Post Battle
The battlefield had fallen silent. Only the wind moved now—carrying with it the metallic scent of blood and the crisp sting of ice.
Frost clung to bodies like a shroud. Crimson smeared across white snow in brutal strokes.
Evie stood hunched, panting, daggers dripping red. Around them: the broken remnants of the Lord of Dovrin's men.
Levi swayed on her feet. Her skin had gone pale—almost translucent. Her breath came shallow, her body shaking uncontrollably. She clutched her arms, willing her limbs to obey.
Evie (rushing over):"Levi? Levi—hey! Where's your coat?!"
Levi opened her mouth, but no words came. She shook her head. She hadn't brought it. Stupid.
Hoofbeats echoed from the mist.
Winter. Alexander. Crane. Dismounting fast, weapons drawn—until their eyes landed on the scene.
Shock bloomed across their faces.
Alexander (half-grinning, raisinga brow):"Damn... didn't know you were this good, Levi Adler."
Evie, struggling to keep Levi upright, turned on them.
Evie (snapping):"You were watching! The whole time! Why the hell didn't you jump in?"
Alexander (mock offense):"Wait—you knew?"
Evie (eye roll):"You're terrible at hiding. We've got eyes too, genius."
Crane chuckled, rare. Even Winter's mouth twitched at the corner—until he saw Levi.
Her knees gave.
Evie caught her with a curse, arms tightening.
Crane (stepping forward, low):"We're sorry, Lady Ford. If we'd stepped in too early, the plan would've collapsed."
Levi (barely audible):"I know… it's fine…"
But her body wasn't. Her legs gave out.
Winter moved.
Fast.
In one fluid motion, he unfastened his thick black coat and tossed it to Evie.
Winter (firmly):"Wrap her. Stabilize her core."
Evie caught it, didn't hesitate. She swathed Levi tightly, pulling her close. Levi barely reacted. Her lips had gone blue.
Alexander (quietly):"She froze herself… to keep us alive."
Crane (checking his satchel):"We need to move. She needs heat—and that antidote won't brew itself."
Winter (low, eyes locked on Levi):"She's stronger than all of us. But I guess even she has a limit."
Dovrin Manor – Treasury Hall
The palace screamed chaos. Distant shrieks. Slamming doors. Thunder of boots on marble.
Inside the treasury, gold clinked as the Lord of Dovrin clawed at overflowing chests, stuffing jewels and scrolls into velvet sacks.
His general burst in—bruised, limping, eyes wild.
General (gasping):"She's alive! The others joined her—it's over! They're coming!"
The Jonas paled. He staggered, grabbing coins blindly, sweat soaking through silk.
Jonas (panicked):"No, no... I was promised! I was promised protection!"
He lunged for the door, sacks dragging.
Stopped cold.
They stood there. All of them.
Alexander leaned against his sword, grinning.
Alexander: "Going somewhere, Baron Limbers?"
Crane stepped forward, blade drawn, jaw tight.
Crane (soft, dangerous):"All that gold won't buy you forgiveness."
Winter stood center—still, silent, eyes unreadable.
Then—
Evie stepped up, fists clenched. Her knuckles cracked.
She raised a hand, rage ready to strike—
Levi (behind them, weak but clear):"Evie."
The world held still.
Levi stood, wrapped in Winter's coat, pale but upright.
Levi (calm, steel underneath):"Let them handle it. No point getting our clothes bloodier."
Evie hesitated. Then exhaled hard and lowered her hand.
Evie (grumbling):"Fine. But he's lucky you spoke first."
Alexander (to Jonas):"You should thank her."
Winter (cold):"Take him."
Crane signaled. Guards moved like shadows. The Lord sputtered, gold spilling as they dragged him out.
Jonas (shouting):"I was loyal! I did what I had to! I was promised!"
Levi (quiet, to no one):"Everyone's promised something. Doesn't mean they deserve it."
The doors slammed shut.
Silence.
Then—
Alexander (clapping once):"Well, that was satisfying."
Evie (grinning):"And clean. For once."
Winter glanced at Levi. His eyes lingered. Then he turned, walking ahead.
Dovrin Dungeon – Nightfall
The torches flickered low.
Chains rattled. Water dripped. The stench of damp earth and old blood clung to the stones.
The Lord of Dovrin sat slumped—chained, bruised, sweat-matted hair falling in his eyes.
At the base, Levi stood cloaked in warmth, speaking into a glowing orb.
Levi: "The herb is a variant of frostroot. It mutates the blood—cripples the immune system. That's how the plague spreads. Crane and Evie are finishing the neutralizer. We'll have a prototype soon."
Maximus (in the orb, nodding):"Good work, Levi. Stay sharp."
She ended the call just as Alexander strode in, sword sheathed, coat already on.
