemil. Every step could turn love into suspicion, loyalty into hesitation.
And the tower does not fight fair. Lightning arcs from the walls, shadows shift like living predators, and the whispers of forgotten promises claw at their minds. For every ally he has reclaimed, there is a threat waiting to undo the oaths that hold him together.
Jemil has learned that bonds forged in defiance burn brighter than destiny—but even fire can be smothered. In the echoes of the lost, predator and prey will be decided not by strength alone, but by who can withstand the pull of memory, regret, and the unspoken truths buried in the past.
The question remains: can Jemil and the swordmaster survive the floor without letting the tower fracture their hearts—or will the echoes of the past finally tear them apart?
Call to Action (CTA)
🔥 Oaths survive… for now. But the tower's trials grow ever crueler, testing memory, trust, and desire. Can Jemil and the swordmaster endure what lies ahead?
👉 Don't miss Chapter 65: Echoes of the Lost!