The sound came again.
Soft.
Careful.
Too controlled to be an animal.
Seraphine shifted beside me, her blade catching the firelight.
"Someone's watching us," she whispered.
I nodded.
"Not one of ours."
We didn't move. Didn't speak.
The forest held its breath.
Then a shadow stepped into the firelight.
Not an assassin.
Not a soldier.
A man in dark robes, hands raised.
"I didn't come to fight," he said calmly. "I came to talk."
My grip tightened on my sword.
"Funny way to introduce yourself."
He gave a thin smile.
"Your Highness."
Seraphine's eyes narrowed. "How do you know who he is?"
The man inclined his head.
"Because I serve the people who want him dead."
The fire crackled between us.
Not a threat.
A statement.
"Who sent you?" I asked.
"The Inner Circle," he replied. "The ones who decide which royals live… and which become examples."
I had never heard that name spoken aloud before.
But I had always known they existed.
The real power behind the throne.
He continued, "You were never meant to rule, Prince Kael. Your death was planned long before the charges were written."
Seraphine's jaw tightened.
"So the ambush wasn't enough," she said. "You're here to finish it."
"No," the man said. "I'm here to offer him a way to survive."
I didn't lower my blade.
"I'm listening."
He took one careful step forward.
"The emperor does not want your blood on his hands. Not yet. Public execution failed. Assassination failed. So now… he offers you a different fate."
"What kind?" I asked.
"Exile," the man said. "Leave the empire. Disappear. Never claim the throne. Never return."
Seraphine turned sharply to me.
"They're trying to erase you."
The man nodded.
"In exchange, your allies will be spared. House Nightvale will be left untouched. No more hunters. No more blood."
The words hung heavy in the night.
This was the moment.
In my first life, I never had a choice.
In this one…
I did.
If I walked away now, I would live.
Seraphine would live.
Her house would survive.
The empire would remain.
Corrupt. Rotten. Unchanged.
The man watched me carefully.
"Choose wisely, Your Highness. The throne is not worth your life."
I looked at the fire.
At the sword in my hand.
At the woman standing beside me.
"Seraphine," I said quietly, "if I accept… you'll be safe."
She stared at me.
Her voice was steady, but her eyes were not.
"And if you refuse?"
I met her gaze.
"They will never stop hunting us."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The forest felt too quiet.
"You once asked me if I was playing a game," I said. "If I was using you as a piece."
Her breath caught.
"I'm not."
I turned back to the man.
"You say I was never meant to rule."
"Yes."
"You say my death was decided long before I was accused."
"Yes."
I stepped closer to him.
"Then tell your masters something for me."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I was meant to die once," I said. "And I did."
The man stiffened.
"But I'm standing here now," I continued. "And this time, I choose who lives."
Seraphine's breath hitched.
I raised my sword.
"I will not disappear."
Silence.
Then the man smiled.
"So be it."
He snapped his fingers.
The forest exploded.
Arrows tore through the darkness. Figures rushed from the shadows. Steel flashed in the firelight.
"Down!" Seraphine shouted.
We moved as one.
I blocked the first strike aimed at her. She spun, cutting down the attacker behind me.
But there were too many.
They weren't here to test me.
They were here to erase us.
A blade slipped past my guard.
Pain tore through my side.
I staggered.
"Kael!" Seraphine shouted.
I forced myself upright.
"Don't stop!"
She fought like a storm, placing herself between me and every threat.
Blood splashed the dirt.
Firelight flickered wildly.
Then—
A scream.
Not from me.
From her.
I turned just in time to see her fall to one knee, a blade buried in her side.
My heart stopped.
"Seraphine!"
I cut down the man who struck her.
Dropped to the ground beside her.
Blood soaked her armor.
Her breathing was shallow.
For the first time…
Fear touched her eyes.
"Hey," I said urgently. "Stay with me."
She tried to speak.
Couldn't.
I pressed my hand over the wound.
Warm.
Too much.
Footsteps retreated into the forest.
The attackers were gone.
The night was suddenly quiet again.
Too quiet.
"Don't you dare die on me," I whispered.
Her fingers tightened weakly around my sleeve.
"Kael…"
I leaned closer.
"I'm here."
Her voice was barely sound.
"…I chose you."
My chest burned.
"So did I," I said. "And I'm not losing you."
But the blood kept flowing.
And for the first time since I was reborn…
I didn't know if I could change what was coming.