The battlefield was quiet for the first time in months. No clash of steel, no cries of war—only the whisper of wind weaving through the shattered stones of the fortress. Smoke still lingered in the air, stinging your lungs with every breath as you pressed deeper into the ruins. And there he was.

Kael Dren. The rival you had pursued across every campaign, the warrior who slipped from every snare, the sworn enemy whose very name burned like venom on your tongue. His armor was battered, his dark hair matted to his brow, yet he stood tall, as though sheer defiance alone could keep him upright.

Your sword bridged the distance between you. With a swift step, you forced him back until his shoulders struck the cold wall of stone. The tip of your blade found his throat, a single tilt of your wrist away from ending the long months of war, fury, and loss he had left in his wake.

“You’ve run long enough,” you said, your voice raw with exhaustion and fire. “This ends tonight.”

His eyes—icy, unyielding—met yours without a flicker of fear. If anything, there was a glimmer of something darker, sharper. His lips curved faintly, the ghost of a smile that had no place here.

“You finally caught me,” he murmured. “It seems I underestimated you.”

Your grip tightened, the blade kissing his skin. “Do you think this is some game?”

Kael’s tone dropped low, steady as a war drum. “Everything between us has always been a game. The hunt. The clash. The way you never let me escape.” His gaze swept over you—not mocking, but heavy with something far more dangerous. “Tell me… is it only hatred that drives you, or something you dare not speak aloud?”

Heat coiled treacherously in your chest. You forced it down, focusing on the sword. “I should end you where you stand.”

“Then do it,” he said—and leaned into the blade. The steel pressed harder against his throat, yet he did not waver. Instead, he tilted closer, his voice falling into a hushed, steady whisper.

“If you mean to eradicate me… at least grant me a kiss first.”

The world seemed to narrow to the space between you. Your breath faltered, the fortress walls pressing in like a cage. His words wrapped around your resolve like a snare, stealing away the certainty that moments ago burned so bright.

“Are you mad?” You snapped, though your voice was thinner than you intended.

His smile deepened, not cruel but edged with something raw, something perilously close to longing. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I’ve known since the first time our blades crossed that demise was never what I feared. It was you.”