Full Chapter – The First Strike
Location: Velthari Borderlands — Day 2 of the escort mission. Dense forests, ancient ruins peeking from the trees. The airship ride ended early after reports of magical interference in the air. Now they're traveling by foot — the royal twins guarded by three of the most dangerous teens alive. And it still won't be enough…
Royal Trouble
The prince of Velthar — Rael Valen — walked like the forest owed him tribute. Tall, silverhaired, dressed in velvetblue formalwear that screamed stab me first.
His twin sister — Princess Seris — trailed behind Tristan, not bothering to hide her curiosity.
"So... you're really part of the Flameborn?"
Tristan smirked. "Depends. Will it ruin your image of me if I say yes?"
"Only if you're not as charming as the legends say."
"Legend," he corrected smoothly, "isn't strong enough a word."
Rael groaned. "Seris, you can flirt after we aren't being hunted."
Ambush
A soft crunch echoed from the underbrush.
Too soft. Too timed.
Max stopped walking. His hand slowly moved toward the blade hidden in the fold of shadow beneath his cloak.
"We're not alone," he said flatly.
Before the sentence ended, arrows hissed out of the trees — enchanted. Silent. Laced with Null Ether.
Max's shadow exploded upward, forming a twisting wall of darkness that caught most of the bolts midair.
Hadi dropped into a defensive crouch, energy pulsing around her in chaotic pink ripples.
"Cover the royals!" she yelled.
Tristan didn't flinch. He spun Seris behind him just as a masked figure lunged from a tree — blade poised to slit her throat.
Fwoosh.
A gleaming wall of ice erupted around them, the assassin's blade slamming into it harmlessly.
"Sorry," Tristan whispered, eyes glowing iceblue. "That's mine."
He shattered the ice shield with a flick of his fingers, sending a wave of jagged frost toward the attacker — slicing through armor and hurling him back into the trees.
They Keep Coming
Six… no, ten shadows emerged from the forest, masks glinting silver — nobleborn assassins, trained in forbidden arts. The crest of House Neryx burned faintly on their robes.
Velthari politics had teeth.
Max moved like a ghost, tendrils of darkness lashing through the brush, pulling assassins into shadows, leaving behind only gasps and disarmed bodies.
"Low Ember," he muttered. "Annoying. But not enough."
Hadi leapt high, landing in the center of three enemies — then released a burst of raw energy, sending two flying and melting the ground beneath the third.
She grinned. "Don't blink, princes."
A Scream – Not from the Team
Seris collapsed.
Blood trickled from her arm — a dagger, thrown in the chaos, had nicked her.
Rael rushed to her side, eyes wide, panicked. "Seris?!"
"I'm fine," she whispered. "Just… dizzy."
Tristan's eyes narrowed.
The blade.
It wasn't a normal wound — her blood was glowing faint blue.
"Poison."
Tristan's Wrath
Ice exploded around him, cracking the earth. The temperature dropped.
One assassin lunged, but Tristan was already gone.
He reappeared in front of him with a hand to his chest.
"You touched what's mine."
A burst of frost surged outward — instant encasement.
The assassin froze in place, literally, eyes wide in terror before falling into a pile of ice shards and magic residue.
"Anyone else?"
The remaining enemies hesitated — and ran.
Aftermath
Max examined the poison's aura. "It's royalforged. Rare. Designed to weaken Ether cores. She's lucky."
"Can we cure it?" Rael snapped.
Hadi nodded. "With the right spark node and some corestabilizing tonic."
Tristan lifted Seris gently. "Then we keep moving. Velthar is three days out by foot. Or one day… if we take the ruins."
Max stared into the distance, shadow coiling at his feet. "That route's crawling with traps."
"Then let's trigger them before they trigger us."
Seris, still halfconscious, whispered through gritted teeth:
"Tristan…"
"Still here, princess."
"You're really... bad for my heart."
He chuckled. "That makes two of us."
et's keep the flames burning bright — time to raise the stakes.