Aurel didn't feel the pain in his ribs until the world finally stopped spinning. For a moment, he lay still on the cracked marble floor, staring at the dust still drifting from the shattered ceiling. Every breath tasted like iron. Every pulse in his veins felt like a slow, dragging burn.
He pushed himself up, his arms trembling under his weight.
The hall around him was unrecognizable—where gold pillars had once stood, only scorched ruins remained. Smoke twisted upward in thin spirals. Debris lay everywhere like the remnants of a fallen empire.
And in the middle of the destruction…
the body.
Lysandra.
Aurel froze.
Her silver hair was stained with black ash, her armor fractured from the blow she had taken to protect him. Her fingers lay curled, as though she had tried to reach for him in her last breath.
"No…" His voice cracked.
He crawled closer, hands shaking. When he touched her cheek, it was still warm. Tears stung his eyes. The world blurred, his breath choking on grief.
"Lysandra… open your eyes. Please."
Nothing.
Aurel bowed his head. Rage pressed against his ribs, demanding release. She had sworn the oath of the Silver Guard, an oath broken only by death.
And she had died for him.
Behind him, footsteps echoed.
Aurel didn't look up. "If you came to finish it, get it over with."
Kael's voice answered, cold but splintered at the edges.
"Aurel… I didn't want this."
Aurel's hands curled into fists. "You stabbed her. You betrayed us. What part of that did you not want?"
Kael stepped closer—but stopped when Aurel rose to his feet, the air vibrating around him with barely restrained power.
"She wasn't supposed to die," Kael said, jaw tight. "I warned her to step aside. I gave her the chance."
"She protected me," Aurel whispered. "Because she believed in me. Something you clearly never did."
Kael's expression darkened. "I believed in the mission. In what had to be done. You were a danger we could not control."
Aurel laughed—a harsh, broken sound. "So you decided to kill me?"
Kael hesitated. That one heartbeat of silence was all the answer Aurel needed.
The ground beneath them trembled.
"You made your choice," Aurel said quietly. "Now live with it."
Power burst from his skin like a storm finally unleashed. Blue flames spiraled around his arms, lighting the hall with a fierce glow. The ruins shook as Aurel's divine aura awakened fully, brighter and deadlier than ever before.
Kael stepped back, eyes wide.
"Aurel… your energy—this isn't stable. You'll destroy everything."
"Good."
Aurel raised his hand, and the flames coiled forward like serpents ready to strike.
Kael drew his blade in a flash. "Then I'll stop you."
The collision was instant.
Aurel's flames met Kael's steel, exploding into a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath their feet. Kael spun, slashing upward, but Aurel blocked with a shield of concentrated energy. Sparks tore through the air. Neither held back.
Kael lunged. Aurel countered with blinding speed. Their weapons screamed as they clashed again and again, each strike fueled by betrayal, grief, and something even darker.
Finally, Kael landed a hit—his blade slicing across Aurel's arm.
Aurel didn't even flinch.
He grabbed Kael by the collar and slammed him into a pillar so hard the stone fractured.
"You killed her!" Aurel roared.
Kael coughed, blood dripping from his lip. "You think this was easy for me? I didn't want to fight you, Aurel. But your power—if it fully awakens, it will bring ruin."
"Lysandra didn't think so."
"She loved you." Kael's voice softened. "That clouded her judgment."
Aurel's grip loosened for a fraction of a second. Kael seized the opening. With a swift movement, he twisted out of Aurel's hold and slammed his elbow into Aurel's chest.
Aurel staggered but caught himself.
Kael pointed his sword at him. "If I must kill you to protect the realm, I will."
Aurel's flames surged higher, nearly blinding.
"You already did," Aurel snarled. "When you took her from me."
With a scream of fury, he unleashed a wave of energy so massive that it lifted Kael off the ground and hurled him across the hall. Kael crashed into the far wall, crumbling stone burying him.
Aurel stood there, chest heaving, fire coursing through every vein.
Silence returned.
Only then did he turn back to Lysandra's body.
He knelt beside her again, the anger folding into agony. His hands hovered over her heart, glowing faintly. He wanted to heal her. He wanted to reverse time. He wanted anything except this cold, lifeless stillness.
But he knew the truth.
Even divine power had limits.
A single tear fell on her cheek, tracing a line through the ash.
"I'll avenge you," he whispered. "I swear it."
Aurel closed her eyes gently.
Then the air shifted.
Soft footsteps approached from the shadows behind him.
He didn't turn. "If it's another assassin, come out. I'm done playing."
A familiar voice answered:
"It's not an assassin."
Aurel froze.
He stood up slowly—then spun around.
Lysandra stood there.
Alive.
Perfectly unharmed.
Aurel stumbled back, breath caught in his throat. He turned to look at the body behind him—still there. Still lifeless.
He looked back at the standing Lysandra.
She tilted her head slightly, watching him with an expression he had never seen before.
Her eyes were silver—glowing, emotionless.
Her smile was cold. Wrong.
Unnatural.
"You…" Aurel whispered. "What are you?"
The not-Lysandra stepped forward, the floor cracking beneath her feet.
"I am the truth you were never meant to see," she said softly. "And she—" she nodded at the body "—was only a vessel."
Aurel's heart pounded.
"Vessel? For what?"
Her smile widened.
"For me."
Before Aurel could react, her form flickered like a glitch in reality—
and vanished.
Aurel barely had time to inhale before a whisper echoed behind him:
"Let the game continue, my divinity."
He spun around—
—but she was gone.
Only the cold whisper of her presence remained.
Aurel stared at the empty darkness, the ruined hall, the body of the woman who had died protecting him…
…and understood one thing:
The betrayal had not even begun.
