Pain gnawed at Aiden's limbs as he sat up — or tried to. His arms were bound tightly behind his back, his clothes soaked through with mud and blood. He was in a prison cell, its stone walls damp and unwelcoming. Somewhere above, thunder rumbled. The war hadn't ended here — it had just begun.
Shinomi stood with his back to him now, helmet in one hand, the other resting on the hilt of his sword. His black hair hung low and wet, stuck to the sides of his pale face.
Aiden swallowed hard, his heart pounding. This wasn't the warm, gentle Shinomi he loved in the early parts of the novel. This was the Shinomi from after Celestia broke him — the version hardened by betrayal and war. The man who had become the novel's villain.
"Why am I here?" Aiden asked before he could stop himself.
Shinomi turned his head slightly, just enough to cast him a glance over his shoulder. "You don't even remember your own crimes now?"
"I…" Aiden struggled to understand what was going on. His voice sounded different. Deeper. Slightly rougher. He caught a glimpse of himself in a puddle near the cell door — blonde hair, sharp features, unfamiliar eyes. This wasn't his face.
"I'm not—" He started, but Shinomi strode toward him.
"You are Ren Valis." Shinomi's voice cut like a blade. "Son of General Valis, who led the ambush at Silver Hills. The man who cost my soldiers their lives and stabbed me in the back after peace talks. And you... his precious son... had the gall to attend the celebration feast afterward."
Ren Valis. The name sent chills through Aiden. He remembered now — from the story. Ren was a minor antagonist, a proud, spoiled noble who sided with King Alaric and once mocked Shinomi in court. Shinomi hated him with everything he had.
And now... Aiden was him.
"I'm not him," Aiden whispered. "I mean, I—I'm not who you think I am…"
Shinomi crouched before him, eyes narrowing. "Then tell me, Ren Valis... what should I do with you?"
Aiden met his gaze. "Let me prove I'm not like him."
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then Shinomi stood. "No. You'll serve me. That is your punishment. You'll eat what the dogs eat, sleep where the horses sleep, and if you disobey…" He looked down coldly. "I'll remind you exactly who you are."
He walked out without another word.
Aiden slumped against the stone wall, heart racing, mind in chaos.
This wasn't a dream. He was Ren now. And the man he once adored wanted nothing more than to see him broken.
But still, he had something now he never had before:
A chance to be near Shinomi.
To change the story.
To choose him — and maybe, just maybe, be chosen in return.
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