**Chapter 9: "Framed and Hunted"**

The warmth of the amulet radiated through me, chasing away the chill of the temple. It wasn't just heat, though. It was… understanding. Like a thousand whispers flooding my mind, snippets of conversations, flashes of forgotten events. The amulet hummed against my skin, a thrumming vibration that seemed to resonate with the demonic brand on my wrist. I knelt, almost involuntarily, drawn down by the weight of the visions.

Kael… I *saw* him. Not just the day I made the deal, no. I saw him long before that, wrestling with himself, torn between loyalty and fear. I saw the strings that had been pulling him, the faces hidden in the shadows, demanding he betray me. The faces that probably enjoyed my company. The strings that ultimately led to his death.

It wasn't about revenge, not really. He was a pawn too. Just like me. Maybe worse.

Lyra coughed – a gentle prod back to reality. "Elias? You alright? You're glowing like a damn firefly. And not the *good* kind."

Damn, she always knew how to make it simple. "I… I saw," I started, voice thick with unshed tears. "I understand now." I looked at her with so much pain inside.

She arched a brow, waiting. Impatience radiated through her.

"Kael didn't want this," I said, "He was forced. They…" I trailed off, the images still swirling behind my eyes, too fragmented to fully grasp. "They knew about the God of Souls. They needed to know where I was in exchange for his help."

Lyra sighed. "Well, that's just fantastic. So, we're not just fighting demons, we're fighting ghosts too. Joy." She sounded anything *but* joyful. "But if we are going to fight for the living, we have to use the power to save people, right?"

I looked back at the amulet, still clutched in my hand. It felt different now. Weightier. More… purposeful. I knew, in my heart, that this was more than just a way to save my soul. This was playing with bigger things. She, more than anyone, knew that, too.

"Right," I said, forcing a smile. "Right now we just need to leave. Before the town shows up and tries to kill us."

The words were barely out of my mouth when the temple doors EXPLODED inward. Splinters rained down, and the air filled with the clang of steel. Standing amidst the wreckage was a squad of royal guards, clad in polished armor with the royal crest emblazoned on their chest plates. Leading them was Captain Valerius, a man I recognized instantly from my… unofficial ventures in the royal capital, even though Lyra had never met him. Stern-faced, with eyes that could probably freeze hell over, he was the kind of officer who made the rulebook his bedtime story.

"Elias," Valerius barked, his voice ringing through the temple. "Lyra. By order of the King, you are both under arrest for the theft of a sacred artifact and the murder of Lord Elmsworth."

Sacred artifact… right, this thing. And murder? Shit, did they actually find the body?

"You've got the wrong idea, Captain," I protested, rising to my feet, the amulet still clutched in my hand. "We didn't steal anything. And we sure as hell didn't hurt Lord Elmsworth. That was the result of this god that you aren't even willing to learn his name."

Lyra stepped forward, hand already resting on the hilt of her sword. "Captain, I know you. You're a man of honor. Don't let yourself be used like this. This is a mistake."

Valerius's expression didn't waver. “Spare me the lecture, Lyra. You were once a symbol of justice. If you two are so innocent, just surrender yourself. You can explain this in front of the King."

"Right, and roll over while you use the king to take my soul, you have to be joking now" Lyra stepped forward to the front, taking a look at how many are there.

“That’s enough,” Valerius barked. “Seize them!”

The guards surged forward, swords drawn, their faces grim. These weren't just any guards; they moved with a practiced efficiency, their armor gleamed like they just got out of the blacksmith. They were clearly elite soldiers, handpicked and heavily armed. And for a murder and a robbery? Why didn't they send them to war?

"This is insane," I muttered, summoning flickers of that infernal energy around my hands, the air growing thick with the smell of sulfur. "This is a setup. You're being played, Valerius!" I prepared for a fight, the weight on my shoulders rising.

Valerius remained impassive. "The evidence speaks for itself, Elias. We found your… research notes… detailing your interest in the God of Souls. And eyewitnesses saw you both fleeing Lord Elmsworth's estate this morning."

My heart sank. Eyewitnesses? The kind you paid for with drinks and promises? Damn it, they were thorough. I looked at Lyra, who looked as shocked as I did. Crap, this wasn't just a misunderstanding. This was a carefully orchestrated trap.

"Eyewitness my ass," replied Lyra. "They are just as corrupt. Valerius, how come you have to follow them? You have sworn to be with the crown, and not with this tyranny. Have a mind of your own."

"I am not alone, though". Lyra looks at the forest. "And you aren't either".

Valeríus didn't move a muscle. "Enough talk. Surrender now, or i will use any means necessary."

"But what is the means, the truth! Valerius, I want you to know," Lyra yells, "That you aren't the only one that wants this kingdom so you can protect yourself."

She wasn't getting through to him. I could see it in his eyes – a stubborn, unwavering belief in his duty, a blind faith in the King's justice. And he was so wrong in what he believed in, in the words that were supposed to be for him. Lyra thought about using a persuasion spell, but realized she had to save it for later.

We were on our own.

I exchanged a quick glance with Lyra. Time for talking was over. We were going to have to fight our way out.

"Alright," I said, cracking my knuckles, the demonic energy crackling along my skin. "Let's give these boys a show they won't forget. But don't kill. I can feel that noble's blood. We can do better."

Lyra grinned, drawing her sword. The steel flashed in the dim light of the temple, reflecting the flickering candlelight. "Wouldn't dream of it." She charged forward. What was supposed to be Lyra's "good" side showed itself.

