I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing, the adrenaline still coursing through me as the sharp ache of my wounds started to settle in. Elara stood beside me, her eyes filled with worry as they darted between my face and the blood staining my clothes.
"You're bleeding," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the chaos around us.
I closed my eyes, letting my head rest against the cool stone of the wall. The brief reprieve felt like heaven, but I couldn't let myself relax for long.
"Just flesh wounds," I murmured, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "His attacks didn't cut deep."
Elara's hands tightened into fists at her sides, and for a moment, I thought she was about to cry. Instead, she straightened, determination flashing in her tear-streaked face. "What do you need me to do?" she asked, her voice trembling but steady.
I gave her a faint smile, shaking my head. "It's okay, Princess. I'll be fine. Just catching my breath before we move to the upper floors. The fight is concentrated in the right wing, near your father's location."
Her face tensed. "Is my father okay?"
I paused, extending my resonance skill to feel the ebb and flow of the battle around us. It was chaotic, but the king's presence burned bright in my senses, a pillar of strength amidst the chaos.
"So far, he seems to be fine," I said, my voice soft but assured. "From what I can sense, he's holding his ground. The Golden Knights are converging on him, and more soldiers are coming in from outside. The enemy will either die or retreat soon. But either way, we need to get you somewhere safer."
She nodded, but instead of following my lead, she knelt down beside me and began tearing pieces of fabric from the hem of her dress.
"What are you doing?" I asked, baffled.
"Tying your wounds," she said, not looking up.
"Really, Princess, it's not necessary," I tried to protest, but her glare silenced me.
"Stay still," she ordered, her tone firm and uncompromising.
I sighed, letting her work while I kept my focus on my resonance skill, scanning for any nearby threats. Her hands trembled as she tied makeshift bandages around my arms, but she worked quickly and efficiently. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at her concern.
After about ten minutes, I finally stood, my body still aching but manageable. Elara stood with me, her expression unreadable as she silently fell in step behind me. We moved cautiously, avoiding open spaces and ducking into shadows whenever enemies passed nearby. I couldn't afford another fight—not in this state.
The further we got from the battle, the quieter it became. The clashing of weapons and shouts of combat grew distant, replaced by the faint crackle of fires and the creak of settling stone. When I was sure we were far enough from the main chaos, I glanced back at Elara. She was too quiet—too calm. It was unlike her.
"Hey," I started hesitantly, my voice breaking the uneasy silence.
She tilted her head in question, then immediately tensed, her face morphing into panic. "What's wrong? Are you in pain? Were you lying to me? Are you hurt worse than you said?"
"No, no," I said quickly, raising my hands in reassurance. "I'm fine, I promise. I just... I was wondering something."
She frowned. "Wondering what?"
I scratched the back of my neck, unsure how to phrase it. "Well, I mean... how come you didn't insist on going to help your father? Not that I wanted you to, I just—" I paused, realizing I was rambling. "I guess I was curious. I could've been lying to you about him being fine, just to keep you safe. Didn't that thought cross your mind?"
She stared at me for a long moment, her expression thoughtful. Then she spoke, her voice soft but unwavering. "I trust you, Caelan."
I blinked, caught off guard by the weight of her words.
"I know my father is strong," she continued. "He's the king. But he's also old, and this fight must be harder for him than he lets on. Still, if you say he's fine, then I believe you. I also know that if I went to him now, I would only get in the way."
Her gaze locked with mine, and there was something in her eyes—something fierce and unyielding. "But most of all," she said, her voice lowering, "it's because I have absolute faith in you."
My breath caught in my throat as her words sank in. She stepped closer, her presence both comforting and unsettling. "Whatever you tell me to believe, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it," she said, her tone deadly serious. "Without question. And I mean anything."
Her intensity sent a shiver down my spine, and I suddenly felt a heavy weight settle on my shoulders. This wasn't just trust—this was dependence, unshakable and absolute. It was terrifying.
I managed a small, uneasy laugh, trying to break the tension. "Let's just focus on getting out of this alive, okay?"
She nodded, but the look in her eyes told me that her faith in me—her need for me—went far deeper than I'd ever realized.
**
I tensed, the warning from my resonance skill rippling through me like a sharp jolt. Movement. Close. The enemy was in pursuit of someone. I could hear the clash of weapons and a pained shout echoing down the corridor—a shout that sounded like someone badly hurt.
"Someone's in trouble," I muttered, glancing at Elara. I gave her a look that silently urged her to stay behind me and ran forward without hesitation. My senses flared as I focused on the presence of two enemies ahead. They didn't feel as strong as Razorwind had, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
"Magistrate!" I called as I rounded the corner, and there he was—Auren Varess, pressed against the wall, blood pooling from a wound in his right shoulder. He clutched his arm, his face pale, though his stoic expression betrayed little of his pain.
