NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65: Echoes of the Lost
Recap – Chapter 64: Predator's Claim
Jemil and the swordmaster confronted the tower's merciless trial: illusions twisted from their own fears and temptations. The Predator's Fang whispered hungrily, testing Jemil's resolve, while the swordmaster's cold façade cracked further, her heart torn between the oaths she once swore and the bond forming with Jemil.
They survived only by standing together. Their blades and wills resonated as one, cutting through lies and shadows. Yet the victory was costly—the Fang's mark now burns in Jemil's flesh, a reminder that the tower itself is shaping him into something more dangerous than human.
The path ahead opened, leading them into a chamber shrouded in mist, where whispers of forgotten voices called their names.
Scene 1 – The Whispering Mist
The fog clung to Jemil like damp silk. Every breath filled his lungs with a chill that wasn't quite natural—it felt stolen, as if he was inhaling the last words of the dead. The chamber was vast, yet suffocating, a place where distance meant nothing.
The swordmaster's boots made no sound against the stone floor. Her movements were measured, but Jemil noticed the faint hesitation in her stride. She wasn't afraid of enemies—she was afraid of what the mist might show.
"Stay close," she said, her voice sharper than usual, as if discipline could cut through the unease.
Jemil smirked faintly. "You think I'd wander off when the tower's playing ghost games with us?"
Her lips twitched, almost betraying a smile—but then the whispers started.
They came softly at first, like a breeze carrying words too faint to grasp. Then, layer by layer, voices wove together into a haunting chorus. Some pleaded, some wept, and some hissed venom with every syllable.
The swordmaster stopped dead.
"…sister…"
"…you swore… you wouldn't leave me to die…"
"…traitor…"
Jemil watched as her eyes widened just slightly. She tightened her grip on her blade, but her knuckles whitened, betraying her unease.
Before he could speak, his own name rang out.
"Jemil…"
He froze. That voice—it wasn't generic, it wasn't fabricated by the tower. It was warm, tender, and achingly real. A voice that had once filled his dreams.
"You promised. You swore you'd come back. Did you forget me?"
The mist pressed closer, and the weight of his forgotten bonds wrapped around him like chains. His pulse quickened. He wanted to deny it, to call it a trick. But deep down, he knew: these were not just lies. The tower had reached into the hollow spaces of his heart and pulled out what he'd buried.
Scene 2 – Faces of the Forgotten
The fog thickened until Jemil could barely see the swordmaster beside him. Then, shapes began to form within it.
First, a woman with silver hair that shimmered like moonlight. Her violet eyes locked onto him with a mixture of sorrow and accusation. Jemil's throat went dry—he knew those eyes. They once looked at him with love.
Then came another: a beast with wings like fire, each feather burning but never consumed. Her voice was like thunder wrapped in silk. "You abandoned me in the flames, Jemil. Was I just another pawn?"
And then—a cloaked figure whose laughter rang sharp and familiar. Mischievous, dangerous, yet intimate in a way that made his chest ache.
Each one was a wound, given flesh and form. Each one knew his name.
The silver-haired woman stepped closer. "Why did you forget us? Why did you let the tower take us from you?"
Jemil's hand tightened around the Predator's Fang, but the blade pulsed against his palm, as if agreeing with the accusation. It wanted him to claim them—not as lovers, but as prey.
The swordmaster moved to his side, her blade half-drawn. Her jaw was tight, her eyes hard. She didn't know these women, but she felt their weight. More than that—she felt the dangerous pull they had on Jemil.
The echoes were beautiful, intoxicating even in their sorrow. Their voices dripped with longing, like lovers scorned but still yearning. The tower wasn't just testing his strength—it was testing his heart.
Scene 3 – A Test of Trust
The ground rumbled beneath their feet. Ghostly blades jutted out from the floor, encircling Jemil and the swordmaster. Their inscriptions glowed faintly: Broken Oaths. Forgotten Promises. Lost Bonds.
The silver-haired echo extended her hand toward Jemil, her eyes shimmering with tears that weren't real, yet struck like daggers. "Come back to us. She's nothing compared to what we shared."
Her gaze flicked to the swordmaster with a venomous edge. "She will betray you. Just as she betrayed everyone before. Don't make the same mistake."
The swordmaster stiffened. She did not speak, but Jemil saw the way her hand trembled at her hilt. For someone so disciplined, so unyielding, this silence screamed louder than any denial.
Lightning cracked overhead, tearing through the mist for an instant. It revealed two bridges leading away from the chamber: one broad and solid, leading toward the echoes. The other, a thin, unstable path of rusted steel, leading deeper into the tower.
The voice of the tower boomed, merciless and cold:
"Choose your oath. The past… or the path forward."
Jemil's heartbeat thundered in his ears. His past stood before him, beautiful and accusing. His present—cold, proud, yet undeniably real—stood at his side, waiting for his choice.
The Predator's Fang whispered hungrily: Claim them. Devour them. One path is yours to own.
Jemil looked at the swordmaster. Her mask of control was cracking. For the first time, she looked… afraid. Not of the echoes. Not of the trial. But of him choosing to abandon her.
Jemil exhaled slowly, forcing his grip to steady. He had been tested with steel and fire before. But this—the temptation of the heart—was far more dangerous.
The echoes stepped closer, their beauty suffocating, their voices like poisoned honey. Each one was a reminder of what he had lost… but also of what he could lose again if he faltered.
The swordmaster's voice finally cut through, soft but trembling. "Jemil… don't."
That single word carried more weight than the echoes' entire chorus.
The chamber went silent for a breathless instant. Jemil knew his decision here would not only determine his path through the tower—but whether the fragile bond with the swordmaster could survive.
And as the lightning flared once more, casting long shadows across the mist, Jemil stepped forward—toward the narrow path, toward the unknown.
The echoes screamed. The mist shuddered. And the Predator's Fang pulsed with a hunger that would not be denied.
Preview – Chapter 66: Blades of Betrayal
The mist may have faded, but its poison lingers in Jemil's chest. The echoes of forgotten wives and their accusing gazes haunt him even as he steps onto the narrow path with the swordmaster at his side. Yet the tower offers no time to recover—its next trial strikes like a storm of steel.
Blades rise from the walls, slashing in endless patterns, each swing whispering of betrayal and fractured loyalty. Every strike forces Jemil and the swordmaster closer together, their survival hinging not just on their reflexes, but on how much they trust each other.
But trust is a fragile blade.
And the swordmaster carries secrets of her own—ones the tower is all too eager to reveal.
When the line between ally and betrayer blurs, will Jemil be able to cut through doubt? Or will his hesitation give the tower exactly what it wants—another broken bond to devour?
Call to Action
🔥 The tower is done whispering—it's ready to carve scars into Jemil's heart. Betrayal, steel, and temptation will clash in the next chapter! Don't miss the storm of blades—read Chapter 66 now and see if Jemil can hold onto trust before it shatters forever!