Shattered Ties

The explosion sent a violent tremor through the castle. The walls groaned as debris rained from the ceiling, and the torches lining the chamber flickered wildly.

Elara staggered backward, her breath catching as dust clouded the air. The attack had begun.

Kaelen was already moving, his body tense as he turned toward the door. “They’re here.”

Elara didn’t need to ask who. Riven.

A part of her had been waiting for this moment, hoping that somehow, someway, she would be freed from Kaelen’s grasp. But now that it was happening, she wasn’t sure freedom was what she wanted.

Kaelen turned to her, his expression unreadable. “We need to move.”

Elara hesitated. “Move where?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her toward the hidden exit at the far end of the chamber.

She yanked her arm free. “I’m not running with you.”

Kaelen’s golden eyes darkened. “Then what, princess? You’d rather run back to Riven? Back to the rebels who will use you as a weapon?”

Elara clenched her jaw. “At least they’re fighting for something real.”

Kaelen took a slow step toward her, his voice low and dangerous. “And you think I’m not?”

The air between them crackled. She knew he wasn’t lying about wanting to break the prophecy.But Kaelen’s methods, his secrecy, his control over her—it was suffocating.

She shook her head. “I can’t trust you.”

His gaze flickered with something she couldn’t quite name. Then, just as quickly, it was gone. “Then leave.”

The words were cold, sharp.

And they cut deeper than she expected.

Before she could respond, the door to the chamber burst open.

The Confrontation

A figure stepped through the smoke—Riven.

His dark eyes locked onto her, his expression a mix of relief and fury. “Elara.”

She took a shaky breath, her body torn between instincts—run to him, or stay where she was.

But then Riven’s gaze shifted, settling on Kaelen. His hand moved to his sword. “Step away from her.”

Kaelen let out a low, humorless chuckle. “You really think you can take her from me?”

Riven’s grip tightened. “She was never yours to begin with.”

Elara’s heart pounded. She needed to stop this before blood was spilled.

She stepped between them. “No.”

Both men froze.

“Elara,” Riven said carefully, “come with me.”

Kaelen’s gaze bore into hers. He didn’t say a word.

She swallowed hard. This was it. Her choice.

Riven represented safety, rebellion, and a past she understood.

Kaelen represented power, the unknown, and a future filled with danger.

But before she could speak—

A second explosion ripped through the castle.

The floor beneath them cracked, and suddenly—the world was falling.

The air rushed past Elara as she fell, her scream lost in the deafening roar of crumbling stone. She braced for impact, but Kaelen’s arms wrapped around her midair, twisting their bodies so that he took the brunt of the fall.

They crashed onto the cold, damp ground below. Dust and debris rained down, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.

“Elara,” Kaelen’s voice was strained, but urgent. His grip on her didn’t loosen. “Are you hurt?”

She pushed against his chest, ignoring the way his warmth seeped through his clothes. “I’m fine.”

He exhaled sharply, then slowly released her. The space around them was dark and eerily silent, save for the distant rumble of the castle above.

Elara sat up, coughing as dust swirled around them. “Where… where are we?”

Kaelen glanced upward. The ceiling above them was now a solid wall of collapsed stone. There was no way back up.

“The catacombs,” he said grimly. “Beneath the castle.”

Elara’s stomach twisted. They were trapped.

She turned toward the rubble, searching for any sign of Riven, but all she saw was darkness. Had he made it out? Was he safe?

She pressed a hand to her chest, forcing herself to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help. She needed to think.

Kaelen stood, brushing dust from his coat. “We need to move. If Riven’s still alive, he’ll try to find another way down.”

Elara’s eyes snapped to his. “You think he’s dead?”

Kaelen’s gaze was unreadable. “I think the explosion wasn’t meant to kill me.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. It was meant for her.

Riven had come to rescue her—but someone else had tried to bury her.

Elara’s hands curled into fists. Who?

The king? The council? Or someone she hadn’t considered?

Kaelen extended a hand toward her. “Come on.”

She hesitated. Trusting him felt dangerous. But what choice did she have?

After a beat, she placed her hand in his. His fingers curled around hers—a firm, unyielding grip.

And together, they stepped into the darkness.

Scene Shift: Riven’s Desperation

Riven coughed against the dust, pushing himself to his feet. The explosion had thrown him back, but he was still alive.

His men were scattered, fighting off Kaelen’s forces in the chaos.

“Elara,” he muttered, his heart pounding. He had to find her.

A rebel scout stumbled toward him. “Commander, the castle—”

“I don’t care about the castle,” Riven snapped. “Where is she?”

The scout swallowed. “The floor… it collapsed. She fell.”

Riven’s blood ran cold. Fell?

His grip tightened on his sword. “Where?”

The scout hesitated. “The catacombs.”

Riven didn’t wait for more. He turned and ran.

Elara was alive. She had to be.

And if Kaelen was down there with her…

Riven swore under his breath.

He would tear the entire castle apart to get her back.

Back to Elara and Kaelen: An Unseen Threat

The air in the catacombs was thick with the scent of damp stone and something… older. Ancient.

As Elara and Kaelen walked, their footsteps echoed eerily. Shadows flickered along the walls, dancing from the faint light of Kaelen’s magic.

“How do you know about this place?” she asked.

Kaelen didn’t look at her. “Because this is where my mother died.”

Elara’s breath hitched.

She knew little about Kaelen’s past, but his mother had been a powerful mage—one who had defied the kingdom’s laws.

He didn’t offer more, and she didn’t push.

But as they moved deeper into the catacombs, a strange sensation crept over her. A presence.

She stopped. “Do you feel that?”

Kaelen’s posture tensed. “Yes.”

The air shifted.

And then—a voice whispered through the darkness.

“You should not be here.”

A chill ran down Elara’s spine.

Something was waiting for them in the shadows.

And it had just awakened.