Dawn crept into the city with gray light, chasing shadows across the rooftops. The market stirred to life again, unaware of what had transpired beneath its cover of night. But within the orphanage, in the cracked hall that smelled of damp straw and dust, a new order was being born.
Kael stood in the center of the room, the Devil’s Dagger glowing faintly at his side. Lira sat at his right, eyes sharp and crimson, her posture rigid with discipline. The boy; his silent witness knelt further back, thin frame trembling but steadying under the weight of Kael’s presence. The thief, their newest recruit, lingered in the shadows, head bowed, his dagger hidden at his belt but his obedience clear.
The air was heavy, charged. Three pairs of eyes fixed on Kael. They waited not as children but as blad