One of his attackers stood nearby, holding a strange weapon—the same kind I'd seen earlier. It was a bulky, arm-mounted device with faintly glowing crystalline shards embedded along its top. The attacker's finger hovered over a trigger-like mechanism, ready to fire. The weapon hummed faintly, a low, ominous sound, as if the shards were charged with energy waiting to be unleashed.
The other attacker, wielding a short sword, moved in closer to the magistrate, clearly aiming for a finishing blow.
Despite his injury, the magistrate's gaze remained calm, his back straight, refusing to show any weakness. He looked like a man determined not to go down without a fight, even if it was clear he wasn't a warrior.
"Over here!" I shouted, drawing the attackers' attention. My resonance skill flared as I sensed their sudden focus on me. Before they could react, I ripped two daggers from the straps on my belt and hurled them in one fluid motion, the blades flying true. One dagger embedded itself in the exposed throat of the sword-wielding attacker; the other found its mark in the eye of the one with the strange weapon. Both fell unceremoniously to the ground, blood pooling beneath them.
The magistrate let out a slow, relieved breath. "Thank you," he said, his voice steady despite his obvious pain.
"You're hurt," I said, stepping closer to examine his wound. The gash on his shoulder was deep, blood soaking through his elegant robes.
"Yes, but it won't kill me. Not yet, at least," he said with dry humor, though his voice was strained.
"We need to stop the bleeding," I said firmly. "Blood loss will kill you. Is there a medical kit nearby?"
He nodded. "Upstairs, in my study. There should be supplies there. That room is also secured with protective glyphs. Once activated, it'll keep us safe for a time. There's even a viewing glyph installed—we can monitor what's happening in the right wing and see how the king is faring."
"Alright," I said, glancing back at Elara. "Stay close."
**
The journey to the magistrate's study was tense. The halls were eerily silent, save for the distant sounds of battle that echoed through the mansion. My resonance skill remained flared, my senses extended to catch any approaching danger. The princess stayed close behind me, her steps careful and quiet. The magistrate moved slower due to his injury, but he kept pace, his stoic determination unwavering.
When we reached the study, Auren gestured to the door. It was made of reinforced wood, intricate glyphs carved into its surface. He pressed his uninjured hand to the center of the door, muttering a string of words under his breath. The glyphs began to glow faintly, a soft golden light spreading out from his touch.
"The glyphs recognize my resonance signature," he explained as the door clicked open. "Once activated, they create a protective barrier around the room. No one without my permission—or my demise—can breach it."
We stepped inside, and I couldn't help but marvel at the space. The study was lined with tall bookshelves filled with leather-bound tomes, scrolls, and documents. A large desk sat near the center, and above it, a glowing orb was suspended in mid-air, its surface swirling with faint patterns of light.
Auren limped to a panel on the wall and pressed his hand against another glyph. The golden light surged outward, filling the room with a faint hum. "The barrier is active," he said, his voice tight. "We're safe for now."
Elara immediately moved to help the magistrate sit down, while I located the first aid supplies. I worked quickly, applying coagulant powder to his wound and wrapping it with a glyph-bonded bandage.
"Thank you," he said, wincing as I tied the bandage securely. "Now, let's see what's happening."
He gestured to the glowing orb above the desk. "The viewing glyph," he explained. "It's connected to several points throughout the mansion."
He muttered another command, and the orb flared to life, its surface shifting to display a view of the right wing. What we saw made my stomach tighten.
The king was there, surrounded by attackers. His presence was commanding, a golden aura radiating from him like the sun itself. He fought with brutal efficiency, his movements precise and powerful. Two attackers fell in quick succession, their weapons shattered by the force of his blows.
The Golden Knights moved in formation around him, their disciplined strikes keeping the enemy at bay. Yet the attackers were relentless, their strange weapons creating bursts of destruction that the defenders barely managed to counter.
I clenched my fists, my gaze glued to the scene. The king was holding his own, but the battle was far from over. The attackers weren't ordinary—they were coordinated, their skills and technology far beyond what I'd ever seen before.
"This isn't just an assassination attempt," Auren said grimly, his voice low. "This is something far more deliberate."
I nodded, my mind racing as I turned back to Elara. "We have to stay here until the chaos subsides," I said, my voice steady despite the tension in my chest. "But if anything changes, we'll move. Fast."
She nodded, her trust in me unwavering. But the look in her eyes told me she understood the gravity of the situation as well as I did.