Adrian's POV
The world was burning.
The sky had turned to ash, the wind carried screams, and every breath I took tasted like blood. Flames licked across the ruined battlefield, painting everything in shades of gold and scarlet. The air itself seemed to howl torn apart by divine rage and mortal terror.
And in the middle of it all stood him.
Lucien.
My cousin. My curse. My mirror.
His sword dripped with light so black it swallowed color itself. His armor was carved from shadow, the sigils across his chest pulsing like veins. The Blood Moon bathed him in its glow, turning his silver eyes into twin orbs of fire.
He smiled when he saw me, the same smile he used to wear when we were children sneaking out of the palace to fight imaginary monsters.
Only now, I was the monster he wanted dead.
"Brother," Lucien drawled, stepping over a pile of corpses. "You've made quite the mess of my kingdom."
I gripped my blade tighter. "Your kingdom?"
