Page 4 of The Immortal Covenant

There was a time Malorg would’ve fought to silence that taunting voice in his head. He’d have pretended it was duty that drove him to roam the outskirts of Infernal territory alone rather than a death wish. But he was no longer the Infernal champion who had single-handedly slain countless void lords. That life was in the past.

His fingers lightly brushed the scar bisecting his left eye, where the mended skin still occasionally seemed to squirm. Let the others serve the Dusk Council and fulfill the Covenant for all the good it would do. If he couldn’t win, well—at least he might rest.

Malorg focused his attention back on his current target. Though nowhere near as imposing as the creature whose tainted magic had left him his scar, it might still prove strong enough to pose a legitimate threat. Perhaps it would find a way to surprise him. Or perhaps it—

He sighed as the voidspawn collapsed. Black tendrils of duskflame spread across its skin, courtesy of his cursed dagger still embedded in its back. It let out a final shriek before dissolving into ash.

So much for a lucky blow.

Slipping back into the shadows, Malorg blurred over the darkened landscape. To mortal—or even Celestial—eyes, the Dusklands’ forests would appear pitch black, utterly devoid of color or light. Yet, to Malorg’s vision, the ground came alive with striated shades of blacks and grays woven in an intricate, ever-shifting mosaic.

Such a stark difference from the unbroken barrenness of the Dawnlands. Let them keep their pristine silvers and golds.Here, nothing remained unchanged for long, everything always beautifully in flux.

Except for me. Malorg allowed himself to sink into the familiar well of melancholy as he surveyed the outskirts for his next target. Not for the first time, he considered how much simpler it would be to abandon this pointless hunt and put an end to his misery himself. Infernals were tricky to slay, their shadowy flesh quick to mend and difficult to hit, but that wasn’t what deterred him.

No matter how much he told himself he’d grown weary of this unending fight and his tedious existence, some part of him—misplaced obligation, instinct, or his own conscience—refused to take the coward’s way out. So instead, he always sought out the most dangerous assignments. He ranged further and further alone, taking ever greater risks and confronting ever more powerful enemies.

Someday, he would stumble upon a challenge he couldn’t overcome—a foe that surpassed him. And when that day came, he would finally find the peace he craved.

Until then, his hunt continued.

Several disappointing voidspawn later, he passed through a copse of gnarled trees and found himself standing before a light so bright it made his eyes water. Squinting against the unfamiliar glow, he realized what it must be: the boundary marking the edge of Infernal territory, where the shadowy forests of the Dusklands bled into the stark white plains of the Dawnlands. Eternal Dark, had he really travelled so far already?

More likely, the Dawnlands had expanded again. The Celestials had always had an easier time recruiting fresh souls to their banner despite the best efforts of Infernals like Malorg’s old friend Pelorak. Many foolish mortals saw the Celestials asgoodand the Infernals asevilwhen in reality they were bothsides of the same coin, each devoted to fighting the Void in their own way.

Malorg eyed the barrier between light and dark, considering. It had been over a century since his last visit to the Dawnlands. A shudder traced the ridges of his spine, and his shoulders tensed.

Not since Uryqh.

Back then, he’d pushed for greater cooperation between Celestials and Infernals, believing it a necessary step to defeating the Void. He harbored no such illusions now. However, the Dawnlands would have voidspawn to hunt as well, and his magic would be far less potent there. Even lesser voidspawn might pose a significant challenge.

He stared into the light for a long moment before muttering a soft curse and turning away. As tempting as he found the possibility, that annoying part of him that refused to let go thwarted him. He’d just have to seek out more capable prey in the Dusklands.

He’d begun to pool darkness around him to duskwalk when he heard a faint cry in the distance. His brows raised as he paused to listen. He’d ranged far from the usual Infernal hunting ground, the voidspawn here sparse and scattered. Had there been a fresh breach nearby?

Another shout came, along with a shriek that could only have been made by a voidspawn. Malorg’s eyes fixed back on the border. Both had originated from the other side—from the Dawnlands.

A fierce grin split his face as he burst into shadows and flowed across the barrier.Thank you, whoever you are, for giving me an excuse to risk my neck.

The instant he crossed over, the Dawnlands’ insufferable light beat against him, scorching his pale skin. He hissed at the dull pain, barely able to sustain his duskwalking. What had been as easy as breathing in the Dusklands now quickly sapped hisreserves of duskflame. He wouldn’t be able to maintain this form for long.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to.

Ahead, he spied a lone Celestial facing off against a swarm of voidspawn. The Celestial held no weapon, fighting with his bare fists. Golden blood dripped from myriad injuries. He must be even more exhausted than Malorg to have not already mended his wounds or conjured a blade.

One of the voidspawn—a creature reminiscent of a hound—launched itself at the Celestial. The Celestial met the beast head-on, shouldering it aside before pummeling it with his shining fists.

With the Celestial’s dawnflame so exhausted, however, his target was slow to die. Its flailing claws raked more wounds down his side. The distraction left the Celestial unaware of the pair of voidspawn creeping up behind him.

Drawing upon his own depleting reserve, Malorg quickened his pace, flitting over the perfect silver landscape of the Dawnlands like a blotch upon its pristine exterior. As soon as he was close enough, he emerged from the shadows, conjuring twin daggers to hurl at the approaching voidspawn.

Both blades struck true, piercing the voidspawns’ skulls. Black cracks spread from the curses imbued in the blades. One voidspawn collapsed as the curse overtook it, but the other only staggered before recovering.

Malorg muttered under his breath while summoning more blades. In the Dusklands, that blow would’ve been enough to fell such a weak opponent. Here, however, the accursed light fought against his presence.

Not wanting to risk more duskwalking if he could help it, he dashed forward, throwing more daggers as he ran. Aware of him now, the surviving voidspawn dodged one of the blades, but the other lodged in its leg. The beast shrieked and went down.

The Celestial looked up sharply. His wide, golden eyes briefly met Malorg’s own gray ones, but Malorg didn’t have time to worry about him. He reached the fallen voidspawn, ripping the dagger from its leg and stabbing it through the neck.

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