That night, Dian could'nt sleep.
His mind raged like a volcano—relentless, unforgiving. Kalies walking free, Kalies breathing,how could he? Kalies moving toward a future that could everything Dian had built and everything he ever stand for.
I will never watch him stand against me. He now knows that I killed Gretchen!
His jaw tightened he cannot sleep anymore.
Beside him, Tara slept peacefully, her body half-covered by a thin sheet, unaware of the war going inside her husband's mind. Dian did not touch her. Instead, he rose, and put his dress he slowly waked towards the window and stood there
Snow fell silently, coating the world in white—pure, lifeless, cold.
And suddenly a memory struck him.
Gretchen.
Standing beside Kalies. Their faces ....
The crowd cheered for them,he can still hear it in his ears again. Gretchen sat tall upon his horse with his bow raised, arrows gleaming under the sun as the announcer declared the winner of the tournament. The Arkan banner waved around proudly .Cheers drowned everything else—including Dian's name nobody noticed him that day. Gretchen made him invisible.
Dian slammed his fist against the window
"No," he shouted "No—never." his eyes burned in f fury.
"I will not allow another Arkan to defile this sacred place. Kalies chose love over duty. He chose chaos."
I will continue to protect my clan and my duty
Dian's voice lowered, steady now—decided.
"And for that, kalies should die.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, burying the land in silence—just as Dian intended to bury his past memories.