The tribute festival ended late. By the time the music stopped and the nobles finally shut up, the moon was already high up in the sky, so bright and beautiful. Most people had gone home drunk, happy, or pretending to be happy. That's how nobles survive — pretending.
I wasn't pretending tonight.
I walked alone down the castle corridor, cloak pulled tight. The stone floor felt colder than usual, like even the ground was holding its breath. The torches burned low, throwing shaky shadows on the walls. Good. I liked the dark. Better for thinking.
And tonight, I needed to think.
The hero wasn't falling for anything easily. He was reading the stage like he wrote it himself. Every trap Seraphine and I set? He avoided them like he had a map. It wasn't luck. It wasn't instinct. It was… something else. Something sharper.
"Annoying," I muttered.
Footsteps echoed behind me — light steps, soft, controlled. I didn't turn. Only one person moved like that, like she owned every inch of ground she touched.
"Long night?" Seraphine asked.
I sighed. "Longer than usual."
She walked beside me, her cloak brushing the floor. Her face looked almost too calm for someone who had spent the whole day manipulating an entire arena. Her hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves. The moonlight caught it as if she were some painting come to life.
I gave her a sideways look. "You're quiet."
"Thinking," she replied.
"That's dangerous."
She smiled very slightly. "For you? Always."
We stopped near a window overlooking the city. The festival fires below were dying, little orange dots fading into darkness. People were going home. The streets were emptying. Everything was calming down — except the tension in my chest. That was getting stronger.
"The hero knows," I said quietly. "Maybe not everything. But something."
Seraphine crossed her arms. "He suspects. There's a difference."
"Not much of one," I muttered. "Suspicion grows."
She looked out the window. Her eyes reflected the moonlight, cool and steady. "Let it grow. A suspicious hero is easier to provoke than a careless one."
I raised a brow. "You want him provoked? Isn't that dangerous?"
She turned to me. "Kael… everything we do is dangerous. But a hero who feels uneasy will start making mistakes. Big ones."
I didn't answer right away. I was listening, but my mind was drifting. Thinking about the arena earlier. The way Elias froze. The way he scanned the floor. The way he moved carefully, analyzing patterns.
Breaking the script.
I leaned my forehead against the cold window glass. "He's not supposed to be like this."
Seraphine watched me closely. "Does it bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me," I snapped, then sighed. "Sorry. It's just… if the plot is changing, then anything can happen. Anyone can die. Including us. And I don't plan on dying for a story."
She stepped closer, voice low and steady. "We're not dying."
"You sound sure."
"I am."
I looked at her. She wasn't scared. Not even close. If anything, she looked excited — like she was watching a game she'd been waiting her whole life to play.
"You enjoy this too much," I said.
"It keeps me awake," she replied simply.
I pushed away from the window and started walking again. "Come on. We still have work."
She followed without question.
We reached the lower courtyard. This part of the castle was usually empty at night. Only a few guards patrolled the area, and most of them were half-asleep. Good. I didn't want anyone watching us right now.
We walked toward the fountain — a large stone circle with a statue in the center. The water glowed faint blue under the moon. It made the air feel colder.
"Why here?" Seraphine asked softly.
I sat on the edge of the fountain. "Because this is where he'll come."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're certain?"
"He followed me during the festival," I said. "Twice. Pretended he wasn't, but he did. If the hero wants answers, he'll show up here. Quiet, away from the crowd."
Seraphine stayed standing. "And if he doesn't?"
"He will."
Silence settled between us. A calm silence this time. Not awkward. Not tense. Just… calm.
For a few minutes, we didn't say anything. The night breeze rustled the leaves. The sound of water echoed softly. The moonlight made everything feel unreal — like we were waiting inside a dream.
Then I felt it.
A shift in the air.
Soft footsteps.
The faint sound of steel brushing against armor.
I didn't turn around, but I smiled. "Right on time," I said quietly.
Seraphine stiffened slightly, eyes sharpening.
Elias stepped out from behind one of the courtyard pillars.
Hero of Light. Silver-haired annoyance. Perfect posture and a gaze too steady for someone his age.
He looked at us calmly, but there was a fire in his eyes. A quiet anger. A controlled one. Like he didn't want to show it yet.
"Kael. Seraphine," he greeted us.
His voice was polite, but there was something under it. Tension. Suspicion. Maybe irritation. Maybe more.
I smirked. "Out for a midnight walk, hero?"
He ignored the jab. "I want answers."
Seraphine tilted her head slightly. "Answers to what?"
"You know what," he said sharply. "Someone tampered with the arena today."
I shrugged. "Maybe the floor is old. Wood rots. Stone cracks."
Elias stepped closer. "Don't play dumb with me."
Seraphine moved subtly, just a small shift in her stance, but it told me she was ready — alert, cautious, watching.
"Elias," she said softly, "you're tired. Festivals are overwhelming. Maybe you imagined—"
"No," he cut in. "I didn't imagine anything."
He looked right at me then. Straight into my eyes. Not accusing. Not angry. But searching. Reading. Trying to understand the person standing in front of him.
It was uncomfortable. And I hated that it was uncomfortable.
I leaned back on my hands, acting relaxed. "And what exactly do you think happened, hero?"
He didn't blink. "Someone tried to make me fall."
I smiled lightly. "Accidents happen."
He took one more step closer. "Not accidents like that."
Seraphine's voice cut through the air, calm but firm. "Elias. Be careful with your words. Accusing nobles of sabotage is not something you say lightly."
He turned to her. "I'm not accusing a noble. I'm accusing someone who thinks I'm blind."
Oh. So we reached that point already.
I let out a slow breath. "You think it's us?"
He didn't nod. He didn't shake his head. He simply held my gaze and said:
"I think you know more than you're pretending."
Seraphine's expression didn't change, but the air around her tightened. Not magic. Just… presence.
I pushed myself up from the fountain and walked toward him until we were standing only a few steps apart.
"You're getting bold," I said quietly.
"I'm getting tired," he replied. "Of games. Of traps. Of lies."
I smirked. "Welcome to the real world."
A long silence followed. Moonlight. Water. Breathing. Eyes locked.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but Seraphine stepped forward, her cloak brushing the stone.
"Elias," she said gently, "go home. It's late. You're making assumptions that will only get you hurt."
He stared at her, trying to decide if she was a friend or an enemy. And slowly, very slowly, he stepped back.
But not because he trusted us.
Because he didn't trust himself to keep talking without exploding.
"I'll find the truth," he said quietly.
"I'm counting on it," I replied.
He turned away, walking back into the shadows.
Just before he disappeared completely, he stopped and said:
"Whatever you two are planning… it won't end the way you think."
Then he left.
The moment he was gone, Seraphine let out a slow breath. "He's getting close."
"Let him," I said.
"You're too calm."
"Calm keeps me alive."
She stared at me for a long moment. Studying. Thinking.
Then she said softly, "Kael… the first real fight is coming. I can feel it."
I nodded. "Yeah. But not yet. Not tonight."
She stepped closer to me, her voice almost a whisper. "Then we need a new plan."
"We'll make one."
"And the hero?"
I smirked. "Let him chase shadows."
Seraphine looked out over the courtyard. The wind lifted her hair slightly.
revealing a rare expression — something like worry, but deeper.
"This will get dangerous," she murmured.
"It was always dangerous."
She looked at me. "Are you ready?"
I smiled, slow and dark. "Always."
End of Chapter 15 🛡️