"Gods, yes," Mileena moaned as she continued bouncing harder on him oblivious to the raging thoughts in his mind. Her auburn hair stuck to her sweaty face while her brown eyes were half closed with pleasure. "Right there, Aurelius. Don't you dare stop."
But Aurelius barely heard her. Blue words kept flashing in his vision like some kind of magic he didn't understand.
[CONQUEST SYSTEM ACTIVE]
[WARNING: TIMELINE CHANGE DETECTED]
[MISSION PRIORITY: SAVE THE HIGH KING]
The words made no sense. System? Timeline? What in the hells was happening to him?
Mileena's moans got louder as she kept moving faster. Her breasts bouncing above him while she chased her pleasure. Any other time, he would have flipped her over and taken control. Would have fucked her and made her scream his name until the whole palace heard.
Not today. Today he had bigger problems.
"Mileena," he said softly grabbing her hips to stop her movement. "I need to go."
Her eyes snapped open. Confusion replacing the lust on her face. "What? Right now? But we're not finished."
"I know." He gently lifted her off him. His cock slipped out of her wetness as he sat up. "But something important just came up."
She fell back on the silk sheets, naked and beautiful. Her legs were still spread from where she'd been riding him. Her skin glowed with sweat and morning light. She looked like a goddess of pleasure.
Any other man would have stayed. Would have worshipped that perfect body until she couldn't walk straight.
But the blue words wouldn't stop flashing.
[TIME REMAINING: 35 MINUTES]
[URGENT: PROCEED TO THRONE ROOM]
"Duty calls?" Mileena asked. She rolled onto her side and pouted. Her hand traced patterns on the empty space where he'd been lying.
"Always does," he said. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and dressed quickly. His hands shook as he pulled on his pants and shirt and sword.
Thirty-five minutes. Thirty-five minutes until what? Until Victor made his move? But that didn't make sense. In the other timeline, Victor had waited a week while he built his case and schemed slowly.
What had changed?
"I could make you breakfast," Mileena offered. She sat up and let the sheets fall away. Her bare breasts were still flushed pink from their lovemaking. "Some eggs and bread? Maybe we could eat together before you go?"
"No time," he said. He sat on the bed and kissed her forehead. Her skin was still warm and soft. "I'll eat later."
He memorized her face as he pulled away. The way her auburn hair fell over her shoulders. How her brown eyes looked at him with such trust and love. This might be the last peaceful moment he ever had.
"Will you be back for dinner?" she asked.
"I hope so," he lied.
He kissed her one more time, hard and desperate. Then he was up and moving toward the door.
The palace hallways were busy with morning activities. Servants carried trays of food and fresh linens. Guards walked their usual routes. Everything looked normal.
But the blue words kept counting down.
[TIME REMAINING: 32 MINUTES]
Aurelius broke into a run. His boots echoed off the stone walls as he raced toward the throne room. Guards saluted him as he passed. They had no idea what was coming.
The throne room doors were closed when he arrived. He could hear voices inside. One of them was Victor's.
"...the evidence is clear, Your Majesty. We cannot ignore the threat any longer."
Aurelius didn't bother knocking. He slammed the doors open and strode inside. The guards tried to stop him but he pushed past them.
"Your Majesty," he called out. "I need to speak with you. Right now."
The throne room fell silent. King Aldric sat on his golden throne looking tired and old. Victor stood beside him with papers in his hands. A dozen nobles and advisors filled the space around them.
All of them stared at Aurelius like he'd lost his mind.
"Commander," the king said slowly. "What is the meaning of this? You were not summoned."
Victor's smile was sharp as a blade. "Actually, Your Majesty, his timing is perfect. I was just about to suggest we bring him here."
Dread filled Aurelius's stomach. He was too late. Victor had already started his game.
"My king," Aurelius said. He dropped to one knee but kept his eyes up. "Whatever Victor has told you, it's lies. All of it."
The old man's face crumbled with sadness. "Aurelius, my boy. Why are you making this harder than it has to be?"
"Making what harder?" But Aurelius already knew. The same accusations. The same fake evidence. The same broken knight of his ready to lie about his loyalty.
Victor stepped forward with his papers. "The commander has been planning to kill you, Your Majesty. My sources have uncovered the whole plot."
"That's not possible," Aurelius said. His voice got louder. "Victor, you're the fucking traitor here. You've been planning this for years."
Gasps echoed around the room. Several nobles stepped back like his words were poison.
"How dare you," one of them said. "Victor has served the crown faithfully for decades."
"He murdered Lord Volaris family," Aurelius shot back as he recalled the name of Seraphinas household. "Framed them for treason and watched them die. He's been removing anyone who might stand against him."
Victor's eyes went wide with fake shock. "My lord, what are you saying? The Volaris family were proven traitors. Their own daughter tried to assassinate me just two days ago."