The first guard lunged at her, but Lyra was faster. She sidestepped the attack with practiced ease, her blade a blur of motion. She disarmed him with a swift parry, sending his sword clattering to the floor, before delivering a sharp kick to his chest, sending him sprawling. How does she even do that?

I didn't have time to admire her skills. The other guards were closing in on me, their faces hidden behind their helmets, their swords raised. I inhaled deeply, drawing on that well of dark magic that now seemed to flow so easily. It almost feels like it was natural.

A wave of black energy erupted from my hands, slamming into the guards, throwing them back against the walls. The stone cracked and crumbled under the force of the magic, but I was careful to hold back, to not inflict any fatal injuries. They could still be saved.

Lyra fought with a ferocity that surprised me. She moved with a grace and precision that belied her years, cutting down the guards with a balletic grace. She dodged and weaved through the ranks, her sword a whirlwind, leaving a trail of disarmed and bruised soldiers in her wake. It felt like she was running on divine strength. I was so happy that she was using it.

We fought back-to-back, a dance of chaos and precision, pushing back the relentless assault of the guards. The temple echoed with the clash of steel, the grunts of exertion, and Lyra's occasional sharp taunts. "Come on, boys, is that all you've got? I've fought goblins tougher than you lot!"

I felt a surge of pride watching her, a strange mix of admiration and protectiveness. She was damn good. And I was damn lucky to have her on my side. It felt good to know that she wasn't alone, either. She gave me the strength to endure all of this.

“Lyra, cover me,” I shouted. I started forming the darkness into a shape. With all the focus I had, I managed to get something working. Time seemed to slow down as the energy flowed from my hands, coalescing into a swirling vortex of darkness. It was a volatile, unstable thing, but it was my only chance. I shot it between the front and the back, in order to cause as much desynchronization as possible.

Focusing that much magic made my demonic brand burn hotter, searing my skin with its infernal heat. The pain threatened to overwhelm me, but I grit my teeth, pushing through it, channeling all my will into holding the vortex together. So. Much. Power.

Lyra created an opening, and I pointed it forward. I didn't know how long it will last. "Now you go!"

We sprinted together through the vortex which disoriented the guards. Once outside, we had to keep going.

As we staggered out into the forest, panting and bruised, I saw something that made my blood run cold. Valerius stood at the edge of the temple, watching us go, a strange smile playing on his lips. It wasn't a look of anger or frustration. It was… satisfaction. Like he had expected us to do exactly what we just did. He lifted his hands. And some of the forest guards surrounded us. In doing so, though, we were able to get away from them with the help of the forest and the thick flora.

"Damn it," I swore, pushing us deeper into the woods. "He let us go. On purpose."

Lyra frowned; panting. "What do you mean?"

He was planning something bigger. Something that made framing us for murder seem like a simple distraction; as if he predicted that we are going to the forest and will let other guards to follow him.

"I don't know yet," I admitted, "But I don't like the look on his face. That was too easy."

We fled through the trees, adrenaline pumping through our veins, putting as much distance as possible between us and the temple. We needed to disappear, to regroup, to figure out what the hell was going on. As we run further and further away from the town, more soldiers start looking for us.

We reached the capital and watched from an elevated positoon. "Look,".

The town guards were converging on a noble, cornering him near the town square. It was chaos. The civilians were muttering and pushing, but none intervened with it. Soldiers do not usually do that...

"What's happening?" Lyra said. "Why are they going for a noble? What is going on?"

The noble was protesting, his voice rising above the din. "This is a mistake! You don't understand! I'm innocent! It was Valerius... Valerius is behind all of this!" The soldiers, noticing that the civilians started panacking, quickly restrained him, dragging him towards a makeshift gallows.

"He's lying!" Valerius yelled. The same Valerius we encountered before, in the forest, and at the temple. It seems he quickly reached the capital to organize the situation. "The noble took away important state secrets and is a heretic of the Goddess!! Don't listen to his poisonous lies!"

"We all know that it's you, Valerius," The noble shouted to Valerius "I was a good man!!! My death will haunt your family!!!"

Before the executioneer could get to his orders, the noble threw himself onto the blade, killing himself instantly. A collective gasp went through the crowd. I froze, horrified by what I had just witnessed. They were quick to move the scene away, but some of the people noticed that Valerius was panicking and started whispering between themselves, trying to figure what will happen next.

It all started making a twisted kind of sense. The easy escape, the framed murder, the noble's frantic accusations… Valerius wasn't just following orders. He was orchestrating something, manipulating events, using us as pawns in his own twisted game. And the chaos he caused was being used to accuse and do what he wanted.

"He wanted us to escape," Lyra whispered said, confirming what I thought. "He wanted us to see this. He wanted... he wanted to show a power grab?"

"Distraction, more like it," I replied bitterly. "He's consolidating power, eliminating anyone who might stand in his way. And he's using us as a scapegoat." Because we are accused with heresy. But so is the noble.

There was nothing left for us there. We had to get out, to disappear before Valerius could tighten the noose around us; and before more people start seeing us as heretics.

"We need to go," Lyra said, her voice urgent. "Now."

We turned and fled, disappearing into the forest, leaving the chaos and the growing darkness behind. We were fugitives, hunted and alone, with no one to trust and with time running out. This mess was getting bigger than just trying to save my soul.

I didn't know what Valerius was planning, or what the hell was going on but I knew one thing for sure. We were in deep trouble. We needed to figure out who we could trust, and fast. Because right as death. And I could feel that someone was following us.