The Vale of Myrren stretched out like a scar across the empire, a valley of flowers clinging to life in the shadow of war. By day, the sun kissed the grasslands in gold; by night, the stars reflected in its rivers like broken shards of glass. Yet when Adrian led his army through it, the beauty felt hollow. The storm within him would not let him rest. Lightning crawled across his skin when he breathed too deeply, as if the world itself whispered danger.
Selene rode at his side, her horse's hooves nearly silent upon the earth. Shadows curled along her shoulders as naturally as breath, coiling into her cloak before dissipating. "Too quiet," she murmured. Her eyes, sharp and black as midnight, never left the cliffs. "Birdsong should fill this valley. But Kaelith has burned even the birds from the sky."
Adrian's grip on the reins tightened. "Then he's here already. Watching."
"Waiting," Selene corrected softly.
Behind them, the rebellion's soldiers marched. They carried banners of silver storm and black shadow, emblems stitched hastily in villages that had thrown off Kaelith's chains. Farmers with spears walked beside veterans with scarred shields; women who had lost families now bore crossbows with eyes of iron. Yet no matter their differences, their gazes turned to Adrian whenever their courage wavered.
He was their storm. He was their hope.
But Adrian himself felt the weight pressing heavier with every step.
---
The ambush came as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
The cliffs ignited. Fire poured from the heights like molten rivers, setting trees and grass ablaze. Arrows streaked through the sky, their tips burning with crimson flame. From behind jagged rocks surged Kaelith's army, armored in obsidian, their swords gleaming with firelight.
The Vale of Myrren became a furnace.
"Formation!" Adrian's voice cracked like thunder. He thrust his palm forward, and lightning surged into a dome, bolts crackling and splitting the air. Arrows struck and dissolved in sparks. Selene moved beside him, her shadows stretching to choke flame into smoke. Together, storm and shadow held the first wave at bay.
But then Kaelith himself descended.
Crimson fire wrapped his body like a living crown, his eyes blazing with hatred. His very presence warped the battlefield into despair. Soldiers stumbled back from the heat that radiated from him; even the bravest trembled when his gaze swept over them.
"You cannot win, boy," Kaelith's voice rolled across the valley. "Your spark burns bright—but sparks are meant to die. I am the eternal flame, and flames consume all."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Then come and try." Lightning erupted across his body, his sword glowing like a shard of storm.
When their powers collided, the world itself seemed to split. Fire and storm clashed, ripping the sky into chaos. The soldiers staggered under the force, shielded only by Selene's shadows stretching like wings over the rebellion.
---
It was in this chaos that betrayal struck.
Adrian heard the scream first, sharp and piercing through the roar of battle. He turnedvand his chest went cold. Captain Varros, one of his trusted lieutenants, had plunged his sword into Commander Darius's back.
The battlefield faltered. Varros tore off his cloak, revealing Kaelith's crimson insignia beneath. His face twisted with triumph.
"Kaelith is the true emperor!" Varros shouted. "The Lightning Prince is nothing but a cursed pretender! He will burn us all!"
Doubt spread like poison. Soldiers hesitated, their formation breaking. Whispers of fear carried through the firelight.
Selene appeared instantly, her dagger of shadow pressed to Varros's throat. "Give me the word," she hissed, her eyes burning with cold fury. "One command, and I will end him."
But Adrian raised his hand. Lightning sparked in his gaze, not against Varros, but across the army. His voice thundered.
"Look at him! He sold his soul, his honor, his people for fear. Kaelith does not reward loyalty he chains it. Do you call that strength? If you want chains, follow him. But if you want freedom stand with me!"
The soldiers wavered. The silence was a blade's edge.
Then, like a dam breaking, voices rose. "For the Prince!" "For the storm!" The rebellion surged, not away from Adrian, but to his side. Varros's smirk faltered just before Selene's shadows dragged him screaming into the darkness.
Kaelith's fury erupted. Firestorms ripped across the valley, burning earth to ash. Adrian answered with lightning, every strike shaking the mountains. The two heirs of the empire fought not only for land, but for the hearts of every soul watching.
And in that chaos, Selene's hand caught Adrian's.
Her touch steadied his storm. His lightning softened around her shadows, and for a moment, the world's madness receded. She leaned close enough for her words to brush his ear. "If you fall, everything falls."
He looked at her, stormlight reflecting in her dark eyes. In that heartbeat, amidst fire and death, something deeper than prophecy tied them together. Trust. Fear. Desire unspoken but undeniable.
Adrian raised his sword once more, lightning roaring through his veins. He poured everything into a single strike, a bolt so fierce it split the heavens. The storm descended upon Kaelith's flames, and the valley exploded in light.
When the smoke cleared, Kaelith staggered, scorched but not broken. His eyes burned with rage. "This is not over," he spat, before retreating into fire, his army fleeing with him.
Adrian collapsed to one knee, drained. Selene caught him, her arms steady though her body shook. Around them, soldiers cheered yet Adrian knew this was not victory. It was only survival.
But when Selene's hand lingered on his, and her eyes met his with a softness that had no place in war, Adrian realized that in the ashes of betrayal and fire, something else had ignited. Something Kaelith could never burn away.