Aurelius looked up from the moldy straw. A young woman sat in the cell across from his. She had short blonde hair that looked like it had been cut with a dull knife. Her eyes burned with fury even in the dim light. Something about her seemed dangerous."Who are you?" he asked."Does it matter?" she said coldly. "We're both going to die anyway.""I'm Aurelius.""I know who you are," she said. Her voice carried old anger. "Commander of the First Order. The king's favorite. Though that won't help you now."The hate in her voice wasn't aimed at him. That was good. He had enough enemies already."What did you do?" he asked.She was quiet for a long time. Then she spoke without looking at him. "I tried to kill someone who deserved it."Days crawled by in the cold stone cells. Aurelius paced like a caged wolf while questions ate at his mind. How had Victor built such a perfect trap? How long had he been planning this?The woman mostly stayed quiet. But sometimes she would answer his question

Aurelius stumbled through the palace corridors. Blood dripped from his shoulder and leg as he ran. Each step sent pain shooting through his body but he couldn't stop. Behind him, Victor's voice echoed off the stone walls. "Find him! Bring me the head of the king's murderer!" The hallways felt different now. These were the same stones he'd walked for years but now they felt like enemy territory. His blood left a trail on the floor like breadcrumbs leading his hunters right to him. Blue words kept flashing in his vision. [ENHANCED ABILITIES AVAILABLE] [ACTIVATE COMBAT MODE?] What did that even mean? Combat mode? The words made no sense but they wouldn't go away. A servant girl rounded the corner ahead of him. Young Sara from the kitchens. She'd always smiled and bowed when she saw him before. Now she took one look at his bloody clothes and screamed. "Arrrrrrhhhhhh!" She ran the other way as fast as her legs could carry her. Her screams echoed down the hall, bringing mo

The tunnel was barely wide enough for one person. Water dripped from the ceiling and hit the stone floor with soft splashing sounds. Their torches threw dancing shadows on the walls as they moved deeper underground. Aurelius led the way but he noticed something. Something was different about his vision down here. He could see further into the darkness than should be possible. Every sound seemed clearer too. Behind them, he could hear boots on stone and men shouting orders. "Commander," Sir Garrett whispered from behind him after being unable to stop himself. "How can you move so well down here? The rest of us can barely make out the walls." Aurelius didn't know how to answer that. How could he explain something he didn't understand himself? "I don't know. Everything just seems... clearer." Blue words flashed in his vision again. [ENHANCED PERCEPTION ACTIVE] [TRACKING MULTIPLE HOSTILES] What kind of sorcery was this? Why were these words appearing in his head? And what did they

The afternoon sun filtered through the moss-covered roof of the old hut. Aurelius sat on the wooden floor with his knights spread around him. They looked like what they were - desperate fugitives with nowhere left to run. "We need to talk about what comes next," Sir Garrett said. His weathered face was grim. "Victor won't give up hunting us." "What I still don't understand," Sir Roland said, rubbing his temples in frustration, "is how he managed all this. The timing was fucking perfect." "Real perfect," Sir Edmund agreed. "We were supposed to leave for the eastern border yesterday. That supply mix-up was what kept us here long enough." Sir Bradley's eyes narrowed. "You think that was also planned? We leaving for the eastern border?" "Had to be," Sir Garrett said slowly. "Think about it. How many First Order knights were in the palace yesterday? Just us ten." Sir William counted on his fingers. "Sir Marcus said the rest were all on assignment. Border patrols mostly. Said Vic

Mother Coin poured wine from expensive bottles while discussing the brutal details of their arrangement. The price kept climbing with each new requirement she added.Around them, the entertainment house continued its nightly business. A fat merchant was getting his cock sucked by a blonde girl who made exaggerated moaning sounds. Her dress was bunched around her waist while he groped her ass with thick fingers.On another couch, two nobles were taking turns with a brunette. One had her bent over the cushions while the other fed her wine between thrusts. She gasped and whimpered as they both took turns fucking her.The music got louder to cover the sounds of fucking. Serving girls brought fresh wine and cleaned up the mess afterward. Everything ran like a well-oiled machine designed for rich men's pleasure.But Aurelius' eyes kept wandering back to the silver-winged fairy in her low cage. She wasn't watching him anymore. Instead, she stared at nothing with empty eyes almost like she'd