Seraphina couldn't sleep.
She had returned to the Draconian Empire after witnessing Kairos's impossible strength. Watching him annihilate an entire assassination squad like they were insects had done something to her.
It had shaken her.
Not because she feared him.
But because she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Draconian Empire – Imperial Capital, Drakar Hold
Seraphina stood before the Warlord's Throne, her armor gleaming under the torchlight.
Before her sat Emperor Hadrian Drakar, the strongest ruler on the continent, his golden eyes locked onto her like a predator.
"You hesitate," he said, voice deep and knowing. "That is dangerous for a warrior."
Seraphina's hands clenched at her sides. "I do not hesitate, Your Majesty. I observe."
The emperor smirked. "Then tell me, Seraphina. This man—Kairos. How strong is he?"
She took a breath. Then she said it.
"He is unlike anything I have ever seen."
Murmurs spread among the gathered Draconian generals and nobles.
"Impossible," one scoffed. "No man, no matter how gifted, can reach such heights so quickly."
"She's overestimating him," another sneered. "A single warrior cannot stand against the Empire."
Seraphina ignored them all.
She had fought Kairos twice. She had watched him humiliate her in battle—twice.
And now, she had seen him slaughter an entire guild of assassins without breaking a sweat.
She had fought monsters. She had stood in the Great War.
But this man?
He wasn't normal.
He was something else entirely.
"You doubt our victory," the emperor mused, watching her carefully.
Seraphina met his gaze. "No. I doubt our certainty."
A heavy silence fell.
And then, the emperor laughed.
Loud. Amused. Unbothered.
"Good," he said. "You begin to understand."
Seraphina frowned. "Understand what?"
The emperor stood. His presence alone made the room feel smaller.
"Kairos is not an enemy we can ignore. Nor is he a man who can be controlled."
His golden eyes burned with something unreadable.
"We have two choices, Seraphina. Either we crush him…"
His voice lowered.
"…or we make him one of us."
Seraphina froze.
Her heart hammered.
And for the first time in her life…
She wasn't sure which outcome she wanted.
The war had not begun.
But the battle for Kairos's allegiance had.
And Seraphina's conflict was only beginning.