CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
DANIEL'S POV
For one whole month, I fought myself.
Every single day felt like a battle I could not win. My mind pulled me toward my duty, toward my kingdom, toward the responsibility I had carried since birth. But my heart… my heart betrayed me. It kept leading me back to her—to Tanya.
I tried to ignore it. I tried to convince myself that what I felt was nothing but weakness. But the more I resisted, the stronger it became. I was losing focus. Losing control. And deep down, I knew that if I didn't make a decision soon, everything would fall apart.
Then one night, I dreamed.
The dream felt too real to ignore. I stood in the middle of my kingdom, but something was terribly wrong. The air was heavy with the smell of blood, and the silence was suffocating. When I looked around, I saw people lying on the ground—men, women, children—covered in blood, barely breathing.
Some cried for help. Others didn't move at all.
My heart stopped.
I called out to them, but no one answered me. No one could. I was the only one standing, the only one untouched by whatever had destroyed them. Fear gripped my chest as I turned in circles, trying to understand what was happening.
Then I heard a voice.
Soft. Familiar.
Calling my name.
I followed it without thinking until I reached a river. Across it, I saw my mother. She was not alone. Another woman stood beside her, and a man whose presence felt powerful and calm.
Tears filled my eyes as I fell to my knees.
"Mother… please help me," I begged. "I don't know what to do. Everything is falling apart."
But she only looked at me with sadness.
"Your duty is important, Daniel," she said gently, her voice echoing with the others. "But your heart matters the most. Follow it… and the rest will follow."
Before I could ask what she meant, they disappeared.
I woke up gasping for air, my body drenched in sweat.
That dream was not normal.
It felt like a warning.
And I knew I could no longer wait.
At dawn, I left the covenant without telling anyone. My mind was made up. I needed to see my kingdom with my own eyes. I needed to know the truth.
The journey was long and unforgiving.
As I walked deeper into the forest, a strange feeling followed me. It was subtle at first, like a shadow at the edge of my vision. But the further I went, the stronger it became.
I stopped walking.
"Tanya…" I whispered under my breath.
I couldn't see her, but I could feel her. Watching. Following. Waiting.
"She knows," I muttered. "She's been watching me all along."
A part of me wanted to turn back. A part of me hoped she would appear and stop me. But she didn't. And I kept moving forward.
Suddenly, the ground beneath me shifted.
Dark vines burst from the earth, wrapping tightly around my legs and pulling me down. I fell hard, struggling as they tightened like living chains.
"This is her doing…" I growled, fighting against them.
With all my strength, I drew my blade and cut through the vines. It took everything I had, but eventually I broke free. I stood up, breathing heavily, my body shaking from the effort.
But I didn't stop.
Not this time.
Hours passed, and the sky suddenly darkened. Thunder roared above me as heavy rain began to pour. The wind grew violent, pushing against me as if trying to force me back.
Still, I walked forward.
Step by step.
"You won't stop me," I said through clenched teeth.
Even though, deep down… I wished she would.
Then I saw her.
Tanya.
Standing right in front of me.
Her eyes were soft, almost pleading.
"Go back, Daniel," she said gently. "You don't belong here."
My heart ached at the sight of her. For a moment, I almost believed it was real.
But I knew better.
"You're not real," I said quietly.
And I walked straight through her.
The image shattered like glass, disappearing into the wind.
But the pain it left behind remained.
After days of traveling, I finally reached the edge of my kingdom.
What I saw there…
Destroyed me.
The dream had not lied.
Blood covered the ground. The streets were filled with cries of pain. Bodies lay scattered everywhere—some still alive, others already gone. The people I grew up with… the people I swore to protect…
They were suffering.
Because I was not there.
"My kingdom…" I whispered, my voice breaking.
Tears filled my eyes, but they quickly turned into something else.
Anger.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Only one name came to my mind.
"Tanya."
I clenched my fists tightly, my entire body trembling.
"It's her…"
"It has to be her."
Pain turned into rage.
In that moment, I made my decision.
"I will stop her," I said firmly.
"No matter what it takes."
Even if it meant destroying her completely.
I turned away, my heart hardening.
There was only one path left for me now.
The witch doctor.
If power was what I needed to save my kingdom—
Then power was what I would seek.
And this time…
I would not hesitate.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY NINE