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As I ran.
Boots hammered the stone behind me, heavy, disciplined, and closing fast. These weren't the usual clumsy guards—these were the elites. I could feel the rhythm of their steps, the trained coordination.
"Cut him off!" someone shouted.
I took a hard turn into a narrower corridor, vaulted over a fallen brazier, and barely ducked an arrow that whistled past my ear. My breath came in bursts, each inhale burning hotter than the last.
Then the system pinged.
> [Warning: Heat Conduction Rising — 72%]
[Caution: Power Instability Detected]
Not the time. Not now.
I felt it anyway—the strange thrum in my chest, like my veins had turned into molten metal. My skin prickled. A faint hiss rose from my arms where sweat hit my overheated skin.
I didn't fully understand this new power yet.
Two guards appeared ahead, blocking the way with long polearms. I didn't even think—I grabbed the nearest metal wall sconce as I ran, the iron sizzling in my palm, then hurled it. It struck one guard's chest plate, and the smell of scorched metal filled the corridor as he screamed and dropped his weapon.
The other lunged at me. I caught the shaft of his weapon, my grip searing through the wood. He let go instantly, cursing, and I slammed the burning end into his leg.
The system pinged again.
> [Heat Output Spiking — 84%]
[Risk of Self-Burn Imminent]
I pushed forward, boots sliding across polished stone as I cut through another hallway… and froze for just a heartbeat.
She was there.
Far down the hall, at the farthest end, the princess had already gotten back on her feet. Her red gown was torn, one strap slipping dangerously off her shoulder, revealing pale skin glistening in the light of the sconces. Her hair was wild, her lips parted, eyes fixed on me like a predator spotting prey.
But she wasn't rushing. She was walking toward me—slow, confident, as if the chaos around us didn't exist.
And for just a second, I could swear the air between us got hotter.
"Run if you want," she called, her voice low and laced with something dangerous. "It'll only make it sweeter when I catch you."
I cursed under my breath and darted into the nearest side passage.
That's when the real trouble began.
From every branching hallway, more guards poured in—five here, six there. I ducked under a spear thrust, smashed my burning palm into a helmet, and kicked another guard into a wall hard enough to hear the impact echo.
The heat in me surged higher, my vision shimmering at the edges.
The system screamed.
> [Overload Threshold Approaching — 95%]
[New Combat Skill Unlocked: Heat Burst — Duration 30 Seconds]
I didn't hesitate.
The power exploded out of me in a wave of shimmering air and red light. Every guard in a twenty-foot radius staggered back, their armor glowing faintly at the edges. The air itself felt like it could ignite.
I took the opening—sprinting down a grand hallway lined with stained-glass windows. The colored panes threw fractured light across the floor, and for a heartbeat, it almost looked beautiful.
Then the heat boiled over.
A blast ripped from my hands without me even shaping it. The stained glass shattered in a cascade of molten shards, a rush of searing wind tearing through the hall. Guards screamed as they shielded themselves.
I leapt through the now-open frame into the palace gardens below. The impact jarred my knees, but I rolled to my feet, breathing hard.
Freedom. If I could just clear the outer wall—
"Leaving so soon?"
The voice came from above me.
I looked up—and there she was.
The princess stood on the edge of the shattered window I'd just leapt from. Only… she wasn't wearing her full gown anymore. Somewhere between chasing me and now, she'd shed half of it. The red fabric clung to her hips, the bodice barely hanging together, exposing the deep curve of her back and more than enough to burn the image into my head forever.
Her hair whipped in the hot wind, and her eyes glowed—not with anger, but with something far more dangerous.
Before I could move, she stepped forward.
And vanished.
She reappeared a heartbeat later directly in front of me, teleportation magic cracking the air with heat. Her hand pressed against my chest, nails digging in, and the warmth from her touch made my already overloaded body ache.
"You can run," she murmured, tilting her head up to mine, "but you can't hide from heat like me."
My breath caught. Every instinct screamed to push her away. Every nerve screamed to pull her closer.
The alarms were still blaring. Guards were shouting from the walls. But in that moment, the world felt very, very small—just her eyes, her lips, her heat.
Then I shoved her back and bolted.
I didn't look to see her reaction. I just ran.
Behind me, I heard her laugh—low, wicked, and far too confident.
And somehow, I knew… this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
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