The night air was heavy with silence. The courtyard that once echoed with the clash of blades now stood still—broken tiles, splattered blood, and the faint glow of the moon casting a pale light over the ruins.
Selena sank to her knees, her trembling hands clutching the ground where her uncle had stood moments ago. The mask he wore lay shattered beside her, its sharp fragments reflecting her tear-streaked face.
"Uncle Kael…" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Why did it have to be you?"
Adrian stood a few paces away, his chest still heaving from the fight. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the storm inside his heart. He had seen betrayal before—but seeing it tear through Selena was something else entirely.
He sheathed his blade slowly and stepped closer. "Selena," he said softly, "you don't have to face this alone."
She shook her head, tears streaming freely now. "He was my family, Adrian. The man who taught me how to hold a sword, who used to tell me stories about our ancestors… And now—he tried to kill me."
Adrian crouched beside her, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes," he said, his tone low but steady, "blood doesn't make family—loyalty does."
Selena looked up at him, her eyes red but burning with something else now—hurt, confusion, and a flicker of defiance. "Then what are we supposed to do? If Kael was behind this, then the Rael family might be planning something even darker."
Adrian's gaze hardened. "Then we uncover it. Every secret, every lie—they'll all come to light."
He turned toward the shattered mask, his reflection visible on its cracked surface. "If Kael wants the scroll, it means it's connected to more than just power. It's part of something much bigger."
Selena slowly rose to her feet. Her trembling had stopped. "Then we find out the truth. About the scroll, about the Raels… about everything."
Adrian nodded, his eyes glinting beneath the moonlight. "We'll need to grow stronger—stronger than ever before. Because from here on out, they'll come for us with everything they have."
A faint wind blew through the courtyard, carrying the scent of blood and rain.
Selena looked at him, her expression soft but determined. "Adrian… promise me something."
He turned to her. "What?"
"That no matter what happens next, we won't let their darkness change who we are."
He smiled faintly, extending his hand. "Then let's make that promise together."
Their fingers intertwined, a silent oath forged beneath the fractured moonlight—an oath not just of survival, but of defiance.
Whatever shadows lay ahead, they would face them together.
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✨ Author's Note:
The battle may be over, but the scars it left behind run deep. Selena's pain, Adrian's resolve, and the mystery of the scroll will only grow from here. What truth do you think lies behind the Rael family's secret? 🌙🔥