The cold air inside the chamber was like frost on Rey's bones. His body lay chained, weakened, drained—not just of energy, but of trust. The chains clinked with every shallow breath he took. The dim torchlight flickered across the stone walls like shadows mocking him.
How long had he been there?
He didn't know. But time was no longer important.
Everything that had felt real—every glance, every smile, every word from Fianna—was now a blurred illusion that pierced deeper than any blade.
He had believed in her.
And she had destroyed him.
The door creaked open.
Rey didn't lift his head.
He knew it was her.
Fianna walked in with slow, unsure steps. She wasn't armored now. No tribal attire. Just a long, worn robe, darkened by time and shame. Her green skin looked pale in the flickering light, and her once-lively golden eyes held only grief and guilt.
She walked to the edge of the bed, her hands clenched.
"Rey," she said softly.
He said nothing.
She knelt down, looking up at him as tears welled in her eyes. "I never wanted it to end like this."
Still, he didn't speak.
"I… I had no choice," she whispered. "I was born for this. Raised by them. Trained to lure, to smile, to speak with false kindness." She paused, voice breaking. "But with you… it was different. I wasn't acting."
A cold breath escaped Rey's lips. "Yet you still did it."
Fianna looked down. "If I hadn't… my tribe would've been erased. Vladis would've—"
"I don't care," Rey interrupted, his voice flat like cracked ice. "You betrayed me. For your tribe? For duty? It doesn't matter."
Her lips trembled. "You meant something to me."
Rey finally looked at her.
His eyes—once full of wonder and hope—were now empty of warmth. But behind that stillness, a storm was forming. Quiet. Focused.
"I was a fool," he said. "To think I could find something pure in this cursed world."
Fianna bowed her head. "I'm sorry…"
"Keep your apologies," he muttered.
Silence lingered between them. Heavy. Cold.
She reached out to touch his hand—but he shifted it away, the chains rattling.
"You did what you thought you had to do," he said. "Now it's my turn."
"What… what do you mean?"
Rey closed his eyes, breathing slowly. "You told me once that fate cannot be escaped. Maybe that's true. But I'm not done. Not yet. Not like this."
She stared, confused.
"I will survive," Rey said. "And I will tear this nightmare apart from the inside. Vladis… the realm… even you, if I must."
Fianna flinched.
"I'm not your treasure," he growled. "I'm the fire that will burn everything down."
She stood, trembling. "Then… this is goodbye."
"No," Rey said as he turned his head slightly. "This is the beginning."
She hesitated at the door, one last glance cast over her shoulder. "You deserve more than this world gave you."
"I'll take it," he replied. "With my own hands."
Then she left.
Rey leaned back against the wall. Blood trickled from his wrists, rubbed raw by the iron bindings.
He felt pain.
But pain wasn't weakness.
It was proof he was still alive.
Still thinking.
Still waiting.
And somewhere in the echoing dark, he whispered to himself.
"This silence… is the womb of vengeance."
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