Alexander: "I'll head to the capital. The Emperor needs the truth. I'll take the fast route."
Levi: "Safe travels."
He gave a two-finger salute, disappearing into the corridor.
Dungeon – Later
Winter loomed over the Baron. His grip twisted the man's wrist, tendons straining.
Jonas (whimpering):"Please—stop—"
Winter (calm):"Speak. Or I'll snap it."
A voice echoed from the shadows.
Levi: "Young Duke."
Winter looked back.
Levi stepped into the light, hands behind her back, expression blank but burning.
Levi: "May I? I have questions. And I'd prefer privacy."
A beat.
Winter stared at her.
Then let go of the Baron's wrist.
Winter (bowing slightly):"As you wish, m'lady."
She inclined her head in return.
The door creaked. Slammed shut. Silence fell.
Only Levi and the Lord remained.
She stepped closer—measured, patient.
Levi (softly):"Let's talk. Just you and me."
The torchlight flickers against the damp stone walls as Levi drags a heavy chair forward. Its legs scrape across the floor, the grating sound slicing through the silence like a warning.
She sits. Crosses one leg over the other. Her elbow rests on the armrest, gloved fingers curling under her chin.
Across from her, the Lord of Dovrin, Baron Jonas shifts in his restraints. Sweat clings to his brow. He's trying to read her expression—calm, unreadable. Dangerous.
Levi (coolly):"Let's not waste each other's time. Who gave the order?"
He chuckles—dry and hoarse, like gravel scraping bone.
Jonas (grinning):"I already told you people. I don't know anything."
A pause stretches. Levi blinks once. Then leans back ever so slightly, her gaze sharpening like glass.
Levi: "I'll ask nicely. Once more."
Silence. Just the sound of torchfire and his smirk widening.
Levi's eyes lower—calm, detached.
And then—
The Cynefin butterflies appear. Silent. Invisible to all but her.
They flutter around the Lord's head—graceful, delicate.
He blinks. And then—
A sharp cry. Pain. Sudden and blinding.
Jonas (groaning):"What… what is this?!"
He jerks forward, chains rattling, panic dawning in his eyes as the pressure builds—gnawing, whispering, clawing into his mind.
Jonas (screaming):"STOP IT! I'LL SAY IT—I'LL SAY IT, PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!"
Levi says nothing.
She leans her chin into her hand, watching as the invisible butterflies twist tighter. His screams turn ragged. His body shudders, convulses—
And then—
Snap.
Levi exhales. The butterflies vanish.
Silence returns.
The Baron collapses forward, drenched in sweat. Barely conscious. Gasping.
When he lifts his head, her eyes are already waiting.
Levi (softly):"Now… will you tell me?"
He trembles. Broken. Mouth twitching.
Jonas (whispering):"It was… a maid… I don't know her. She had a mask on."
The words hang heavy in the room—dense, damning.
Levi's gaze tightens. Just a fraction. Her voice slices like frost.
Levi: "I thought so."
Stone Hallway
The dungeon door groans open. Levi steps out, the echo of her heels clicking against the stone stretching down the corridor.
Torchlight casts her shadow long behind her.
At the far end, leaning against the wall like he's been waiting for hours, stands Winter Verlice. Arms crossed. Eyes unreadable.
He straightens the moment he sees her.
Their eyes meet—his golden, quiet and analytical. Hers, ice-sharp.
She doesn't stop walking.
Levi (calmly):"It was Consort Hayes."
She moves to pass. But just as she nears, his hand lifts—not touching, but close. A silent stop.
Winter (low):"What did you do, m'lady? I heard him scream."
She pauses. Tilts her head toward him. Only slightly.
Levi (without hesitation):"What you couldn't."
And then she walks past. Her coat swaying behind her like trailing smoke.
Winter watches her go.
Something flickers in his eyes.
But he says nothing.
Medical Tent
The scent of herbs hangs heavy in the air, tinged with warm lamplight and the bite of crushed root.
Levi enters the makeshift lab. Bottles clink softly. Diagrams and notes litter the table. In the center of it all—Evie and Crane, deep in work.
Evie looks up, goggles pushed to her head.
Levi: "How's the antidote?"
Evie wipes her hands, sweat-streaked but grinning.
Evie: "You're just in time. We're close. Crane says we'll have a working prototype in a few hours. Might taste like dirt, though."
Crane (without looking up):"No promises. But it'll work."
Levi gives a quiet nod. Her eyes scan the notes, calculating.
Her calm has returned.
But the game has changed.
Imperial Palace – Throne Hall
The grand hall gleams. Polished marble mirrors the golden inlays above, catching sunlight that cuts through stained glass like divine judgment. Imperial banners hang tall. Guards line the aisle, silent and sharp.
The doors creak open—heavy, echoing through the vastness.
