Eclipsed monarch

Kael didn't waste time. He glanced at the fallen knights, their blood seeping into the dirt. Leaving bodies behind was a risk—one he couldn't afford.

"Burn them," he ordered.

Selene moved without hesitation, gathering the oil they had prepared earlier. She doused the corpses quickly, her hands steady despite the grim task.

Kael took a torch from the ruins of the facility, the flickering flames casting eerie shadows over the dead. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the bodies.

Fire roared to life.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air, thick and suffocating, but Kael didn't flinch. He watched as the flames consumed the knights, their armor cracking in the heat.

Selene stepped beside him, silent.

She had done this before.

As the fire burned, Kael pulled out the insignia he had taken from the knight. He studied it, recognizing the symbol—a division within the Divine Order, one that operated in secrecy.

This wasn't just an ordinary squad.

The Divine Order was paying more attention to these experiments than he had anticipated.

Selene glanced at the insignia. "What does it mean?"

Kael pocketed it. "It means we're not done yet."

She nodded, accepting his words without question.

The fire crackled behind them as they turned and vanished into the night, leaving nothing but ash in their wake.