The mission was supposed to be a standard rescue. Six children had been taken from the village of Grey-Fell. But when Robert saw the sketch of the kidnappers' sigil—a weeping willow—his blood turned to ice. It was the crest of a fallen branch of his own family, the Attens.
"I'm going alone," Robert said, his voice a low growl as he tightened his leather bracers.
"Like hell you are," Marin countered, stepping into the light of the tavern fire. She wasn't wearing her heavy gala skirt anymore; she was back in her polished plate armor, the claymore she used to fight Vaxen strapped to her back. "You’re a Shadow Knight now, Robert. And I’m your partner."
The Deep Woods
For three days, they tracked the kidnappers through the Shattered Peaks. Without the chaos of Malric’s magic or Marley’s chatter, the air between them was thick with unspoken words.
They shared a small campfire on the fourth night. The silence was broken when Robert pulled a tattered piece of parchment from his vest—a drawing of a young girl with eyes exactly like his.
"My sister, Lyra," he whispered. "I thought she died the night my house was burned and my title stripped. But the sigil on those kidnappers... it’s the same one that was on her nursery door. They didn't just take those children. They’ve had her for years."
The Bond of the Blade
Marin moved closer, her hand resting on his. "We will find her, Robert. And we will bring those children home."
Robert looked at her, his eyes reflecting the fire. He knew the rules of their world. He was a man with no title, a "Reset" soul. She was the jewel of the Montclairs. Under your rules, any intimacy between them would officially bind him back into the Nobility, tying his fate to hers forever.
"Marin," he said quietly. "If we do this... if we cross that line... you know what the Magic Law says. You’d be tethered to a man with a ruined name."
"I don't care about the name," Marin replied, her gaze unwavering. "I care about the man."
The Discovery
The next morning, they found the first real clue: a bandit camp hidden in a ravine. After a swift, brutal skirmish where Marin and Robert fought in perfect, lethal synchronicity, they found a small, silver locket discarded in the mud.
Robert opened it. Inside was a tiny, enchanted portrait that hummed with a faint, familiar mana.
"It’s her," Robert breathed. "But the trail leads to the Ancient Citadel. They aren't just kidnapping children for ransom... they're using them to fuel a ritual."
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