The battlefield lay under a blanket of tension, the air thick with the weight of unspoken dread. A hush settled over the gathered army, thousands of eyes settled fixed on the woman standing atop the stone - Seraphine.
Her dark armor shimmered under the dying sun, her voice calm yet thunderous as it echoed across the plains.
"Tonight we do not fight because we're the strongest.
We fight because we must.
We fight because surrender means erasure - of our lands, our names, our gods.
We do not fight for glory. We fight for what is ours.
Let no shadow, no myth, strip that away from us!
A roar erupted, steel clanged against steel, and soldiers shouted her name like a battle cry.
Yet, beneath it lingered unease.Even Seraphine felt it - like frost creeping up her spine.
And then ,the silence shattered.
From the far end of the battlefield, the vampire king arrived.
Valen Noctarion.
He didn't need to speak to command presence. Valen - he sat like a shadow carved from marble. His dark hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck, touseled by the breeze. His eyes scanned the army before him with unnerving calm. His jaw was sharp, his face dangerously beautiful - so much so it made Seraphine forgot to breathe. He looked like he belonged in a dream... Or a nightmare.
And for the first time, she saw him.
Not the legend in history books. Not the name whispered in fear.
But a man.
A man cloaked in blood,silence, and unfathomable grief.
Her heartbeat quickened. Not with fear. But with something she couldn't name.
Valen halted his horse. His voice was low but carried across the battlefield like thunder. "This war does not need to happen. "
A hush fell.
His eyes locked onto Evander.
"Prince Evander, " Valen's voice cut like a blade. "You swore to protect your people. I offer you a choice :
Hand over the princess. Walk away. And your kingdom shall stand.
Refuse.... and I will turn your soil into ash. "
Gasps rippled. Soldiers looked to Evander. He didn't speak. Not yet.
Seraphine's gaze snapped to him. "Don't, " She whispered , more warning than plea.
He looked at her. His betrothed. The woman who trusted him.
Evander's knuckles tightened around his sword.The war inside him had already began.The weight of his people.The threat of annihilation. And the woman beside him.
Valen watched them both like a god passing judgement.
"Choose, " he said simply, "Your crown. Or her. "
For a moment, time stilled.
The wind quieted. The banners fell limp. Even the horses stood froze as if sensing the gravity of the moment.
Evander didn't speak.
He didn't have to.
Seraphine turned toward him slowly, her gaze searching, "Evander...? "
His jaw clenched.His eyes refused to meet hers.
"Tell him no, " She whispered, " You wouldn't - "
"I have a kingdom to protect, " he muttered, so quietly that only she could hear.
Her heart cracked.
"You promised me - " her voice broke.
"I promised them,"he snapped, his voice hoarse. " Thousands of lives , Seraphine. Children, elders, families. If I choose you, I condemn them all. "
"You'd leave me? " her voice trembled, "Here? Alone? "
Evander looked at her then, and that was the cruelest part - his eyes were brimming with sorrow. With love.
But not enough.
His silence was his answer.
He stepped back.
A single step.
As if distance could soften his betrayal.
"Forgive me, " he whispered.
Her breath left her.
Then the command came - Retreat - his men slowly began to move, their eyes low, their blades sheathed. Backing away, one by one.
Abandoning her.
Betraying her.
Seraphine's knees nearly gave out , but she stood tall, swallowing the scream building in her chest.
Valen watched her with something unreadable in his eyes. Not triumph. Not yet. Something deeper.
Seraphine stood in the heart of the battlefield with her Vermillion Fang, but the true war was inside her.
He was the first person she ever trusted.
She believed him.
Through bloodsheds, treaties, and sleepless nights, she believed in him.
And now - he had left her. Chosen his people, his crown, his pride... Over her.
Her vision blurred.
How could he? Am I not worth fighting for?
The weight of betrayal curled around her spine, sinking into her bones. She felt it poison her hope, rot her belief.
Valen moved.
He didn't look at anyone else.
Only her.