Alexander Romerro strides in. Dust still clings to his cloak from the road. He walks with purpose.
At the far end, the Emperor watches from his obsidian-and-gold throne. His expression—serene, but unblinking. Predatory.
The murmuring advisors fall silent as he raises a single finger.
Alexander approaches the dais. Bows.
Alexander: "Your Majesty. I bring urgent news from Dovrin."
The Emperor gestures—rise.
Emperor Kealen: "Speak."
Alexander (measured):"The plague near the border—it wasn't natural. Contaminated herbs laced into the water supply. The local lord was complicit."
A ripple of gasps surges through the advisors.
Another lifted hand.
Silence returns.
Alexander (continuing): "Lady Levi Adler discovered it first. Evie Ford assisted. Winter and I arrived shortly after. The Lord of Dovrin has been detained. The finalizing of the antidote is ongoing."
The Emperor rises. His robes move like a living shadow.
Emperor (quietly, dangerous): "You're telling me… the Adler girl uncovered a political poisoning, dismantled the plot, and subdued the instigator—without orders. In just 4 days?"
Alexander doesn't flinch.
Alexander (smirking slightly):"She's an Adler, Father."
A pause.
Then—
A sliver of a smirk tugs at the corner of the Emperor's mouth.
Emperor Kealen (low, amused): "Impressive."
He turns to his advisors.
Emperor Kealen: "Prepare a public trial. Let the Empire see what betrayal looks like."
Then back to Alexander.
Emperor Kealen: "Well done. And keep your eyes on her. That girl is dangerous—"
A beat.
"In the best way."
Alexander bows again.
Pride blooms in his chest.
And behind his eyes—
He already knows.
The game has begun.
Medical Tent
The room pulsed with heat and quiet urgency—flasks bubbling, herbs strewn across stained tables, steam rising from a central cauldron like ghostly breath. Crane wiped the sweat from his brow. Across from him, Evie grinned, lifting a small vial of bluish liquid glowing faintly in the low light.
Evie: "It's done."
Crane took the vial, tilting it to catch the shimmer. It refracted like lightning through glass.
Crane: "Stable. Fast-acting. It'll cleanse the system in hours once it hits the main waterline."
The door creaked open.
Winter stepped in, deliberate and composed. Behind him came Levi, her coat drawn tightly around her shoulders—body warm again, but eyes colder than ever.
Winter: "You've got something for us?"
Crane handed over the vial with a short nod.
Crane: "The antidote. Fully synthesized. All that's left… is to release it."
Levi took the vial without a word. Studied the color—cool blue, like frost creeping over fire. She didn't look at anyone. Especially not him.
Levi: "How much do we need?"
Evie: "A few vials poured straight into the main chamber. Since the herbs were diluted through the town, this should undo it just as fast."
Crane: "We need to go. Sooner's better."
Levi's expression didn't flicker, but her hand curled slightly tighter around the vial.
Levi: "Then we finish what we started."
Winter gave a curt nod. No emotion. Just ice and intent.
Winter: "Then let's cleanse Dovrin."
Dovrin – Main Water Supply
The sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the hills. The canal stretched before them—wide, ancient, poisoned.
Levi and Evie knelt beside the stone lip, uncorking the vials with precise, practiced hands. One by one, they poured the antidote into the green current.
The hiss was soft. Barely audible. But it came—like breath returning to lungs long closed.
Where blue met green, the corruption began to dissolve. Inch by inch, the stream cleared—murk fading to clarity.
An hour later, the canal shimmered—pure and clean, like it had never been touched by poison.
Crane stood on a platform near the square. His voice rang out through the air, loud and certain.
Crane: "People of Dovrin! The water is safe. Drink. Wash your wounds. Feed your fields. Let the land breathe again."
At first, there was silence.
Then—movement. Cheers broke out across the crowd. Townsfolk surged forward, dipping hands, buckets, faces into the clean stream. Laughter echoed. Children splashed. Old men cried without shame.
Near the canal, Levi stood, brushing dirt from her gloves.
Levi: "Two horses. Now."
Her voice was flat. To no one in particular. But Winter moved.
Winter: "Crane."
Crane didn't hesitate. A guard was already in motion.
Fifteen minutes later, two horses stood ready. Saddled. Waiting.
Evie slung her pack over her shoulder. Levi pulled her hood up. Neither of them looked back.
There were no goodbyes. No speeches. No parting words.
Just silence. And the sound of leaving.
Winter stood off to the side, arms crossed, coat catching in the wind. His eyes stayed locked on them—but Levi never looked his way. Not even once.
Evie raised a casual hand in farewell as they mounted. Levi said nothing.
And then they rode.
Straight into the falling light. Into dust and sky and distance.
Winter didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't follow.
He only watched. Expression unreadable.Silent as the wind tore past him.