Chapter 21: First Blood

The attack came without warning.

Caden was crossing the Academy's central courtyard at dusk when the world came apart. A portal tore open—not the clean, controlled rifts the Academy used for transport, but something raw and wrong, edges crackling with void energy.

Three figures emerged before the portal snapped shut.

Void Walkers.

Caden had read about them in Finn's documents—humans who'd willingly embraced corruption, allowed the void to consume them in exchange for power. They didn't look human anymore. Their skin was pale, their eyes pits of absolute darkness, and shadows clung to them like living garments.

"The Key," one of them said, its voice echoing strangely. "Lord Blackwood sends his regards."

Students screamed and scattered. Professors rushed toward the commotion, but they were seconds away—seconds Caden didn't have.

The Void Walkers attacked as one.

Time seemed to slow as Caden's training took over. He stepped through the void, vanishing from where the first attack would have struck and reappearing three meters to the left. His shield snapped into existence, catching a bolt of darkness that would have pierced his chest.

"Fast," another Walker observed. "But untrained. This won't take long."

They moved in perfect coordination, surrounding him, their void magic pressing against his shields from multiple directions. Caden felt the strain immediately—maintaining defenses against three opponents was exponentially harder than against one.

He needed to eliminate at least one of them quickly.

*Use us,* the void whispered. *Let us through. We can destroy them.*

*No.* Caden pushed back against the hungry darkness. *My way.*

He stepped again, appearing behind the Walker who'd spoken first, and manifested a void blade in his hand. The construct was unstable—he could feel it wanting to dissolve—but he only needed it for a moment.

The blade cut through the Walker's neck.

For an instant, nothing happened. Then the creature collapsed, its body dissolving into shadows, returning to the nothingness it had embraced.

The other two Walkers faltered, their coordination breaking.

Caden didn't give them time to recover.

He stepped twice more in rapid succession, appearing first beside one Walker, then the other, leaving thin lines of absence across their torsos. The wounds weren't fatal—his blade had destabilized before he could strike properly—but they were enough.

The Walkers stumbled, their void magic disrupted by the injuries.

"Retreat," one of them hissed. A portal began forming behind them.

"No." Caden reached out with his power, not to attack, but to *negate*. The void energy forming the portal dissolved under his will, unraveling like thread from a torn cloth.

The Walkers stared at him with something approaching fear.

"Impossible," one whispered. "You negated a void portal—"

"I am void," Caden said, and for a moment, the hunger in his chest aligned perfectly with his intention. "Your master sent you to capture me. Go back and tell him what happened. Tell him that his Key has teeth."

The Walkers exchanged glances. Then, with inhuman speed, they turned and fled—not through portals, but simply running, their corrupted forms covering ground faster than any human should.

Caden let them go. His hands were shaking, his shields collapsing, his vision beginning to blur at the edges.

Professor Thorne reached him first, followed by a squad of Academy guards.

"What happened?" Thorne demanded. "We felt void energy—"

"Void Walkers. Three of them. They came for me." Caden's legs buckled, and Thorne caught him before he hit the ground. "I killed one. Wounded the others. They ran."

"You *killed* a Void Walker?" Thorne's voice was sharp with disbelief. "That's not—"

"Possible. I know." Caden's vision was fading now, exhaustion pulling him under. "But I did it anyway."

He passed out before he could hear Thorne's response.

---

He woke in the healing ward to find Sera's face hovering over him.

"You're an idiot," she said. Her voice was shaking. "An absolute idiot."

"Noted." His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "Water?"

She helped him drink, her hands steadier than her voice. When he'd finished, she sat on the edge of his bed and glared at him.

"Three Void Walkers. Three. The most dangerous corrupted humans in existence, and you fought them alone."

"I didn't exactly have a choice."

"You could have run. Could have called for help. Could have—"

"Died. They were faster than me, Sera. If I'd run, they would have caught me. If I'd called for help, people would have been killed trying to protect me." He reached out, taking her hand. "The only way out was through."

"You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't. And now Lord Blackwood knows I can fight back."

Sera was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was small.

"I thought I was going to lose you. When they brought you in, you weren't breathing. I had to restart your heart."

The words hit Caden like a physical blow. "I... didn't know that."

"You burned through all your energy fighting them. Your body just... stopped." Tears were streaming down her face now. "I can't do that again, Caden. I can't watch you die in front of me."

He pulled her into an embrace, feeling her shake against him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just... be more careful. Please." She pulled back, wiping her eyes. "The others are outside. They've been waiting for hours."

"Send them in."

Marcus, Finn, and Lyra entered together—Marcus grim-faced, Finn analytical, Lyra pale but controlled. They gathered around his bed like soldiers at a council of war.

"The Walkers were sent by Lord Blackwood," Finn said without preamble. "My sources confirm it. He's moved up his timeline."

"Why? The Tithe isn't for months."

"Because you're becoming too dangerous. The combat training, the mental defenses, the alliance with Damien—he knows you're preparing to oppose him." Finn's expression was troubled. "He can't afford to wait anymore."

"So what do we do?"

"We accelerate too." Lyra's voice was hard. "No more waiting, no more preparation. If Blackwood is making moves, we need to counter them directly."

"How?"

"I have an idea." Everyone turned to look at Damien Blackwood, who'd appeared in the doorway without anyone noticing. His violet eyes swept the room. "But it's risky. And it requires all of us working together."

Marcus stepped forward, hand going to his sword. "Why should we trust you? Your family just tried to kill Caden."

"Tried and failed. Which means my father is now off-balance, uncertain about his Key's capabilities." Damien moved into the room, closing the door behind him. "This is an opportunity. A narrow window where we can act while he's reassessing."

"Act how?" Lyra demanded.

Damien smiled—cold, deliberate, a reminder of how dangerous the Blackwood heir really was.

"By stealing the evidence we need to expose the Tithe to the other noble houses. It's kept in my father's private vault. And I know how to get in."

The room fell silent.

Caden looked at his allies—friends, really, bound together by circumstances and choice. They'd followed him into conspiracy and danger. Could he ask them to follow him further?

"Tell us the plan," he said.

And Damien began to explain.