"You're a Traitor?!" Selene's scream ripped through the air, her voice hoarse, her heart crushed beneath the weight of betrayal. "You broke your own rules, Kael! You used me—for a mission I didn't even know I was part of!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling with a storm of hurt and devastation. Every breath felt like a blade twisting deeper into her chest—the pain, the bitter regret. How could Kael have deceived her like this?
"Selene—"Kael tried to take a step forward, but a sharp glare from her froze him in place.
"Don't you dare come closer!" she cried. Kael had barely moved an inch, yet it felt like a thousand miles now stood between them.
"Tell me, Kael… was any of it real? The concern, the care—you made me believe it was true. Were those lies too?"
Kael's fists clenched at his sides. His eyes, raw with anguish, locked onto hers. But he said nothing—only stood there, silently bearing the weight of betrayal that hung between them.
Then the world shattered.
An arrow whizzed past Selene's head, embedding itself in the wall behind her.
She stumbled back in shock.
A hidden panel slid open—and from the shadows emerged masked figures, wraiths with murder in their veins.
In a heartbeat, the agony and tension between her and Kael were swallowed whole by something even more urgent—the primal instinct to survive.
"Kael!" Selene cried out, her voice quivering with fear. In that moment of chaos, he was the only thing she could cling to.
"We're out of time," Kael's voice was cold but unwavering. In one fluid motion, he drew two blades from under his cloak, the steel glinting under the gloom. He turned to her, fierce and unflinching, his eyes speaking louder than words as if saying she's the one that all matters.
"Take my hand if you want to live."
One second. One heartbeat of hesitation.
But amid the noise—the clash of blades, the weight of secrets—only one truth remained.
She ran back to him.
"You're hiding so many things…"she whispered, breathless with terror and heartbreak, "But you're still the one I trusted..."
The assassins charged.
Kael spun like a phantom of death—a living shadow. Every move he made was lethal grace; every strike, a ruthless dance in the rhythm of survival. He drove a blade deep into one attacker's gut—the body collapsed with a dull thud. With a sharp elbow, he knocked another aside, then yanked Selene with him, narrowly dodging a blade that would've sliced her throat.
And through it all, Selene saw it—clear as day: He never once left her unguarded.
"Stay behind me,"Kael commanded, his voice a baritone anchor of strength in the storm of chaos.
"I'm not helpless!" Selene snapped back, masking the tremor in her heart with the steel in her voice.
"I know," Kael answered, eyes never leaving the threat, "But you are the target."
Two more assassins lunged. Kael wasted no time. He kicked a battered bench into them, sending them sprawling, and in the same breath, dragged Selene into the shadows of a narrow passageway.
Selene's heart pounded like gunfire in her chest.
Fear, confusion, heartbreak—everything blurred together.
But in Kael's arms, she felt it—an unshakable sense of safety.
They ran down the cramped corridor, each footfall a desperate race against death. Shadows lurked in every corner, unseen enemies lying in wait. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of danger, and the silence felt ready to crack under the weight of fate.
"Kael, where are we going?" she gasped between strides.
"Somewhere they can't reach you," he said, voice rough with promise. "A place where even my own shadow can't harm you."
Under the rapid breath, the echoes of their footsteps, and the heavy weight of fear and dread in her chest...
That was when Selene realized... they weren't just being chased by enemies. They were being pursued by the truth. And that truth was sharper than any of Kael's blades. Heavier than any secret.
Their footsteps kept thundering through the narrow, dark tunnel, each step like a shout foretelling doom. With every slip on the wet cement, every turn that screamed danger, Selene could feel her chest tightening. They weren't just being chased by the shadow of assassins… they were being hunted by the heavier shadow of truth.
Truth. Danger. Secrets.
Suddenly, a sound shattered the silence.
A bomb, the kind you wouldn't expect in a place like this. It felt like a reminder of the death lurking, waiting to strike in the most unexpected of moments.
In the blink of an eye, the ground behind them erupted into a sea of dust and fire. Debris flew through the air. The heat exploded outward, and smoke consumed them, as if it were some creature from the depths of hell. Selene could feel the fire licking the back of her neck—hot, threatening.
