My father stares at me, his chest heaving. Then he laughs, a horrible, almost delighted sound that sends a chill down my spine. "You really haven't changed," he says, the mocking chuckle fading my smile. "You're forgetting something," a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he points behind me. "You came here without your warriors. You are here alone, Kei, without a backup plan."A cold dread fills me as he gestures toward the darkness. "Do you see them?"I turn, my heart pounding. Rogues emerge from the shadows, their forms twisted and misshapen, their eyes glowing with a feral, hungry light. One. Two. Five. Then more, a seemingly endless stream of them, their silent, menacing presence sucking the air from my lungs.My eyes immediately find my mother. She's still chained, still bleeding, her body a broken, bruised thing. And standing behind her is a rogue with his claws pressed against her chest, the sharp tips digging into the fabric of her dress, a silent, deadly threat. One wrong move,
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