Deep within the ruins, Kaelen's senses sharpened. The ancient spell that had sealed him for a thousand years was fading. His muscles ached from disuse, yet his mind remained sharp.
Visions flooded his thoughts—glimpses of a woman with storm-grey eyes and a silver-marked wrist.
She lives. The one I swore to protect.
With great effort, Kaelen rose. The ancient runes that had kept him bound flickered and crumbled. Dust cascaded from the stone ceiling as the protective magic failed.
His oath had outlived empires, and now it called him back into the waking world.
He took a step forward. The temple, long forgotten by the outside world, no longer had the strength to contain him.
The wind outside smelled different—sharp and unfamiliar. Kaelen squinted toward the horizon, where spires of metal and glass now pierced the sky.
This was not the world he had known.
Yet through the lingering threads of magic, he could sense her presence. The Mark had awakened, and with it, the promise that bound their souls across time.
Kaelen straightened, resolve hardening his gaze.
I will find her. I will keep my vow.
And with that, he stepped out of the shadows of the past and into a new age.