The night was too quiet. Adrian stood near the fire, staring into the dark trees. Something was out there. He could feel it. A strange pressure pressed on his chest, like unseen eyes were watching him. The wind blew, rustling the leaves, but it wasn’t the wind that made his skin prickle. Kara paced back and forth. “I don’t like this.” Kai sat on a rock, sharpening his dagger. “You don’t like anything.” She shot him a glare. “I like being alive.” Adrian didn’t join their argument. His hands felt warm, his fingertips tingling. It had been happening more often, this strange heat inside him. Then it happened. A voice. Adrian. It wasn’t spoken. It was inside his head. A whisper, distant but clear. His breath hitched. His fingers twitched. The fire behind him moved, as if it had heard the voice too. “The wards are breaking,” he muttered. Kai stopped sharpening his dagger. Kara froze. The old man, sitting quietly by the fire, finally spoke. “They found us.” Everyone went still.

Adrian’s hands burned with heat. The fire inside him pulsed under his skin, alive and restless. He could feel it moving, calling, wanting to act. His chest rose and fell quickly as he stared at the figure stepping out of the shadows.“Killian,” Adrian said, his voice low, rough. “You’re alive.”Killian’s lips lifted in a small smile, but it didn’t reach his cold eyes. “And you are awake,” he said. His voice was calm, but it held a weight that pressed down on Adrian’s chest. Years of hate, of waiting, of planning… it was all there.Adrian’s fists tightened. Heat ran through his arms and into his shoulders. “You left me for dead. You took my kingdom. My crown. My life… Why?”Killian’s eyes glinted in the moonlight. “You think it was that simple? You were weak. You let them get to you. I did what had to be done.”Kara stepped closer, her sword held loosely but ready. “He’s lying. He always lies.”Kai crouched beside Adrian, dagger in hand. “Don’t let him mess with your mind. Focus on wha