The throne room was still shaking from the aftermath—
smoke curling from the creature's corpse,
guards dragging wounded servants to safety,
Kael panting and pale against the wall,
Father trembling with his sword still raised—
But none of that mattered.
Because the shadow-man leaned close to me,
his violet eyes glowing like an eclipse,
his voice cold enough to freeze bone—
And whispered the name.
A name that twisted my stomach into a knot.
A name I never expected.
A name that turned my blood to ice.
"Kael."
I couldn't breathe.
For a heartbeat, the world spun.
My ears rang with a distant, warped buzz—
as if the palace itself had gone silent just to hear my reaction.
My knees almost buckled.
"No," I whispered.
Not again.
Not him.
The shadow-man's eyes didn't move.
Didn't blink.
"Yes," he murmured. "Kael."
I shook my head violently. "He—he's not—he wouldn't—"
But the memories crashed into me like waves:
Kael standing silent in my first life while Arcelia stabbed me.
Kael stepping aside as the council spread lies about me.
Kael letting them poison me slowly.
Kael holding my hand one last time, saying, "You should have been stronger, Aura."
Kael always choosing duty over me.
Kael always being two steps too late to save me.
Or maybe he'd never intended to save me at all.
I felt sick.
Behind me, Kael pushed off the wall, stumbling a little but steadying himself.
"Aura…?" he called softly.
I didn't turn.
The shadow-man did.
His smile was small. Sharp.
Almost cruel.
"You see?" he murmured to me alone. "The way he looks at you. Confused. Worried. Conflicted."
"That means nothing," I whispered harshly.
"It means everything," he replied.
Arcelia emerged from behind a pillar, fake shock plastered on her face.
Father leaned heavily on his sword, panting, confused by the magic he'd just seen.
Guards were checking bodies, searching for more creatures.
But none of them mattered.
Not right now.
Only Kael.
He stepped closer to me, expression torn between fear and something painfully gentle.
"Aura…" he said again, voice raw. "Are you hurt?"
Hurt.
Hurt.
I wanted to laugh. Or scream. Or collapse.
Instead, I turned my face away.
The shadow-man's voice slid softly into my ear.
"He was part of the plot in your first life," he said. "Always at Arcelia's side. Always whispering to your father's enemies. Always watching you with that same pity he wears now."
"He didn't kill me," I forced out.
"No," the shadow-man agreed. "He simply ensured no one would stop it."
My nails dug into my palms.
Kael reached for me.
The shadow-man stepped between us.
Kael froze.
"What are you doing?" Kael demanded, voice shaking. "Move."
The shadow-man tilted his head.
"You cannot protect her while hiding secrets."
Kael stiffened. "What secrets?"
"You know which ones."
Kael's jaw clenched.
A warning.
A guilt.
A silent admission he didn't want anyone to see.
My heart cracked in half.
"No," I whispered again. "He's not a traitor. Not now. Not yet—"
"Fate does not change," the shadow-man said quietly. "Only the order of its events can."
Kael's eyes flicked between us, growing darker.
"What is he telling you?" he demanded. "Aura—look at me."
I did.
And the moment our eyes met, everything inside me twisted.
He looked scared.
Not for himself—
but for me.
The same way he looked at me before I died.
"Aura," he whispered, "don't let him poison your mind. Please."
The shadow-man laughed softly.
"Poison?" he murmured. "Isn't that familiar, Kael?"
Kael froze.
Arcelia went rigid.
Father's gaze snapped between all of us, realization dawning too slowly to keep up.
"Enough!" Kael snapped, stepping forward. "I won't stand here while some—some monster speaks nonsense—"
The shadow-man's hand shot out, catching Kael by the throat.
I gasped. "Stop!"
Kael snarled, grabbing the shadow-man's wrist, struggling.
"You know," the shadow-man murmured, voice deadly calm,
"I have killed creatures born of ruin, demons of the old forest, spirits older than your kingdom…
Yet still—
none of them have lied as beautifully as you."
"Let him go!" I shouted, grabbing the shadow-man's arm.
He released Kael instantly—
not because Kael fought back,
but because I touched him.
Kael stumbled away, coughing, clutching his throat.
"Aura," he rasped, "why are you defending him?"
I stared at him, chest tight.
Why?
Because he saved me today.
Because he told me the truth no one else dared to say.
Because he saw me.
All of me.
My darkness. My death. My power.
And he didn't flinch.
Kael, on the other hand—
was flinching now.
At me.
At my magic.
At the person I was becoming.
"Aura," Kael whispered, "you don't look like yourself…"
Good.
The shadow-man turned to me, ignoring Kael entirely.
"You deserved this truth," he said softly. "Even if you hate me for it."
"Hate you?" I said quietly. "I don't even know what you are."
This made him smile—
not cruelly,
but like my answer meant something to him.
"A friend," he murmured.
Kael scoffed. "You? A friend? Aura, he's manipulating you—"
The shadow-man's gaze snapped to him—
cold, violet, lethal.
"You do not deserve to say her name."
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
"Aura," the shadow-man said gently, "you must decide who you trust."
Father stepped forward, voice weak but steady.
"Aura… come here. Stay with me."
Arcelia moved too, face soft, eyes glistening with fake worry.
"Aura, please… you're frightened. Let us help you."
Kael held out a hand, eyes aching with guilt.
"Aura. Whatever he told you… whatever you think I did… please. Don't walk away."
And the shadow-man simply bowed his head, stepping slightly aside—
inviting me to choose freely.
My heart was splitting.
Father.
Sister.
Fiancé.
Shadow.
Four people.
Four paths.
Four futures.
And one truth:
If I chose wrong, I would die again.
The shadow-man's voice slid across my skin like moonlight.
"Choose with your blood," he said. "Not your memories."
I closed my eyes.
The throne room went silent.
My heartbeat slowed.
Then—
A flicker.
A pulling.
A warmth in my palm—
light brushing against my skin like a living thing.
Magic.
My magic was choosing.
I opened my hand—
And the silver light drifted gently toward—
Kael.
Not Father.
Not Arcelia.
Not the shadow-man.
Kael.
The light touched his chest softly, like a whisper.
The shadow-man's eyes widened faintly.
Kael's breath hitched.
Arcelia's face drained of color.
Father whispered my name in shock.
The magic made the choice, not me.
My fate was tied to Kael's.
But was it salvation—
or punishment?
The shadow-man leaned in close to me, voice low and lethal.
"Then you have one last chance," he murmured.
"One chance… to break the fate that killed you."
I swallowed hard.
"And if I fail?"
He smiled, slow and devastating.
"Then Kael will kill you again."
My pulse stopped.