The battle had ended, but its weight remained.
Ace could barely stand as Darian supported him through the forest. Every step sent pain through his body, his vision blurring from exhaustion. When they finally reached Vargan's small house, Ace collapsed onto the bed, barely conscious.
Darian worked in silence, cleaning wounds and binding burns. Hours passed before Ace finally opened his eyes again.
"You pushed yourself too far," Darian said quietly. "Rest."
The door creaked.
Vargan entered.
His cursed eye immediately fixed on Ace.
"Why are you here?" Vargan asked, his voice sharp.
Ace forced himself upright. "Because I know you," he replied. "If you went after the prince alone… you wouldn't stop. I couldn't let that happen."
Vargan stared at him for a long moment.
Before he could answer, a sudden pressure filled the air.
Footsteps.
The prince emerged from the forest path, accompanied by nervous guards who looked ready to flee at any second.
Vargan turned.
In a blink, the prince was slammed against the stone wall. His crown fell to the ground as invisible force pinned him in place, his feet lifted off the earth.
"Tell me," Vargan said coldly, his hand raised,
"why you sent a cursed mage to kill him."
The prince struggled to breathe. His eyes widened—not with arrogance, but fear.
"I didn't," he gasped. "I swear it."
Darian drew his sword halfway. Ace stepped forward despite his injuries.
"Vargan," Ace said firmly. "Listen."
The prince coughed and forced the words out. "If I wanted him dead, he would already be gone. Someone else hired them. Someone who wants chaos—someone who benefits from fear spreading through the kingdom."
Silence followed.
Vargan's cursed eye flickered.
"…You're not lying," he said.
The force vanished. The prince collapsed to his knees, shaking.
That night, Ace was taken to the palace—not in chains, but on a stretcher.
Royal healers treated his wounds carefully, restoring his strength over hours of concentrated magic. When Ace finally stood again, steady and whole, the king himself came to see him.
"You saved my family once," the king said. "And now you stand in the middle of something far greater than you should."
The king studied Ace closely.
"You will attend the royal dinner," he said. "Not as a suspect—but as an honored guest."
Ace bowed, but unease settled deep in his chest.
Because now he understood the truth.
The enemy was not the prince.
It was something hiding behind the throne.