Seren did not cry after Caleb was taken away.
She thought she might. Her chest felt tight, her throat dry, but no tears came. Instead, there was a strange calm, the kind that settles in after something irreversible has happened. She sat on the edge of her bed for a long time, staring at the wall, replaying the moment again and again.
He had believed she would save him.
That thought stayed with her more than anything else.
By morning, the mansion was buzzing with quiet tension. Caleb's disappearance had spread like smoke. No one asked questions out loud, but everyone was thinking the same thing. Who was next?
Seren walked through the halls slowly, aware of every look sent her way. Some were curious. Some were fearful. A few were calculating. She was no longer just Alaric's companion or student. She was part of the balance now.
And balance always came with a cost.
Alaric called for her just after noon.
She found him in the strategy room, standing alone in front of the wall of names and photos. Caleb's picture was already gone, replaced by an empty space.
"You didn't hesitate," Alaric said without turning around.
"I wanted to," Seren replied honestly.
"But you didn't."
"No."
Alaric turned to face her. "That matters."
Seren folded her arms, grounding herself. "You let him believe I was different."
"Yes."
"So he would come to me."
"Yes."
Seren met his eyes. "You used me."
Alaric did not deny it. "And you used him."
The words landed heavy.
Seren exhaled slowly. "That doesn't sit well with me."
"It shouldn't," Alaric said. "If it ever does, you've gone too far."
She studied him. "Did you ever feel this way?"
"Once," he said. "A long time ago."
"And what happened?"
"I learned that guilt is a luxury," Alaric replied. "And regret is a distraction."
Seren looked away. "I don't want to become you."
Alaric's voice softened slightly. "Then don't. Become something better. But understand this world will not adjust for your comfort."
That afternoon, Seren asked to see Rowan.
It took longer than usual to arrange. Security had tightened again. When she finally entered the room, Rowan looked up slowly, his face lined with exhaustion.
"You crossed another line," he said quietly.
"So I'm told," Seren replied.
Rowan watched her closely. "Do you regret it?"
Seren thought carefully before answering. "I regret that it had to happen. Not that I stopped it."
Rowan nodded. "That's the difference between weakness and control."
She leaned against the wall. "The Circle keeps messaging me. They think they can pull me away."
"They always do," Rowan said. "They believe everyone has a breaking point."
"And do I?"
Rowan smiled faintly. "Everyone does. The trick is choosing where it is."
That night, the Circle struck again.
Not with people. With information.
A story broke online. Clean. Well-written. Anonymous sources. It painted Alaric as a predator, a manipulator who destroyed lives and replaced people like tools. Names were hinted at. Photos blurred just enough to be believable.
Seren's name was not mentioned.
That was the point.
"They're isolating you," Rowan said when she showed him the article. "They want you untouched so you look separate."
"So people think I don't belong to him," Seren said.
"Yes," Alaric confirmed later. "And so you start wondering if that's true."
Seren read the article again that night. Some of it was exaggerated. Some of it was false.
And some of it was uncomfortably accurate.
She closed her laptop and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Was she protecting herself by staying, or just delaying the inevitable?
The next test came unexpectedly.
Alaric handed her a file the following morning. Thinner than the others.
"Make the decision," he said.
She opened it. Inside was a name. A location. A summary.
The person wasn't Circle. Not directly. Just someone who knew too much and was selling pieces to multiple sides.
"You want me to handle this?" Seren asked.
"I want you to decide how," Alaric said.
She looked up. "No instructions?"
"No safety net," he replied.
Seren took the file back to her room and sat with it for hours. She thought about threats. About deals. About silence.
She thought about Caleb.
In the end, she chose none of those.
She went to the location alone.
It was a small office. Ordinary. The man inside looked tired, not dangerous. He didn't deny anything when she confronted him.
"I needed the money," he said. "That's all."
Seren believed him.
She didn't threaten him. She didn't bribe him.
She told him the truth.
That if he continued, he would be crushed by forces he didn't understand. That stopping now was his only real chance.
She left him with proof that she knew everything.
And a choice.
When she returned, Alaric was waiting.
"You let him live," Alaric said.
"Yes," Seren replied.
"And if he betrays us again?"
"Then it will be my mistake," Seren said calmly. "And I'll own it."
Alaric studied her for a long time.
"That," he said finally, "is leadership."
That night, Seren received another message.
Unknown Number: You're hesitating.
Seren stared at the screen.
Seren: No. I'm choosing.
Unknown Number: Choose carefully.
Seren typed one last reply.
Seren: I already have.
She turned off her phone and placed it face down.
Standing at the window, she watched the city breathe below her. She felt heavier than before. But also clearer.
She understood something now that she hadn't before.
Power was not about control alone.
It was about responsibility.
And once you accepted it, there was no going back to ignorance.
Seren didn't know how this war would end.
But she knew one thing for sure.
Whatever came next, she would face it as herself.
Not a pawn.
Not a shield.
But a choice-maker.