"Because you killed her parents," Aurelius roared. He stood up despite the guards reaching for their swords. "She told me everything in the dungeon. How you planted evidence. How you..."
He stopped. His blood went cold.
He'd never been in the dungeon yet. Had never met Seraphina. In this timeline, she was probably still in her cell planning her failed attack on Victor.
The throne room went dead quiet. Every eye stared at him with horror and confusion.
"The dungeon?" King Aldric whispered. "Aurelius, what are you talking about? Have you been meeting with the assassin?"
Victor's smile got wider. "This proves he's been planning this longer than we thought. Proves that he's already been talking to other traitors."
"No," Aurelius said desperately. "I can explain. There's something happening here. Something impossible. I've lived through this before. All of this."
More gasps. Someone whispered about madness and fever dreams.
The king's face filled with pain. "Aurelius, you confuse me. What's wrong with you?"
Blue words flashed in Aurelius's vision.
[MISSION: PREVENT THE HIGH KING'S ASSASSINATION]
[TIME REMAINING: 15 MINUTES]
[WARNING: HOST BEHAVIOR ERRATIC]
Fifteen minutes. Was it fifteen minutes already? Aurelius couldn't tell.
"My king," Aurelius begged. "Just listen to me. In fifteen minutes, Victor is going to try to kill you. He's going to bring in Marcus as a witness, and then when you're distracted, he'll..."
"Enough," Victor said sharply. He signaled to the guards. "Can't you see? He's clearly lost his mind. All this talk of dungeons and assassination plots. The stress of his treason has broken him."
"I'm not broken," Aurelius snarled. "I'm trying to save the king's life."
The side door opened. Two guards dragged in a beaten man in First Order colors. Blood ran from his nose and mouth.
Sir Marcus. Right on schedule.
"No," Aurelius whispered. It was happening exactly the same way.
"Tell His Majesty what you told me," Victor said to Marcus.
Marcus raised his bloody face. His eyes found Aurelius and filled with shame. "Commander Aurelius offered me gold to join his cause. Said the king was weak. Said we needed a strong leader."
The words hit like physical blows. Even knowing they were coming, even knowing they were lies, they still hurt.
"Marcus, look at me," Aurelius said desperately. "You know that's not true. Victor tortured you into saying this right? Fight it, Remember who you really serve."
But Marcus just stared at the floor. Broken and afraid.
King Aldric's face crumpled. "My boy, why? I loved you like a son. I gave you everything."
"Because I never betrayed you," Aurelius said again running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Victor is the traitor. He's been planning this for years.
Blue words suddenly flashed urgently.
[TIME REMAINING: 10 SECONDS]
[MISSION CRITICAL]
[PREPARE FOR COMBAT]
Ten seconds. What was going to happen in ten seconds?
Victor suddenly cursed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Damn it all. You're forcing my hand earlier than i planned."
He pulled a knife from his robes. The blade flashed in the morning light as he moved toward the king.
"Victor, what are you doing?" King Aldric asked in confusion.
"What I should have done years ago," Victor snarled. He grabbed the old man's hair and pulled his head back. "You're too weak to rule. Too soft to protect humanity."
The knife sliced across the king's throat. Blood poured down his chest as his eyes went wide with shock and pain.
"No!" Aurelius screamed.
The throne room exploded into chaos. Nobles screamed and ran for the doors. But the guards didn't move to help the king. They turned their swords on Aurelius instead.
Victor's men. Aurelius realized with a sinking feeling. They'd been his all along.
Aurelius drew his sword of and backed toward the wall. Five guards advanced on him with murder in their eyes.
"Kill him," Victor ordered. "Make it look like he was resisting arrest."
Steel rang against steel as Aurelius fought for his life. He was good, but five against one were bad odds. They drove him back step by step.
A sword cut across his shoulder. Another found his leg. Blood ran down his armor as he kept fighting.
The king's body lay still on his throne. Blood pooling on the marble floor beneath him. The good man was dead, and Aurelius had failed again.
Rage exploded in his chest. Raw, animal fury that made him forget about defense. He threw himself at his attackers with wild abandon.
His sword found throats and hearts. Two guards fell before the others could react. But more were coming through the doors.
Too many. He couldn't fight them all.
Aurelius broke away and ran for the nearest exit. Blood loss made him dizzy, but adrenaline kept him moving.
Blue words flashed as he stumbled into the hallway.
[MISSION FAILED]
[HIGH KING STATUS: DECEASED]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE]
He'd failed. Again. The king was dead, and this time it was his fault for making Victor act too early.
Boots thundered behind him as guards gave chase. Aurelius ran through the palace corridors, leaving a trail of blood on the stone floors.
He had to get out. Had to escape and figure out what went wrong.
But one thing was clear - next time, he'd have to be smarter.