The night was too quiet.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as Kael moved through the estate grounds, heart thudding like a war drum. The air was thick with anticipation, and every shadow seemed to twitch with hidden threats.
He'd spent the last two days preparing. Quietly spreading rumors of unrest. Suggesting to the stablemaster to double-check the locks. Convincing a few skeptical guards to patrol longer routes. Seren, bless her, had done her part — leaving hints in her father's study, manipulating household routines subtly. No one fully believed the warnings, but the tension in the air was real.
Now, all Kael could do was wait.
He stood just inside the servant's hall, eyes locked on the outer courtyard, where the moonlight painted everything silver.
And then it happened.
The first scream pierced the air.
A moment later, flames erupted near the eastern stables, and dark figures surged over the outer walls — silhouettes of chaos and steel.
The bandits were here.
Kael didn't freeze. He couldn't afford to. He grabbed the kitchen knife he'd hidden under his tunic and sprinted toward the greenhouse. That's where Seren was supposed to be hiding. The plan was simple: get to her, get her to the hidden cellar, and—
"Kael!" a voice shouted.
He turned to see Thorne, one of the older guards, blood running down his arm, stumbling through the hallway. Thorne was supposed to be drunk right now — in the original story, he'd died in his sleep.
"What are you doing out here? Get to cover!" Thorne barked.
Kael made a split-second decision. "Come with me — I know where Lady Seren is!"
Thorne didn't question it. Something about Kael's tone, maybe. Or maybe the desperation in his eyes.
They ran together, ducking under falling beams, past panicking servants and clashing swords. The estate was already beginning to fall.
They reached the greenhouse just as three bandits kicked open the glass doors.
Kael didn't think — he lunged, slashing with his dull knife. It barely scratched the first man, but it distracted him long enough for Thorne's sword to cleave down with brutal force.
Seren shrieked, ducking behind a stone planter.
Kael grabbed her hand. "Come on! The cellar!"
The trio fled through the back, ducking into a hidden door beneath the kitchen stairs — a servants' wine vault. Kael kicked aside crates until he found the trapdoor beneath.
They dropped into the dark space just as another explosion rocked the estate.
Above them, the world burned.
But Kael, Seren, and Thorne were alive.
And that alone was enough to change everything.