********Harper
The tension in the throne room was so thick, I could barely breathe. Vaelthor's smug smirk, Natalie's elegant poise, Kael's trembling rage—it all froze in place as the man at the doorway revealed himself.
Lord Zareth.
The name whispered itself in my head before anyone could say it aloud. His presence was like a storm contained within flesh, his very gaze burning through the air. A chill slid down my spine, both awe and dread flooding me.
I didn't even have time to process how he got here and why now, Because suddenly—Kael's hand shot out, grabbing mine.
"Kael—?"
Before I could finish the word, the world folded in on itself. A crack of light, a rush of wind, and the throne room dissolved around me.
Gone were the obsidian walls and Vaelthor's cruel grin. Gone was Natalie's calculating stare. For an instant, I was suspended in nothing—weightless, breathless—Kael's grip the only anchor keeping me from vanishing completely. My chest burned as the air snapped back into my lungs, the void spitting us into somewhere else entirely.
I staggered forward, barely managing to keep my balance. My heart raced in panic. "Kael, what just happened? Why did you—"
But when I turned to look at him, his face was carved in grim determination. He didn't answer. His hand only tightened around mine, as though letting go would mean losing me forever.
And in that silence, fear spread through me. If Kael had risked whisking us away in front of Vaelthor, Natalie, and… that terrifying man—then something worse than anything I imagined must have been coming.
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Author's POV
Back in the throne room, the disappearance left a vacuum of silence.
Lord Zareth's fiery eyes narrowed as he stepped fully into the hall, his cloak trailing behind him like the wings of a storm. "What have you done, Vaelthor?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the air.
Vaelthor tilted his head, unbothered, amusement curling at his lips. "Me? Don't give me too much credit, brother. I wasn't the one who made them disappear."
Zareth's gaze burned hotter, like molten embers about to consume everything in sight. "Then what," he demanded, "is going on here?"
A chuckle slid from Vaelthor's mouth, low and venomous. "Nothing more than a game. I was just… toying with them. My little soul-binding spell was interrupted, but…" His grin widened, his silver eyes gleaming with triumph. "The good news is, I got all my power back."
The words snapped the air taut.
In a blur of movement, Zareth closed the distance between them. One moment he was across the hall, the next his face hovered inches from Vaelthor's, his eyes glowing like wildfire ready to ignite. The speed was so unnatural it bent reality itself.
Vaelthor didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled again. "I have always been jealous of that ability." His voice dripped mockery.
Zareth's hand shot out, seizing Vaelthor by the throat. The sound of bone and skin straining under his grip echoed like thunder. His fiery gaze bore into him. "What were you about to do earlier?"
Vaelthor's grin didn't waver. "What? Can't I expose that monster standing so close to you?"
The words were dangerous, baiting, laced with truths best left buried.
Zareth's grip tightened. The air crackled with tension, sparks of energy whispering through the stone walls. "It would be better," Zareth growled, each syllable a warning, "if you kept quiet. For your own safety."
But Vaelthor's smile only sharpened, sharp as broken glass. "I'm not afraid , brother."
Zareth's eyes narrowed further, fire flickering at the edges. "We'll see about that."
The two forces collided in silence—one holding unshakable arrogance, the other smoldering with raw power restrained only by a thread. The throne room trembled faintly, as though it feared the clash of two beings too great for its walls to contain.
And yet, even amidst the simmering conflict, a question coiled in Zareth's mind. He loosened his grip slightly, his brow furrowing.
Why had Kael suddenly fled?
His gaze drifted briefly to the lingering trace of energy left behind, faint ripples of Kael's escape. His jaw clenched. Something wasn't right.
Vaelthor's smirk lingered, but behind it, his eyes glinted with something sharper. Secrets. Desperation. And a growing hunger that not even the return of his full power could completely satisfy.
For the first time in a long time, the balance between brothers teetered on the edge of chaos.