********
Aliya was fastening her robe when the air around her grew unnaturally heavy. She turned—and nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Vaelthor!" she screamed, pulling the robe tighter around her chest. "Can't you knock before barging in?!"
He leaned casually against the doorway, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement, utterly unbothered by her outrage. "Knock?" His lips curved in a cold smile. "Don't think too highly of yourself, Aliya. You're no different from the rest. Just another pawn. There's nothing here worth overthinking."
Her face burned with anger and embarrassment, but she bit her tongue. "Then why are you here?"
"What do you plan to do next?" His voice was silk, but there was steel underneath.
Aliya stiffened. Her mask lay on the dresser, but even without it, her expression hardened. "I need to end my feud with Harper."
For a moment, his eyes narrowed, as if measuring her sincerity. Then he gave a small, indifferent nod. "Fine. But remember—do not kill her. She is not yours to destroy."
"I know," Aliya said smoothly, lowering her gaze.
But the second he turned his back, her expression shifted. Her lips pressed into a thin, hateful line, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. She wanted Harper gone. She always had. And no order from Vaelthor would change that.
Vaelthor's voice intruded into the silence of his own thoughts. *Of course she'll try to kill Harper*. His smirk was cold, cruel. *And that will be the moment she loses everything. I'll rid myself of her the instant she makes her move*.
********Harper
When the world steadied again, I found myself standing beside a quiet stream. The water glittered under the faint moonlight, clear and endless.
I turned to Kael, still dizzy from the sudden shift. "Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe." His voice was calm but serious. "You need to do what the superior of the Timekeepers instructed. Dip yourself in this stream."
I blinked at him. "You dragged me across half the world to dunk me in cold water?"
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Something like that."
I gave him a flat look. "Turn around."
His smirk deepened, but he obeyed, his broad back facing me as he clasped his hands behind him. "As you wish."
Rolling my eyes, I stepped toward the stream. The water lapped at my feet, icy cold, biting against my skin. I drew in a deep breath and walked forward until the water enveloped me. Then, closing my eyes, I dipped fully beneath the surface.
The cold was instant and brutal, rushing through my veins like ice. But beneath it, there was something else—a strange pull, like the stream itself was trying to cleanse something buried inside me.
When I emerged, gasping, my hair clung to my skin, water dripping down my clothes. I hugged my arms around myself, shivering. "Satisfied?" I muttered.
Kael turned back to face me, his eyes softening for a moment before he covered it with calm. "Yes. But—"
Suddenly, the chill worsened. It wasn't just cold anymore; it was unbearable. Like frost was crawling under my skin, freezing me from the inside out. My teeth chattered violently, and my knees buckled.
"Kael…" My voice shook. "I-I can't—"
He was beside me instantly, his hands gripping my shoulders. "Harper, listen. It's normal. I should've told you earlier, but… you're not ordinary. That water reacts to what you are. That's why it feels like this."
His words blurred through the haze of freezing pain. My vision dimmed.
"Y-you could've warned me…" I whispered, before everything slipped into black.
The last thing I felt was Kael's arms catching me, his voice low and grim.
"Everything is finally falling into place."
**********
Harper lay limp in Kael's arms, her face pale, droplets of water still sliding down her skin. The stream behind them rippled as if stirred by unseen forces, the night air heavy with the remnants of power.
Kael's gaze lingered on her, sharp and unreadable. To him, Harper wasn't just another fighter in this endless war—she was the key. The one piece that could shift the balance, for better or worse.
Meanwhile, in Aliya's house, shadows clung to the walls as Vaelthor disappeared into the night, leaving behind the echo of his warnings. Aliya's fists clenched, her heart burning with vengeance. Whatever games Vaelthor was playing, she had her own. And Harper… Harper was still at the center of them all.
The stream whispered, the night stretched on, and somewhere unseen, destiny twisted tighter around Harper's fate.
*******
The night had been unsettlingly quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against the skin like a warning. Then, without cause, the heavens rumbled. Thick, black clouds rolled across the sky, devouring the stars in a matter of heartbeats. The ground trembled, faint at first, then with a force that rattled windows and sent loose stones tumbling.
Kael's head snapped upward, his golden eyes narrowing as he felt the sudden surge ripple through the air. His expression, usually calm and unreadable, broke into rare shock.
At the same time, miles away, Vaelthor stilled where he stood, his cloak fluttering as if in defiance of the storm above. His crimson gaze flickered with unease.
Both men—so different, yet bound by the same game—whispered the same words into the heavy air.
"The game is changing on its own."
The wind howled, as if to echo their dread.