The Last Keymaker

His blade is pressed flush against my throat, his dark eyes burning with an order to execute me on sight. But the moment his cursed blood drips onto my forged iron, we both realize the horrifying truth: I am the only locksmith alive who can forge his freedom. Kellan was sworn to hunt me down and feed my soul to Ashback, the predatory living city that swallows survivors whole. Yet his lethal grip becomes my only shield when the city itself shifts its iron walls to crush us. Every dungeon we clear unlocks deadly crafting blueprints, ancient gears, and blood-soaked secrets about the traitor who framed me. But survival comes with an agonizing cost: Kellan's cursed flesh is the literal lock, and my talent is the only hammer capable of breaking it. As the living furnace roars for a final sacrifice, the ultimate escape portal demands an impossible toll. The master key I forge will only open once, and it will only carry one soul out alive. Now, I must choose whether to sacrifice the deadly hunter who guarded my back or doom us both to the city's eternal hunger.