Kill to Rise
Kane staggered through the smoldering ruins of his kingdom, his vision swimming with blood and sweat. Every muscle screamed in protest, every step faltered, but the pain was a distant echo compared to the void in his chest. The imperial prince had razed it all—the palace, the people, everything Kane had ever known. His father’s stern voice, his mother’s gentle touch, the warriors who had once sworn to protect them—all silenced, their dying cries still ringing in his ears.
But there was one person he couldn’t let go of.
“Julia…”
His voice rasped, barely audible over the crackling flames. His heart thudded unevenly as he lurched across the battlefield, the air thick with the stench of death. His sister had been his beacon in this crumbling world, the only one who saw strength in him despite his failings. He clung to a fragile hope that she might still be alive.
That hope shattered when he found her.
By the lake’s edge, where the water mirrored the flickering flames, Julia lay motionless on the cold earth. Kane’s breath caught, his legs giving out as he dropped to his knees beside her. Her golden hair, once radiant, was tangled with dirt and blood. Her pale skin was marred with bruises, her body exposed—stripped of the dignity she’d carried so effortlessly in life. The imperial prince hadn’t just taken her life; he’d handed her to his soldiers like a trophy, a final cruelty that twisted Kane’s grief into rage.
“No… no…” His voice cracked, tears spilling down his ash-streaked face.
With trembling hands, he tore off his own tattered shirt—the last remnant of the prince he’d once been. It wasn’t much, but he couldn’t leave her like this. Gently, he draped the fabric over her fragile form, shielding her from the world that had betrayed her. His fingers lingered on the cloth, as if he could somehow give her back the peace she deserved.
“I’m sorry, Julia,” he whispered, his throat tight with sobs. “I wasn’t strong enough to protect you…”
Guilt gnawed at him, sharper than the wounds seeping through his torn clothes. He had failed her, failed them all—his family, his kingdom, himself. What was left for him now?
Ignoring the fire in his limbs, Kane clawed at the dirt with his bare hands, digging a shallow grave. Each handful of earth sent jolts of pain through his battered body, but he welcomed it. She deserved more than this—a proper burial, a monument—but this was all he could offer. As he laid her inside and covered her with soil, his vision blurred, his strength fading. His injuries were too deep, the vial of salve in his pocket too meager to save him. It could dull the pain, perhaps, but he didn’t want that. He didn’t deserve it.
When the grave was finished, Kane collapsed beside it, his chest heaving with shallow breaths. Death hovered close, and he was ready to let it take him.
Then, a glint of gold caught his eye.
Something plumm
