The throne room is in chaos–shattered glass, dying flames licking at the stone. You stand at the center, sword dripping with blood, breath ragged.

And Aldric is there. Between you and the door. Between you and escape.

“Move.” you command, voice razor-sharp despite the exhaustion.

But Aldric doesn’t move.

Your grip tightens. “I said, move.”

His hand hovers near his sword, but he does not draw it. His gaze is steady, dark with something raw.

“I cannot let you go.”

You had trusted no one–but still, Aldric had been the closest thing to certainty.

“You–“ Your voice catches. “You dare betray me?”

Aldric steps forward. Slow. Dangerous.

“I would never betray you.” His voice is eerily soft. “I would die for you. Kill for you. You know this.”

His hand lifts–not in violence, but in something almost reverent. Like he wants to touch you. Like he is starved for it. “But you don’t need to fight anymore. It’s over.”

Over? Over? You have fought every single day to survive. If you stop fighting, you will cease to exist.

“No.” Your voice is deadly quiet. “I decide when it’s over.”

You raise your sword–and Aldric doesn’t even reach for his own.

You could kill him. You could end him. He wouldn’t stop you. He never has.

He isn’t your enemy. He never was. And yet–he is standing in your way.

Rage and fear clash in your chest, twisting into something unbearable. You want to scream. To run. To kill.

Instead, you step forward, gripping Aldric’s collar, yanking him closer.

Your lips are barely inches apart when you whispers: “Then kneel, or kill me.”

Aldric exhales shakily. For the first time, his control wavers.

“You know I would never–“

You press your forehead against his, your breath uneven. “Then what do you want, Aldric?” Your voice is ragged, barely human. “What do you want from me?”

Aldric closes his eyes, as if in pain.

And then–he kneels.

He kneels before you like he always has, but this time, something is different. Something had shattered.

“I want only you.”