"Selene, hold on!" Kael shouted, his voice commanding, the tone of a warrior who wasn't used to losing.
There was no time to question. She had no choice but to obey. In an instant, she felt herself being lifted into the air—Kael hoisting her effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing, as if she were a shadow he needed to save. He pulled her into his arms—one around her back, the other beneath her thighs. Safe, but with the tension came the heat of his body, radiating something she couldn't quite understand.
She gripped his neck. Her face pressed against his shoulder. And as they ran through the chaos, the smoke and fear swallowing them whole, a question escaped her lips without warning.
"Kael… why does it feel like the world you came from hurts so much?"
Silence.
No answer. But in the stillness, she felt the tightening of his hold. It wasn't words that answered her... but emotions.
The enemies' footsteps echoed, their shouts racing to catch up. But the most painful sound was Kael's silence. A silence louder than an explosion, heavier than her question—full of stories, full of wounds, full of truths he tried to bury.
At the end of the dark passage, a door blocked their path, rusted and seemingly abandoned by time. But Kael didn't hesitate. He set her down gently against the wall.
Three punches. Four. A powerful kick.
The lock gave way, the door flew open. Kael pulled Selene along again. With the last of his strength, they jumped out of the tunnel.
At that moment, the ground shook. They stumbled into the grass, the air thick with ash and smoke. In the midst of the darkness, surrounded by wild plants, under the sky that witnessed their escape... There they fell, still close, still holding their hands.
Selene gasped for air. Her body was drenched in sweat, covered in mud, and coated with dust. But the heaviest burden were the questions. Questions that relentlessly bombarded her mind.
"Kael... why me?" she asked softly, full of confusion. "Why are you doing this for me?"
Kael looked at her.
For the first time, no masks. No hiding. His eyes were like the sea—mysterious, deep, and filled with storms that had been hidden for too long.
"Because there are wounds in this world, Selene," he said slowly, "That can only be healed by protecting the one thing still untouched by darkness."
Their eyes met.
In that moment, Selene knew—no longer was it just danger chasing them... it was the feeling that was slowly traveling from fear, to something more dangerous... more real... something she could not escape.
Their breaths were still ragged as they continued running through the old passageway—each step leaving a mark in the dust, in a time that seemed forgotten by history. The lights were out. The wood creaked. Every step felt like one closer to a secret the world had long tried to hide.
Until they reached an old wooden door—ancient, engraved with the crest of the Royal Chapel. Kael pushed it open with his shoulder, and a cold wind greeted them... mixed with the scent of old candles, rotting wood, and a prayer that felt as if it hadn't ended.
An old crypt.
A tomb beneath the Royal Chapel—the place no one from the family ever visited, or even named. Old. Sacred. And full of the memories of generations long gone. Quiet. Too quiet.
It was then that she felt the weight of the silence. It was as if eyes were watching from the darkness. Like restless spirits—and she was one of the reasons why.
"Kael," she whispered, trying to calm her unease. "What are we doing here?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked toward the altar at the end of the crypt, where an old box covered in black cloth awaited. He gently moved it aside. There, a frame—covered in dust and time—slowly emerged.
Selene approached.
And froze.
An old photo. Black and white. Nearly faded, but the message was clear. A king. A queen. And in the middle of them—a young girl.
She looked just like her. Almost a mirror of her own childhood.
It felt like the world had stopped. Every breath Selene took seemed to carry a piece of the truth she had been desperately avoiding.
"Kael…" she whispered, almost in a breath. What is this? Who is that?"
Their eyes met again. In Kael's gaze, she saw surrender—finally, the weight of the truth he had long kept hidden.
"It's not just your life that's being kept from you, Selene…" Kael responded softly. Heavy. Sharp. "Even your own identity."
Selene swallowed hard.
She felt as if her own name had been erased. As if she was no longer the person she once was. "What do you mean? Who am I... really?"
But before Kael could answer, a sharp rustling tore through the silence of the crypt.
Behind them—a wall was slowly moving. It felt alive. Like it was welcoming a visitor.
Kael gripped her arm tightly. "We're not alone."
Their eyes met once more. And in that gaze, there was only one thing clear: The lies could no longer hide.
And the truth? It was slowly rising from the grave.