The King's Guard

Chapter 86

The briefing room was filled with silence.

Darius stood before the class, arms behind his back.

“Your final assessment begins now. Illusion test: a single objective. Identify, infiltrate, and eliminate the marked target. No commands. No guidance. Just instinct.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. The word eliminate hung heavier than it should.

Reyna whispered beside him. “That doesn’t sound like an exam.”

“It isn’t,” Kael muttered.

Across the room, Jared leaned back, smirking. “What’s wrong, golden boy? Finally afraid to pull the trigger?”

Kael ignored him. Darius’s eyes flicked their way briefly, a warning.

“The test begins in sixty seconds,” Darius said. “Simulation field nine.”

He turned to leave, then paused at the door.

“Remember: illusion or not, every choice leaves a mark.”

The simulation chamber activated with a surge of energy.

A city unfolded around them: tall spires, wet cobblestones, mist rolling from unseen vents. Lanterns flickered along empty streets.

Reyna scanned the rooftops. “Feels too quiet.”

“It’s meant to,” Kael said. “They want to see who breaks the silence first.”

Kyna moved like a shadow, fingers brushing her blade. “And who hesitates.”

Jared cracked his neck. “Then let’s make sure it isn’t me.”

Kael shot him a glance. “We move as a unit this time. No solo heroics.”

“Sure,” Jared said, already walking ahead.

Reyna sighed. “One day, I’ll actually believe him when he says that.”

They advanced down the narrow street. Rain began to fall.

A flicker to the left, a figure darting into an alley.

Kyna whispered, “Target?”

Kael shook his head. “Not yet.”

Darius’s voice echoed faintly from the comm:

“Remember, your illusion adjusts based on fear and intent. Whatever you carry inside will shape what you see.”

Reyna muttered, “Comforting.”

They turned a corner. A figure stood at the far end of the square.

Kael raised a hand. “Contact.”

The others froze.

The hooded figure turned slowly. Beneath the shadow of the cowl was… Darius.

Reyna whispered, “That can’t be right.”

Kyna frowned. “The test said eliminate the marked target…”

“Which is him?” Jared said, incredulous.

Kael felt his pulse spike. “No. It’s a trick.”

Darius or the illusion of him spoke. “You’ve come far, Kael. But not far enough to make hard choices.”

Kael gritted his teeth. “You’re not real.”

“Maybe not,” the illusion said. “But your hesitation is.”

Jared stepped forward. “Well, if it’s an illusion, we end it.” He raised his sword.

Kael grabbed his wrist. “Don’t.”

Jared’s eyes flashed. “You can’t even strike an image? No wonder Archon says you’re soft.”

“Say that again,” Kael warned.

Reyna moved between them. “Both of you, stop. It’s testing us, all of us.”

The illusion-Darius smiled faintly. “He’s right, you know. Strength without conviction is just noise.”

“Shut up,” Kael said, stepping forward.

“Prove it,” the illusion taunted. “End me. Show them you can obey.”

Kyna whispered, “He’s trying to make you choose.”

Kael’s hand trembled on the hilt. The air shimmered, Rift energy building around him.

He looked at the others: Reyna’s steady eyes, Kyna’s quiet concern, Jared’s hungry smirk.

Then he sheathed his sword. “No.”

Jared scoffed. “No?”

“I’m not killing him. Not even an illusion.”

Jared barked a laugh. “And you think mercy wins wars?”

Kael turned sharply. “It’s not mercy. It’s judgment. I don’t strike what I don’t understand.”

The illusion-Darius tilted his head. “Then you’ve failed.”

The sky fractured. Light burst outward, buildings splitting, melting into fragments.

Reyna shielded her face. “Kael!”

“I’ve got it!” Kael reached out, channeling the Rift. The collapsing simulation slowed, light suspended mid-fall.

Jared shouted over the hum, “You’re going to blow the field!”

Kael’s voice strained. “Then move!”

He forced the Rift backward rewinding the collapse, stabilizing the illusion’s structure. Time stuttered, then reformed.

When the dust cleared, they were back in the square, the illusion-Darius gone.

Reyna stared at him. “You stopped the simulation.”

Kael nodded weakly. “I didn’t mean to.”

Kyna placed a hand on his arm. “You controlled it.”

Jared sneered. “Or broke it. Hard to tell the difference.”

Kael met his gaze. “You’re welcome.”

Jared opened his mouth, then closed it, storming away.

Reyna exhaled. “Well. That’s going to be fun to explain.”

When the test ended, the chamber’s light flickered out.

Archon waited in the observation hall, hands clasped behind his back. Darius stood beside him, face unreadable.

The squad entered, boots echoing on the stone floor.

Archon’s tone was silk and steel. “Interesting approach, Kael. You refused the order.”

Kael met his gaze. “It wasn’t an order. It was a manipulation.”

Archon’s lips curved faintly. “You presume to judge what is or isn’t?”

“With respect, sir,” Kael said, “you asked us to prove instinct. Mine said not to obey blind commands.”

Archon circled him slowly, voice almost gentle. “You believe choice makes you stronger?”

Kael said nothing.

“Choice,” Archon continued, “is the luxury of those who haven’t yet lost everything.”

Reyna stepped forward. “Sir, Kael stabilised the simulation. He…”

Archon cut her off. “He disobeyed a direct instruction. Success through disobedience is still failure.”

Kael clenched his jaw. “Then maybe your definition of success is broken.”

The silence afterward was sharp as a blade.

Darius finally spoke, tone restrained. “Enough. The results stand. The test is concluded.”

Archon’s gaze lingered on Kael. “Yes. Concluded.”

He turned away, voice low but deliberate. “But remember, Cadet, obedience isn’t weakness. Defiance isn’t strength. Not when you don’t understand who’s watching.”

They exited into the cold night.

Reyna walked beside Kael. “You knew they’d fail you for that.”

He nodded. “Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to kill Darius, illusion or not.”

Kyna said softly, “They wanted to see if you’d obey Archon’s brand of loyalty. You didn’t.”

“Which means,” Reyna said grimly, “he’s watching you now.”

Kael looked up at the stars. “When hasn’t he? Let him.”

Jared lingered behind them, silent for once.

When Kael turned, Jared’s expression was unreadable.

“You really think you’re the hero here?” Jared said quietly.

Kael shook his head. “No. Just someone who still gets to choose.”

Jared smiled but it wasn’t kind. “Then enjoy it while it lasts.”

He walked off, boots echoing against the stone.

Reyna whispered, “What does that even mean?”

That night, Kael couldn’t sleep. The test replayed in his head.

When he finally rose, the barracks were silent. He stepped outside into the courtyard, the lamps flickering faintly.

Reyna’s voice came from the archway. “Couldn’t rest either?”

He turned, smiling faintly. “You’re good at sneaking up on people.”

“Years of practice.” She walked to his side. “You did the right thing today.”

Kael’s voice was quiet. “Archon doesn’t agree.”

“Archon’s afraid of anyone who thinks for themselves.”

He looked at her. “And Darius?”

Reyna hesitated. “Darius believes in you. That’s why Archon doesn’t.”

They stood in silence for a moment. The wind stirred the training flags, making them whisper faintly.

Kael finally said, “You’d have done the same thing, right?”

Reyna smiled. “I’d like to think so. But I’ve never been good at breaking rules elegantly.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Neither have I.”

She nudged his shoulder. “That’s what makes you dangerous.”

He looked at her, really looked. “Dangerous or doomed?”

“Both,” she said softly.