Blackwell sat alone in his war room, staring at the map of his own lands.

  He had memorized every inch of it years ago, when he had ruled alone.

  Back then, this city had been his fortress.

  His kingdom.

  Now, it was merely one part of something greater.

  And soon, it would be the first battlefield.

  The thought should have angered him.

  It should have terrified him.

  But instead, he felt only clarity.

  Because there was no question of what would happen next.

  No debate.

  No politics.

  Selene had spoken.

  And so it would be.

  ---

  The door creaked open behind him.

  He did not need to turn to know who it was.

  His commanders.

  Once, they had been his most trusted men.

  Now, they served with him, but not for him.

  They had felt the shift just as he had.

  And yet, they still stood by his side.

  Because in the end, it was not Selene’s power that had broken them.

  It was the truth.

  She had simply understood the game better than they did.

  And now, they played by her rules.

  ---

  Captain Eldric was the first to speak.

  “She’s sending reinforcements.”

  Blackwell nodded.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Selene had known the enemy’s plan before they even moved.

  Let them take his lands.

  Let them think they were winning.

  And when they were stretched too thin—

  The trap would close.

  ---

  Another of his commanders, Varen, shifted uneasily.

  “We’ve fought wars before,” he muttered. “But not like this.”

  Blackwell knew what he meant.

  They were not preparing for a battle.

  They were preparing for inevitability.

  The outcome was not in question.

  The only uncertainty was how long the enemy would struggle before they fell.

  And yet, something in Varen’s voice made Blackwell pause.

  He studied the man.

  The way he stood, the way his fingers twitched slightly at his side.

  Not in fear.

  Not in doubt.

  But in something closer to hesitation.

  Varen had seen what happened to Kestrel.

  He had seen how his people had changed.

  And he was wondering—

  What happens when we win?

  Because victory was not just about land or survival anymore.

  It was about who they became afterward.

  ---

  Blackwell leaned forward, clasping his hands.

  “You’ve been thinking about it, haven’t you?”

  Varen stiffened. “Thinking about what?”

  Blackwell smiled slightly.

  “About how we haven’t just been fighting battles.”

  His voice was measured.

  “We’ve been losing ourselves.”

  The words hung in the air.

  The other commanders exchanged glances.

  Some with agreement.

  Some with unease.

  Blackwell let them sit with the thought.

  And then he spoke again.

  “I used to believe loyalty was a chain.”

  He exhaled.

  “A shackle we forced onto ourselves for the sake of duty.”

  His gaze hardened.

  “But Selene… she doesn’t force us.”

  Another pause.

  “Does she?”

  Varen’s lips pressed into a thin line.

  Eldric didn’t speak.

  Because they knew the truth.

  They had all seen it.

  Selene did not demand loyalty.

  She did not force them into submission.

  She simply showed them the truth.

  That the alternative was worse.

  That in a world full of chaos, full of false kings and fragile empires—

  She was the only certainty.

  And the more you understood that, the harder it was to resist.

  ---

  The chamber remained silent for a long moment.

  Then, finally, Eldric spoke.

  “Do you regret it?”

  Blackwell closed his eyes for a moment.

  Then, slowly, he shook his head.

  “No.”

  Because he had been a king once.

  And now, he was something more.

  Because he no longer bore the burden of indecision.

  Selene had given him the gift of clarity.

  And there was no going back.

  ---

  A messenger entered the chamber.

  One of Selene’s own Fae, their presence smooth and otherworldly, their voice almost musical in its tone.

  “The enemy marches.”

  Blackwell didn’t need to ask how many.

  He already knew it wouldn’t matter.

  Eldric tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

  “They think they can take these lands.”

  Blackwell stood.

  “They won’t.”

  A pause.

  Then—

  “Send word to the Court of Balance.”

  He exhaled.

  “Tell Selene that we are ready.”

  The Fae bowed.

  And with a ripple of movement, they were gone.

  ---

  As the last of his commanders departed, Blackwell remained alone for a moment.

  He walked to the edge of the chamber, staring out over the walls of his city.

  No—

  Not his.

  Hers.

  And for the first time in his life, he felt no resentment for it.

  Because in the end, a king’s burden had always been too heavy to bear alone.

  Now, it belonged to someone else.

  And that meant, for the first time—

  Blackwell was finally free.

  ---

  The enemy would come.

  They would march with confidence.

  They would take his lands, believing it was a victory.

  And they would never realize their mistake.

  Not until the moment the trap closed around them.

  Not until they saw what lay waiting in the dark.

  And by then—

  It would be too late.