"People don't lose themselves all at once… they trade pieces away, one decision at a time."
Kael did not move immediately.
The world had reset, but his body hadn't caught up to that fact yet. Everything felt too normal—the same dim torchlight, the same damp air pressing against his skin, the same narrow corridor stretching ahead like nothing had changed.
But something had.
He knew how this ended.
That alone made everything different.
Kael let out a slow breath and looked around properly this time.
The corridor was barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side. The stone walls were rough and uneven, dark patches spreading across them where moisture had seeped in over time. Small cracks ran along the surface, some deep enough to swallow the edge of a blade.
The torches were placed without care—some too far apart, others leaning at odd angles. Their flames flickered constantly, casting unstable shadows that shifted with every movement.
Below his feet, the ground wasn't flat. It dipped and rose slightly, worn down by countless footsteps. There were stains here too, darker than the stone itself. Old blood. Not fresh enough to smell strongly—but not gone either.
This was the lower level of the Hollow Depths.
No rules.
No protection.
Only survival.
Kael had spent years here.
And still—
It had killed him.
His gaze drifted forward.
Riven stood a few steps ahead, exactly where he had been before. One hand resting loosely near his weapon. The others stood behind him, spread out just enough to surround without making it obvious.
If Kael hadn't already lived through it, he might not have noticed.
That was the problem with betrayal.
It rarely looked like one until it was too late.
"You're thinking again."
Riven's voice broke through the silence.
Kael turned his head slightly, meeting his gaze. "I usually am."
"That's your problem," one of the others said with a quiet chuckle.
Kael didn't look at him.
Instead, he studied Riven.
Three years.
That's how long they had fought together. Not out of loyalty—this place didn't allow that—but out of mutual benefit. Shared risk. Shared survival.
Or at least—
That's what Kael had believed.
A faint thought surfaced in his mind.
Trust isn't built on truth. It's built on convenience.
The moment convenience disappears—
So does trust.
Kael understood that now.
Too late for the previous life.
But not this one.
"Where are we heading?" Kael asked.
The question was casual.
Riven didn't hesitate. "Deeper."
Of course.
That's what they had said before.
Deeper meant more danger. Stronger opponents. More fragments.
More risk More reward.
Kael nodded slightly, as if satisfied.
Inside, his mind was already moving.
Three seconds.
That's all it had taken.
From the moment Riven shifted—
To the moment the blade entered his chest.
Kael replayed it again.
The angle. The distance. The timing.
Everything.
If he moved too early, they would react together.
If he moved too late—
He would die again, so the timing had to be exact.
Kael shifted his stance slightly, adjusting his footing on the uneven ground. It was a small movement, barely noticeable. Natural.
The others didn't react.
Good.
That meant they hadn't noticed anything yet.
"Let's move," Riven said.
He turned slightly, preparing to lead the way.
This was it.
The moment before everything broke.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
He watched carefully.
Riven's shoulder turned.
His hand moved.
Not fully but just enough to not get noticed.b
A signal.
Kael stepped forward.
Not backward.
Forward.
The sudden movement broke the rhythm.
Riven's eyes flickered with surprise—not because Kael attacked, but because he moved at the wrong time.
Kael closed the distance instantly.
Too close.
Riven's hand tightened on his weapon, pulling it free—
But Kael was already there.
His hand shot forward and grabbed Riven's wrist.
Hard.
The impact stopped the draw mid-motion.
Riven reacted fast. His other hand came up, aiming to strike—
Kael twisted.
The joint bent sharply.
A cracking sound echoed in the narrow corridor.
Riven's grip faltered.
The blade slipped from his hand.
Kael caught it before it hit the ground.
No pause.
No hesitation.
He stepped in and drove the blade forward.
Straight into Riven's chest.
The steel pierced cleanly.
Just like before.
But this time—
Kael was the one holding it.
Riven's body froze.
His eyes widened—not in pain, but confusion.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
Kael leaned in slightly, his voice low.
"You should have acted sooner."
Then he pulled the blade out.
Riven collapsed.
The sound of his body hitting the ground felt heavier this time.
Final.
The corridor fell silent.
For a moment, no one moved.
The remaining three stood frozen, their minds struggling to catch up to what had just happened.
The one who had laughed earlier was the first to react.
"You—"
Kael moved.
He stepped toward him without warning.
The man raised his weapon instinctively, swinging it in a rushed, uneven arc.
Kael shifted to the side.
The blade missed.
Before the man could recover, Kael grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.
Hard.
The man stumbled.
His balance broke.
Kael's blade flashed.
A deep cut opened across the man's throat.
Blood spilled instantly, hot and sudden, splashing against the stone.
The man dropped, choking.
Kael didn't stop.
The second attacker rushed him from the side, his strike aimed low.
Kael stepped forward again, letting the blade graze past him.
Pain flickered briefly.
Ignored.
He grabbed the attacker's shoulder and slammed him into the wall.
The impact cracked against the stone.
Before the man could react, Kael drove the blade into his abdomen.
Deep.
The resistance gave way slowly.
The man's body stiffened.
Then went limp.
Kael pulled the blade free.
The third one had already backed away.
Fear had replaced whatever confidence he had before.
"This… this isn't right…" he muttered.
Kael looked at him.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"Run," Kael said.
The man didn't wait.
He turned and fled down the corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly as he disappeared into the darkness.
Kael didn't chase.
Not yet.
Instead, he looked down.
Riven's body lay still.
Then—
A faint glow began to rise.
Small.
Unstable.
A fragment.
So it was real.
Kael watched it for a moment.
Power.
Reduced to this.
He reached out and took it.
The light sank into him instantly.
The sensation returned.
Foreign thoughts brushed against his mind—memories that weren't his, emotions that didn't belong to him. For a brief second, it felt like standing inside someone else's life.
Then—
It faded.
His mind cleared.
Unchanged.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…so this is how it works."
He looked down at his hand.
Steady.
No shaking.
No confusion.
Nothing.
A quiet realization settled.
The danger was never in taking power…
It was in what came with it.
And for him—
Nothing had come.
Kael turned his head toward the direction the last man had run.
His footsteps were gone now.
Only silence remained.
Kael began walking.
Not rushed.
Not hurried.
Because he already knew—
In a place like this—
Running only delayed the inevitable.
And now—
He was the one deciding when it came.