The western tower was silent at night, save for the crackling of the fire and the whisper of distant winds.Adrian sat on the edge of his bed, head bowed, sweat beading his brow. The flickering firelight painted his features in sharp relief — half man, half shadow.He had been awake for hours, his body trembling from the effort of holding himself together.Inside his mind, another battle raged.“Why fight me?” the Master’s voice curled through Adrian’s thoughts like smoke.“They already hate you. Even your precious queen doubts you.”Adrian clenched his fists.“You’re lying.”“Am I?” The voice chuckled darkly.“You felt it, didn’t you? The way she looked at you when you confessed the truth. Fear. Pity. Nothing more.”“She loves me,” Adrian snarled, though his voice shook.“She saved me.”“She saved herself,” the Master hissed. “Selene couldn’t kill you because losing you would break her. But the moment you become a true threat, she’ll strike. Just like Kael will. Just like every so-ca

The palace felt colder, though no winter winds had touched its walls.Whispers drifted through the corridors like ghosts. Guards spoke in hushed voices, servants flinched at sudden movements, and even the nobles carried themselves with strained politeness — as if one wrong word might shatter the fragile peace.Selene walked among them like a queen carved of stone, her expression unreadable. But inside, her heart was a storm.Every glance, every bow, every carefully chosen word was now suspect.Because she knew someone among them wanted Adrian dead — and Lord Varyn’s hand was behind it.But knowing was not the same as proving.Selene sat at the head of the council table, listening as her advisors debated troop movements and resource distribution.Varyn spoke smoothly, his tone measured, his words a net meant to trap.“We must remain vigilant,” he said, his eyes flicking to Selene with calculated concern.“The Crimson Coil may have been disbanded once, but their return signifies deep un

The garden was silent now.Silent, except for the labored breathing of the living and the distant rustle of night creatures that dared to return after the storm.The white roses lay trampled, petals torn and soaked crimson where blood had spilled. The shattered remains of the fountain glistened like broken glass beneath the moonlight. Varyn’s body lay sprawled across the marble steps, his lifeless eyes staring up at the cold night sky.Selene held Adrian tightly against her chest, rocking him like a wounded child. His head rested on her shoulder, his breath shallow, his body trembling from exhaustion and the lingering touch of the Master’s influence.Kael staggered to his feet, favoring his side where his armor had caved in from Adrian’s earlier attack. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, but his eyes were sharp and watchful.“Your Majesty,” he rasped, glancing at Varyn’s corpse.“The court… they’ll demand answers.”Selene didn’t look up. She pressed her lips to Adrian’s temple

The palace was silent, but it was not peaceful.The silence was the tense kind — the kind that precedes a storm.Adrian walked alone through the moonlit corridors, his boots whispering over the marble floor. His mind was a battlefield.Selene’s words from earlier echoed in his head: “I’m trying to protect you.”Protect him — or control him?He clenched his fists. I’ve been lied to before. Manipulated. Never again.But even as anger flared, so did guilt. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that the woman who had once sworn to fight by his side was still the same Selene he had loved.And yet… there was the crimson-cloaked assassin.The Master’s reach.Varyn’s betrayal.Pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit — but that someone clearly wanted him to solve the wrong way.A faint sound broke his thoughts — a whisper of movement behind him.Adrian froze.His hand went to the hilt of his sword, drawing it in one smooth motion.“Who’s there?” His voice was low, dangerous.No answer. Onl

The moonlight spilling through the shattered windows cast a cold silver glow over the abandoned hall.Dust swirled in the air, disturbed by the sudden clash of bodies and blades.Adrian’s sword was already drawn, his ash-coated steel glimmering faintly as he advanced. His expression was a mask of rage and pain, his breathing sharp and uneven.Selene’s heart pounded as she raised her dagger, stepping back instinctively.“No, Adrian,” she said, her voice breaking. “You don’t understand—”“I understand perfectly,” he spat.“You’ve been playing me this entire time. Feeding me just enough truth to keep me obedient while you plot with the Master behind my back.”Selene’s throat closed, the accusation cutting deeper than any blade.“That’s not true! Everything I’ve done was to protect you!”Adrian’s laugh was bitter and broken.“Protect me? Like you protected me when you left me to die in the Ash Wastes? When you chose peace with our enemies over the war we were fighting together?”“That was