The morning light stretched across the city like a blade, cutting through the skyline with a quiet sharpness that felt almost unnatural. Kian sat at the edge of his bed, staring out at the view he had conquered, at the empire he had built, at the world he had shaped into something that could never touch him. Except now, it had. The room was still, heavy with the weight of something that hadn't existed before, something Kian hadn't accounted for, something that had slipped past his defenses without permission. He ran a hand down his face, inhaling slowly, exhaling even slower, trying to ground himself in the familiar, in the routine, in the certainty that had always been his weapon. But for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel certain about anything.
Adrian was still here.
