Fiona walked slowly through the village streets, her thoughts swirling in her mind. Each step seemed to echo louder than it should, a reminder of the weight of the decisions ahead. She knew her encounter with Kane hadn't been a mere coincidence. But what game was he really playing? Why had he spoken those cryptic words to her? His gaze, filled with an unusual calm, was like a mirror reflecting fragments of her own doubt.
She stopped for a moment, observing the blurry figures of other clan members moving around her, unaware of the storm brewing inside Fiona. This wasn't just about loyalty. It wasn't simply a dispute between clans. There was something deeper, more personal. Something that connected her to Kane, far beyond the borders of their clans.
As she entered her modest home, a heavy silence enveloped her. She hadn't spoken to her brother, Eric, since her return, and it was rare for him to be absent when she came back. But today, nothing. Fiona instinctively made her way to her room, seeking some peace. She sat on her bed, her hands tightly gripping her knees, forcing herself to organize her thoughts.
Elias's words still echoed in her mind: "The Nocturnes play with words. Kane is a strategist." Those words, so simple on the surface, carried a deeper meaning than she was willing to admit. Why him? Why had he chosen to be so... human with her? Was it just a provocation? Or was there something more?
She couldn't ignore the small voice in her mind. Maybe Kane had a plan, maybe he was trying to manipulate her. But what if, on the contrary, he was telling the truth? What if the war between the Ferocious and the Nocturnes was nothing but a ruse, a false confrontation to hide far greater stakes? She had no answers to that question, and that was precisely what troubled her.
A dull sound, like a door slamming, made her jump. She straightened immediately. Her mind froze. She knew the sound came from outside. Her brother, Eric, was there.
She rushed out of her room, but before she reached the hall, she saw Eric standing in the doorway, a dark expression on his face. He didn't need to speak for her to know something was wrong.
"Eric..." Fiona began, concerned. "What's happening?"
He locked eyes with her, his piercing blue gaze almost transparent in the dim light. A heavy silence settled between them. Finally, he spoke in a sharp tone: "The Nocturnes are on the move. They're approaching the borders."
Fiona felt her heart tighten. She had expected tensions to rise, but the fact that the Nocturnes were moving so close to their territory meant one thing: the war was no longer about principle. It was now a matter of survival.
"It's too soon for a direct confrontation, Eric. We need to be more strategic. They might be trying to push us into war before we're ready," she replied, her voice calmer than she would have liked.
Eric shrugged. "The problem, Fiona, is that we don't know what they really want. And you, you don't seem fully focused. This isn't the time for cloudy thoughts."
Fiona lowered her eyes, a little guilty. "It's not that. It's not that I'm not focused… it's just… I feel like they're hiding something from us."
Eric looked at her again, a flash of understanding crossing his gaze. "What?"
She took a deep breath. "I met Kane. He spoke to me."
The name made her brother react. He straightened abruptly, a nervous grimace forming on his lips. "Kane? You mean the heir of the Nocturnes? And you stopped to talk to him? Fiona, you know he's our enemy."
"I know, but… it's not what you think. He told me the war isn't as simple as we think. He said they're hiding something from us," she replied, trying to mask her agitation.
Eric studied her, his expression growing more serious. "What do you mean?"
Fiona sat down on the couch, her mind still in turmoil. "I'm not sure, but he seemed… human. I can't explain it, but there was something in his words that troubled me. I can't shake the feeling that there's something else to understand. Maybe the war between our clans is just a pretext. There's something bigger behind all of this."
Eric looked at her, visibly uncertain. "You mean you think we might be wrong about everything that's happening?"
Fiona stared at the ground, her gaze hardening with reflection. "Yes. And that's what scares me."
A heavy silence settled between them, and Fiona could feel the tension growing. Eric wasn't one to be easily shaken, but he was starting to doubt. If Fiona, with all her training and experience, was asking questions, then there was truly a problem. She wasn't someone who could be easily influenced.
"So, what do we do now?" Eric asked, his tone calmer but his gaze still intense.
Fiona stood up slowly, her decision almost made. "We need to be ready. But above all, we need to uncover what's really going on. If Kane is right, if all of this is just a power game, then we risk losing more than lives… we risk losing everything we're fighting for."
Eric nodded, visibly troubled, but accepting the gravity of the situation. "And if you're right? What will we do?"
Fiona turned toward the window, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "Then we'll choose another path. A path that might force us to question everything we thought we knew."
And it was there, in that moment of uncertainty, that they realized their war against the Nocturnes was far from the most important battle. The real fight was in the shadows, where truth and lies mingled, and where the choices they made could forever change the fate of their clans.