CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 40: BURNING WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND

The Artificer was sleeping peacefully in his modest room. It was a two-story wooden house. Upstairs was his living space; downstairs, his workshop.

A sudden noise shattered the silence. A low, muffled struggle — coming from downstairs.

He bolted upright. Blinked into the darkness. For a long moment, he listened.

Then he threw on his robe, bare feet finding the worn steps as he crept down the narrow staircase. Something was wrong.

He reached the ground floor.

There, in the flickering shadows cast by the dying embers of his stove, was a scene he never expected.

His assistant was bound and gagged, slumped helplessly against a battered workbench. And sitting opposite, leaning casually against the cracked wooden door, was Kael.

"How—?" the Artificer’s voice cracked, his eyes darting wildly. "How did you get here? How did you escape Red Morn?"

Kael smiled—a slow, cruel curl of his lips that didn’t reach his eyes.

"I killed him," Kael said simply. "And now I’m here to finish unfinished business."

A cold shiver ran down the Artificer’s spine.

"Red Morn— you... you killed him? Impossible."

"Mm." Kael looked up, eyes glowing faintly. "Told him not to provoke me. He didn’t listen. Just like you."

He took a step back, trying to summon the last shred of courage he had left.

"L-Look. You’re angry. I get it. I was just... doing business. It wasn’t personal. We can still fix this."

Kael leaned forward, smiling — not with joy, but violence barely restrained.

"You put a price on my head. That’s not business. You tried to kill me. Also, my slave was wounded for you."

"Look. I warned you again. Leave now, and maybe we can forget all this. I have connections. People who can make your life... difficult."

Kael laughed, low and bitter.

"Connections? You really think threats scare me anymore? I told you once—don’t mess with me. Yet here you are, sending hit squads after me. Guess they weren’t enough."

The Artificer swallowed hard.

Kael rose to his feet. He took out the Shadowforged knife from his storage. He had come with all the preparations.

"Okay then," Kael said, voice laced with madness and resolve. "I’ve already made my hands red. Killing Red Morn wasn’t enough. Next, I finish this. No enemies, no worries."

The Artificer fumbled for one of his arcane gadgets — a small orb etched with runes — and aimed it with trembling hands.

"You think you’re unstoppable? Red Morn couldn’t kill you... but I will."

He threw it.

The orb whistled through the air.

Kael didn’t dodge.

He raised Shadowforged.

The smoke expanded, devoured the spell mid-air — like a predator swallowing light — and the orb crumbled to dust before it could even hum.

The Artificer gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.

"No... that’s not... possible."

The Artificer staggered backward.

"What... what is this?" His voice cracked, tears welling up. "I’ve never seen power like this... it’s... it’s not natural."

Kael took a slow step forward.

"That’s your another mistake."

He kicked the man in the chest — not hard. Just enough to send him sprawling.

The Artificer hit the ground, breath stolen from his lungs. His lip trembled as he looked up.

"You... You’re a monster."

Kael tilted his head.

"No. I’m the one monsters fear."

The Artificer began to weep. Like a child. Like a man who realized too late the fire he’d stoked had come to devour him.

Kael’s face twisted into a dark grin, amused by the breakdown.

"Hey. Don’t cry now. I’m not that bad. Got a last wish? Say it. Maybe I’ll grant it. If I want to."

"Please..." the Artificer whimpered. "Let me go. I’ll give you whatever you want. Money, tools, artifacts — gods, just let me go. I swear I’ll leave the city and never return."

Kael paused, then glanced over at Vera, who stood silently by the doorway. "What do you think?"

"He’s been doing business here for a long time. He has a lot of money. We should take it. He also has a lot of stuff in his shop."

Kael considered.

"Alright. We take all his money. Let him keep his trinkets and toys. Don’t need that crap."

Vera turned to the others. "You heard him. Start turning the place inside out. If it looks nailed down, it probably hides something."

They got to work.

They tore through the place like wolves. The four of them, who were once local thugs, were now working for Kael, searching everywhere and collecting all the coins.

Vera counted every coin.

"7,890 copper coins, 2,780 silver coins, and 78 gold coins."

Kael narrowed his eyes as he did the math in his head.

Copper’s ten cents a piece... silver’s ten bucks... gold’s a thousand.

7,890 copper coins = $789

2,780 silver coins = $27,800

78 gold coins = $78,000

That’s... about $106,589.

"Hmm, these will be enough as compensation," Kael said.

The Artificer sobbed on the floor, relief and terror mixing like bile. Even though they were taking all of his life savings, he was happy that they didn’t kill him.

"Thank you... gods... thank you..."

But Kael held up a hand, stopping Vera and the others as they turned to leave.

"Wait."

The room went silent.

"If you walk outta here with your shop intact, people’ll ask questions. People are too damn curious. And I don’t like eyes staring where they shouldn’t."

He looked at his ragged crew.

"Set the place on fire. Make it look like an accident."

The Artificer’s face drained of color.

"No! Please! Don’t do this! It’s my livelihood! My work! You got what you wanted."

Kael’s gaze was sharp as a blade.

"I warned you once. Never raise your hand to someone who hasn’t raised theirs to you."

One thug shrugged.

"We’re already deep in this, Artificer. No going back."

The thugs produced flints and cloth soaked in oil.

Kael stepped back, watching as the fire began to take hold—snaking quickly along the wooden beams and piles of scraps.

The Artificer fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Why?" he begged. "Why destroy everything?"

Kael’s eyes were like cold steel.

"This city’s a graveyard of dreams. Sometimes, you gotta burn the deadwood to make space for new growth. And your shop? It’s just ash waiting to happen."

The flames grew louder, licking the ceiling.

Smoke curled thick and suffocating.

Kael turned to leave.

As the fire roared behind them, the Artificer’s sobs were swallowed by the crackling inferno.