The first rays of sunlight bled over the valley like a wounded sky. Mist clung to the earth, veiling the soldiers as if fate itself wished to hide their march.
Lucian rode at the front, silver armor polished but battered—an echo of the man within. Each clang of hooves against stone sounded like a heartbeat straining to endure.
His soldiers followed, weary and wounded from past battles, but loyal. Loyal to him. Loyal to hope.
And yet… hope was a fragile thing.
He gripped Radiance, the holy sword once said to blaze in the hands of the righteous. Today, it felt heavier than ever.
"Selene will return," he whispered, not to the men. Not to the gods.
To himself.
Then, as the fog thinned, Kael's fortress came into view—silent, looming like a godless cathedral. No banners. No patrols. No challenge.
Just... silence.
Lucian's jaw clenched.
"Form ranks!" he shouted, raising Radiance high.
Shields locked. Blades drawn.
Then—
The gates opened.
A figure stepped out.
A heartbeat later, Lucian felt the ground tilt beneath him.
Selene.
But not as he remembered.
She wore a black-and-crimson cloak, Kael's sigil pressed over her heart like a brand. No chains. No fear.
Only purpose.
Lucian's voice cracked. "Selene…"
She did not flinch.
Her eyes met his, not with sorrow… but detachment. Cold. Clear.
"What has he done to you?" he asked, barely a whisper.
Selene tilted her head, as if studying a stranger. "He freed me."
"You loved me," Lucian said, stepping forward, his voice fraying with disbelief. "You swore—"
"I did." Her voice was calm. Almost kind. "And then I saw what love truly was."
She raised her hand.
A thousand arrows took flight.
From the battlements above, Kael watched the storm descend.
Lucian stood paralyzed, his men breaking as the sky turned black with steel.
Perfect.
"Do you see it now?" Kael murmured, turning toward Selene, who stood at his side.
"He falters not because you left him… but because you became mine."
Selene said nothing.
She didn't need to.
The silence was the answer.
Kael's smirk grew. He raised his hand.
And the gates vomited forth his army—black-armored, disciplined, relentless. Like a shadow given form.
Lucian roared over the chaos. "Hold the line! For the kingdom!"
But even his own voice sounded hollow to him now.
What kingdom?
What was left to protect… when the heart of your cause had turned its back?
Steel clashed. Screams echoed. Blood soaked the earth.
Lucian fought like a man possessed. Radiance ignited with divine fire, cutting swaths through the enemy lines.
Every strike was a question. Every wound a prayer.
Where was she?
Why?
And then, as the storm raged around him, he saw her.
Selene.
Standing in his path, sword drawn.
His breath hitched. "Move."
She didn't.
A war waged behind her eyes. Doubt. Pain. Memory.
Lucian dropped his sword.
"Please."
His voice broke. Not as a warrior.
As the man who once held her hand beneath starlight.
Her hand twitched.
Then—
Kael's voice cut the sky. "Selene."
She froze.
And when she turned away, Lucian knew.
He had lost her.
Not to death.
But to Kael.
Lucian grabbed for his sword—
Steel flashed.
She moved faster.
The dagger slid between his ribs like betrayal incarnate.
He staggered back, eyes wide, breath shallow.
"You…" he choked, blood soaking his armor. "…were my heart."
She looked down. "I was."
Then turned her back.
Lucian fell to his knees.
Kael stepped forward, crouching beside him.
"You were never a hero," he whispered. "You were a placeholder."
And then… laughter.
Dark. Triumphant.
Lucian collapsed as the world dimmed, his holy sword falling from his grip.
And somewhere in the distance…
The kingdom wept.
To Be Continued…