The heavy door creaked open, and a few servants stepped inside, each carrying trays laden with food.
Their steps were quiet, almost hesitant, as if the silence in the room weighed on their shoulders. They placed the dishes on the table without meeting his eyes.
Kairan sat upright on the bed, his wrists bound in cold iron chains that clinked with the smallest movement.
"Where is Aldric? And why am I in chains?", Kairan asked his voice was low but sharp.
The head servant stiffened before answering.
"The king is... with Princess Lyria. As for the chains... they were a precautionary measure ordered by the former king."
Kairan's heart clenched. Lyria...
The moment the servant said her name, guilt struck him like a blade to the chest.
I hurt her.
The memory came rushing back-the fire, the chaos, and her unconscious face before darkness overtook him.
I lost control... and I hurt her.
A sickening wave of shame crashed over him. His hands trembled.
"I need to see Aldric," he said, his voice shaking with more than just desperation.
"The king will be back soon. He wishes to ensure you've taken your food first, Your Highness," the servant replied, trying to maintain composure.
Kairan let out a bitter laugh that held no humor.
He wants me to shut up and eat in a situation like this? I needed him. I begged him to stay by my side. I need to speak with him, need to know what really happened... but as always, he's never there when I need him.
"How do you expect me to eat when my hands are bound?" Kairan asked coldly.
The servant gestured to the guards, and one of them stepped forward, unlocking the chains with a soft click. His wrists throbbed as the weight of the shackles fell away.
"You can leave," Kairan said curtly. "I need to be alone. I'll inform the guards once I've finished."
The servants gave him a respectful nod and exited the room. Silence settled again.
As Kairan reached for the bowl, something unusual caught his eye. Nestled beneath the food was a folded note. Frowning, he pulled it out and read the hastily scrawled message:
Your father's life is in danger...
His heart skipped a beat.
"No... no, this has to be some kind of trick..." he muttered, his hands shaking. "But what if it's not? What if something's really happened to him?"
He glanced at the door, torn between fear and urgency. Before he could move, one of the palace guards slipped inside, eyes scanning the room quickly.
"You need to come with me your Highness," the guard whispered.
"Now."
"Who sent you?"
"Your Father" the guard said. "We don't have much time."
Kairan didn't hesitate. He followed the guard through hidden corridors, through darkness and silence, until he slipped out of the palace grounds unnoticed.
Kairan ran through the trees, boots thudding against the damp earth. The familiar scent of moss and pine filled the air. This path... it was carved into his memory. He had walked it countless times with his parents-hand in hand, under starlit skies.
But now, the air was thick with smoke.
And when the trees parted, Kairan's heart stopped.
His childhood home was ablaze. The flames devoured the roof and licked up the stone walls, painting the night sky in shades of orange and red.
"No..." he whispered. "No-no-"
He sprinted toward it, throwing his mana forward in a desperate burst. His energy was nearly drained, but he had enough for one last spell.
The fire pulled back just enough to let him through the front door.
The inside was chaos-burned furniture, shattered dishes, books reduced to ash. The walls were streaked with soot and something darker... something red.
Blood.
"Father!" Kairan cried out. "Are you here?!"
Silence answered him.
He stumbled forward, breath caught in his throat. He didn't want to believe it. Not yet. He couldn't. But every broken corner of the house screamed the truth.
His father was gone.
Amid the ruin, a single object remained untouched-tucked beneath a scorched shelf. A small wooden box.
Kairan picked it up with trembling fingers. Carved into the lid was a single name:
Meavira. His mother's.
He knelt before it, hands shaking as he opened it.
Inside was a simple silver locket. It bore a strange sigil-elegant and unfamiliar, yet eerily familiar. Something stirred in his soul when he looked at it.
Tears spilled freely as he collapsed to his knees, the locket clutched tightly to his chest.
"First my mother... and now-" his voice broke, "-my father... I have no one left."
He rocked slightly, gripping the locket like it was the last piece of his shattered soul. The echoes of his father's voice came back to him:
"You can always come home."
But home was now nothing but ashes and blood.
His thoughts drifted to Aldric.
Aldric... his mate.
The man who had made him feel safe once. Who promised to protect him. Who said they would face everything together.
But now, even that memory felt cold.
Kairan... don't break, he told himself. Not now. Not yet.
Back at the palace...
Lyria woke with a groan, her body aching from the attack. As her vision cleared, she realized she wasn't alone-Aldric and their father, Roderic, were seated by her bedside.
"You're awake," Aldric said softly, reaching for her hand.
She squeezed his fingers weakly. "Where's Kairan?" she asked immediately.
Aldric's lips parted, but Roderic spoke first, rising to his feet. "That creature? After what he did, you still ask for him?"
"Father-"
"Your mother still hasn't regained consciousness from the injuries she sustained last night," Roderic snapped. "And you were attacked, Lyria. Attacked by that thing you call your brother-in-law."
Lyria flinched, but shook her head. "No... something wasn't right. I felt it. It wasn't just him-I sensed something... dark."
Before Roderic could argue further, a guard entered hastily. "The king's chambers... they're empty. And the guards outside are dead."
Gasps filled the room.
Roderic stormed out, his voice booming in the hall. "This is exactly why I wanted him restrained! He's dangerous! He murdered our men and fled. We need to find him-now!"
"No!" Lyria said, rising to her feet despite the pain. "He wouldn't 't do this. I know he won't."
"Then explain the dead bodies, the chains he broke, the chaos he left behind!" Roderic growled.
A moment of silence.
Another guard entered, panting. "He was spotted near his old home, at the cliffside forest."
Roderic's jaw clenched. "Then what are you waiting for? Bring him back-by any means necessary! If he resists, you-"
"Enough!" Aldric's voice thundered through the chamber, loud and sharp as a blade.
Everyone froze.
Aldric stepped forward, his eyes blazing-not with fury, but with something deeper. Love. Pain.
"You will not send another guard after him," he growled. "You will not harm him. Kairan is not your prisoner to hunt like an animal. He is the man I love. He is My MATE."
Roderic turned to face him, incredulous. "Aldric-"
"No, Father," Aldric snapped. "You are no longer the king. I am. And I will bring my Kairan back.
Not in chains. Not under suspicion. I will prove his innocence. And I will not let this kingdom stain his name because of fear and ignorance."
The room went dead silent.
Then he turned sharply and strode out of the chamber, cloak trailing behind him, leaving the room in a stunned silence.
In the hallway, alone for a moment, he leaned against the cold stone wall and closed his eyes.
The weight of failure pressed heavily on his chest-he had failed Kairan again. Something had to change. He had to change.
No more waiting for others' approval. No more hesitation. As soon as he was sure Kairan was safe, he would mark him. He had to fix this... and he hoped it wasn't already too late.
His voice broke in a whisper, almost like a prayer.
"Please be safe, Kairan...I'm coming for you."