The ride back to Vale Manor was silent. Clouds smothered the sun, and the wind that raced down from the mountains carried the smell of rain — and of war.
We'd spent two nights in Ardenth's ruins, and though I'd come back alive, I could feel the world shifting around me. Every step of the horse felt heavier, like the path home was dragging me toward something inevitable.
When the manor came into view, Reiss reined in sharply.Smoke. Thin columns curling from the outer wall.
"Attack?" Sera asked.
"Or a warning," I muttered. "Stay close."
The courtyard looked abandoned. Doors hung from broken hinges, the fountain cracked and dry. A single body lay by the steps — one of my guards, throat slit cleanly.
Reiss knelt beside him. "Killed this morning. They were fast."
Sera's eyes narrowed. "Council assassins?"
"Not just them," I said, spotting the sigil burned into the stone wall — a coiled serpent, symbol of the Eastern Council. "They finally made their move."
From inside the manor came a sound — metal scraping, a muffled cry. I motioned silently, and the three of us moved.
In the main hall, three cloaked men surrounded one of my servants. The servant's trembling voice carried through the corridor. "Please, I told you — he hasn't returned — "
One assassin raised his dagger.
I stepped from the shadows. "Looking for me?"
They turned. For an instant, I saw their fear — then they charged.
My cursed mana flared instinctively, black fire bursting from my hands. The first man screamed as the flames devoured him. The second reached me, blade flashing; I caught his wrist and drove my elbow into his throat. He crumpled.
The third tried to run — Sera's rune flared beneath his feet, freezing him in place.
She raised her staff. "You should have stayed in the capital."
A beam of blue light struck his chest. He collapsed, smoking.
The hall was silent again except for the hiss of dying flames.
Reiss exhaled. "They knew our timing. Someone leaked our movements."
"Someone inside," I said. "They couldn't have tracked us to Ardenth otherwise."
Sera looked uneasy. "Then we can't trust anyone here."
"Exactly," I said. "Which means we build our own side."
That evening we gathered in the war room. The maps of the kingdom still bore the old markings from Lucien's campaigns — sieges, betrayals, victories that had turned to ashes. I traced the border with one finger.
"The council thinks the Vale House is finished. They're wrong. We start by taking back the Northern Fort."
Reiss frowned. "That's suicide. We've got twenty men left."
"Twenty loyal men," I corrected. "And one mage who can turn the sky into a weapon."
Sera shot me a look. "You keep assuming I'll stay."
"You saved my life twice," I said quietly. "That's reason enough for me to trust you."
Her expression softened, just a little. "Trust is dangerous, Lord Vale."
"So is loneliness," I answered.
For a heartbeat, neither of us looked away. Outside, thunder rolled like a war drum.
Later, when the others had gone to prepare, Sera and I stood on the balcony. The rain had started — soft, steady, relentless. It slicked her hair against her face, silver threads glinting under lightning.
"You're bleeding," she said, noticing a cut on my arm.
"It's nothing."
She stepped closer anyway, fingers brushing my sleeve as she healed it with a whisper of magic. Warm light spread through my skin.
"You could have died today," she said.
"I've already done that once," I replied. "Twice would be overkill."
Despite herself, she smiled. Then her voice softened. "Every time you fight, I feel the curse growing in you. You think you're controlling it, but it's eating you."
I met her gaze. "Then help me tame it."
She hesitated, then placed her palm on my chest. "If I help you, you must promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't become the monster they say you are."
For a moment, the thunder faded, and only her heartbeat filled the space between us. I nodded. "Deal."
Her hand lingered longer than it should have. Then she stepped back, flustered. "We should prepare for the journey north."
"Right," I said, forcing a grin. "Wouldn't want to keep the rebellion waiting."
But as she turned to leave, I caught her wrist gently. "Sera."
She looked back. "Yes?"
"If I do become a monster," I said, "promise you'll be the one to stop me."
She stared for a long moment, then whispered, "You won't give me the chance."
When she was gone, I leaned against the railing and watched the rain swallow the courtyard. The manor felt alive again — not with peace, but with purpose.
The villain of this story was supposed to die betrayed and alone.Not this time.
If the world wanted a villain, I'd give it one who fought for something worth dying for.