Astelion's POV
The courtyard still trembled from the catastrophic collision that had occurred before I arrived.
Near the center, Castel sat casually on a floating stone bench, slowly wiping thick smears of blood from his bare arms with a white towel. And right beside him was Kiono.
The man who had held me with a desperate, crushing fervor only an hours ago was now kneeling on one knee, one large hand braced heavily against the shattered stone as he dragged ragged breaths into his lungs. He looked battered. He looked raw. But what broke something fundamental inside me wasn't his injuries it was his utter, freezing silence.
The heavy courtyard gates creaked open behind me, the sound scraping against my raw nerves. Neither of them turned immediately, but I felt the exact moment Castel noticed my presence.
A heavy, suffocating pulse of power rippled through the palace walls, vibrating in the stone beneath my boots like a second heartbeat. Castel's mismatched yellow and blue eyes lifted slowly, locking onto me.
I stepped through the archway, my body screaming in protest. Every single muscle from my thighs to my lower back was profoundly sore, an agonizing, throbbing reminder of the unfiltered, way Kiono had used my body against the mirror. I felt entirely drained, weak, and weighed down by a crushing emotional heartache. I had risked everything, giving up on revenge, giving up on trying to kill Cion, baring the secret of my power and accepting his ring, only for him to treat me like a total stranger the moment we passed the gates.
Despite the exhaustion dragging at my bones, my telekinesis held strong. Thousands of heavy wooden carts floated in perfect, flawless formation behind me, stacked high with steaming trays of roasted meats, fruit baskets, wine, and fresh bread for the soldiers. They drifted through the air completely silently, as if gravity had forgotten them.
The guards at the training room had forced me into a completely different outfit before sending me here. Instead of the plain, dark servant rags, I was now dressed in a sharply tailored black uniform trimmed in brilliant imperial gold. The structured coat split slightly at the back to allow fluid movement, and delicate gold thread traced elegant, looping designs along my sleeves and pinched waist.
And in my right hand, I held a heavy, double-bladed purple spear that glowed faintly with raw magic.
The moment I processed the scene Castel dripping blood, and Kiono kneeling submissively at his side I froze. Panic and confusion instantly warred with my heartache. Without a second thought, I dropped heavily to my knees, letting the spear rest against the stone. Behind me, the massive convoy of floating food carts remained perfectly suspended, locked in place by my mind.
"My king—forgive me," I said quickly, bowing my head low to hide the glassiness of my eyes. "I came to the wrong place."
Castel stared down at me from his floating bench, his terrifying aura rolling outward in heavy, invisible waves. The air in the courtyard instantly thickened, making it difficult to breathe. I could feel his monstrous magic pressuring my own it was an absolute, mountain-like weight. I realized then, with a spike of cold dread, that Castel was overwhelmingly powerful.
"Who sent you here?" Castel asked, his voice dripping with an effortless, casual authority.
Kiono's head shifted. His cold, electric-blue eyes flicked toward me for a fraction of a second, but his jaw remained clenched. He said absolutely nothing.
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat tasting like ash as I stuttered slightly under Castel's piercing gaze. "I—I went to the other training room first. The guards handed me this outfit and weapon and told me to report here instead." My voice shook, betraying the exhaustion rattling my frame. "They said the food was meant for this training ground."
The moment the words left my lips, Castel's power exploded outward. The entire palace grounds felt the shockwave. The heavy stone beneath the courtyard vibrated as if the building itself had inhaled a sharp, angry breath.
"GUARDS."
Castel's voice cracked through the open air like a sudden clap of thunder.
The towel dropped from his hand, fluttering uselessly to the floor as the stone bench beneath him slowly began to levitate higher into the air. Within seconds, dozens of royal guards rushed into the courtyard from the surrounding, their heavy loud boots pounding a frantic rhythm against the stone.
They formed a tight, line along the edge of the training ground, their faces pale. Fear filled the clearing they knew that terrifying tone all too well. Castel's eyes glowed brighter, the yellow and blue light casting eerie shadows over his blood-stained face.
"Bring him to me."
Kiono stood up immediately. Without a single shred of hesitation or protest. He stepped directly into the line of frightened guards, his calculating eyes scanning their faces until he locked onto the specific target he wanted.
Kiono lunged, his massive hand clamping firmly around the back of the guard neck, and dragged the copper-curled guard forward into the dirt. He didn't even attempt to resist. Kiono forced him roughly to his knees in front of Castel, who was now hovering several feet above the ground on his floating stone bench, looking visibly annoyed.
Castel's glowing eyes flicked back toward me. I was still kneeling, my knees throbbing against the hard pavers. He pointed a blood-stained finger at me.
"Get up."
His voice was dangerously quiet now, but no less terrifying than the thunder from before. "Go stand next to him."
"Yes, my king," I whispered.
I waved my hand subtly, using a fraction of my telekinesis to dismiss the burden behind me. The thousands of floating carts drifted smoothly across the courtyard, settling gently beside the long stone tables without spilling a single tray of food or dropping a loaf of bread. Once the carts were down, I hurried forward, I took my place beside the kneeling guard.
Castel leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as his voice rolled across the clearing like distant, rumbling thunder. "You think this is a time for fucking jokes?"
The surrounding guards flinched in unison.
"I can't enjoy a single moment to my fucking self without being disturbed by children who can't tell their dicks from their swords."
His glowing, mismatched eyes shifted entirely to the guard. "Aheem." A slow, deeply unsettling smile spread across Castel's face. "Since you are the ring leader..."
He shifted his finger, pointing it directly at my chest.
"Fight her."
The entire courtyard went dead silent. The air seemed to turn to glass.
"If you win," Castel continued calmly, his tone completely conversational, "I will not punish the guards. But if you lose..." His smile widened, turning entirely sadistic. "Your screams will entertain me."
The brutal words hung heavily in the freezing air. I felt a surge of surprise and utter confusion distort my features. I wasn't an imperial soldier, I was exhausted, aching, and emotionally shattered. I looked instantly toward Kiono, silently begging for a flash of the protective man from this morning. But Kiono remained completely expressionless, his eyes fixed straight ahead, staring through me as if I were nothing but a passing shadow. He was letting Castel throw me into a blood sport.
Aheem slowly stood to his feet, wiping the dirt from his knees. He turned toward me, his stance shifting as he leaned slightly closer to my side.
"No hard feelings, little bunny," he whispered, a dangerous edge bleeding into his voice.
Then, he drew his sword. The sharp, metallic ring of steel sang through the courtyard as the polished blade slid free from its scabbard.
Across from him, the heartache in my chest morphed into a cold, defensive fury. If no one was going to protect me, I would protect myself. I lowered my center of gravity, my sore thighs burning as I lifted the glowing purple spear, balancing its weight perfectly in my grip. My eyes sharpened, the dull brown disguise flashing with a dangerously.
The courtyard wind died completely. And the next fight was about to begin.