Aurel didn't feel the pain in his ribs until the world finally stopped spinning. For a moment, he lay still on the cracked marble floor, staring at the dust still drifting from the shattered ceiling. Every breath tasted like iron. Every pulse in his veins felt like a slow, dragging burn.
He pushed himself up, his arms trembling under his weight.
The hall around him was unrecognizable—where gold pillars had once stood, only scorched ruins remained. Smoke twisted upward in thin spirals. Debris lay everywhere like the remnants of a fallen empire.
And in the middle of the destruction…
the body.
Lysandra.
Aurel froze.
Her silver hair was stained with black ash, her armor fractured from the blow she had taken to protect him. Her fingers lay curled, as though she had tried to reach for him in her last breath.
"No…" His voice cracked.
He crawled closer, hands shaking. When he touched her cheek, it was still warm. Tears stung his eyes. The world blurred, his breath choking on grief.
"Lysandra… open your eyes. Please."
Nothing.
Aurel bowed his head. Rage pressed against his ribs, demanding release. She had sworn the oath of the Silver Guard, an oath broken only by death.
And she had died for him.
Behind him, footsteps echoed.
Aurel didn't look up. "If you came to finish it, get it over with."
Kael's voice answered, cold but splintered at the edges.
"Aurel… I didn't want this."
Aurel's hands curled into fists. "You stabbed her. You betrayed us. What part of that did you not want?"
Kael stepped closer—but stopped when Aurel rose to his feet, the air vibrating around him with barely restrained power.
"She wasn't supposed to die," Kael said, jaw tight. "I warned her to step aside. I gave her the chance."
"She protected me," Aurel whispered. "Because she believed in me. Something you clearly never did."
Kael's expression darkened. "I believed in the mission. In what had to be done. You were a danger we could not control."
Aurel laughed—a harsh, broken sound. "So you decided to kill me?"
Kael hesitated. That one heartbeat of silence was all the answer Aurel needed.
The ground beneath them trembled.
"You made your choice," Aurel said quietly. "Now live with it."
Power burst from his skin like a storm finally unleashed. Blue flames spiraled around his arms, lighting the hall with a fierce glow. The ruins shook as Aurel's divine aura awakened fully, brighter and deadlier than ever before.
Kael stepped back, eyes wide.
"Aurel… your energy—this isn't stable. You'll destroy everything."
"Good."
Aurel raised his hand, and the flames coiled forward like serpents ready to strike.
Kael drew his blade in a flash. "Then I'll stop you."
The collision was instant.
Aurel's flames met Kael's steel, exploding into a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath their feet. Kael spun, slashing upward, but Aurel blocked with a shield of concentrated energy. Sparks tore through the air. Neither held back.
Kael lunged. Aurel countered with blinding speed. Their weapons screamed as they clashed again and again, each strike fueled by betrayal, grief, and something even darker.
Finally, Kael landed a hit—his blade slicing across Aurel's arm.
Aurel didn't even flinch.
He grabbed Kael by the collar and slammed him into a pillar so hard the stone fractured.
"You killed her!" Aurel roared.
Kael coughed, blood dripping from his lip. "You think this was easy for me? I didn't want to fight you, Aurel. But your power—if it fully awakens, it will bring ruin."
"Lysandra didn't think so."
"She loved you." Kael's voice softened. "That clouded her judgment."
Aurel's grip loosened for a fraction of a second. Kael seized the opening. With a swift movement, he twisted out of Aurel's hold and slammed his elbow into Aurel's chest.
Aurel staggered but caught himself.
Kael pointed his sword at him. "If I must kill you to protect the realm, I will."
Aurel's flames surged higher, nearly blinding.
"You already did," Aurel snarled. "When you took her from me."
With a scream of fury, he unleashed a wave of energy so massive that it lifted Kael off the ground and hurled him across the hall. Kael crashed into the far wall, crumbling stone burying him.
Aurel stood there, chest heaving, fire coursing through every vein.
Silence returned.
Only then did he turn back to Lysandra's body.
He knelt beside her again, the anger folding into agony. His hands hovered over her heart, glowing faintly. He wanted to heal her. He wanted to reverse time. He wanted anything except this cold, lifeless stillness.
But he knew the truth.
Even divine power had limits.
A single tear fell on her cheek, tracing a line through the ash.
"I'll avenge you," he whispered. "I swear it."
Aurel closed her eyes gently.
Then the air shifted.
Soft footsteps approached from the shadows behind him.
He didn't turn. "If it's another assassin, come out. I'm done playing."
A familiar voice answered:
"It's not an assassin."
Aurel froze.
He stood up slowly—then spun around.
Lysandra stood there.
Alive.
Perfectly unharmed.
Aurel stumbled back, breath caught in his throat. He turned to look at the body behind him—still there. Still lifeless.
He looked back at the standing Lysandra.
She tilted her head slightly, watching him with an expression he had never seen before.
Her eyes were silver—glowing, emotionless.
Her smile was cold. Wrong.
Unnatural.
"You…" Aurel whispered. "What are you?"
The not-Lysandra stepped forward, the floor cracking beneath her feet.
"I am the truth you were never meant to see," she said softly. "And she—" she nodded at the body "—was only a vessel."
Aurel's heart pounded.
"Vessel? For what?"
Her smile widened.
"For me."
Before Aurel could react, her form flickered like a glitch in reality—
and vanished.
Aurel barely had time to inhale before a whisper echoed behind him:
"Let the game continue, my divinity."
He spun around—
—but she was gone.
Only the cold whisper of her presence remained.
Aurel stared at the empty darkness, the ruined hall, the body of the woman who had died protecting him…
…and understood one thing:
The betrayal had not even begun.