The world hadn't even stopped spinning after the princess's declaration when another presence cut through the noise. He arrived like a blade through silk — the second son of the Dominion. Around sixteen, tall, strikingly handsome, with sharp features carved to perfection — but there was something twisted just beneath the surface. A cruelty in the way he smiled. A predator's amusement in his gleaming eyes.
The crowd rippled and parted instinctively, falling to their knees in one collective motion. All except us. We stood frozen, too shocked to react, too rattled by what we had just learned — that Adhivita, the girl who had saved us, who had walked among us like one of our own, was not just any noble. She was a princess. And we... we were nothing but liars in her eyes now.
I could feel the blood draining from my face, the horror rising in my chest. My mind reeled, flashing back to every story I had ever told her, every secret we had shared. We had trusted her. And now, because of that trust, we would be erased, like so many before us.
The prince's cold gaze landed on us. His smile widened into something uglier.
"You filthy bastards," he sneered, his voice slicing through the stunned silence. "Why didn't you bow?"
The guards around him shifted, hands moving to their weapons. The prince waved a lazy hand, almost bored.
"Kill them."
The command was so casual, so easy, it barely seemed to register. For a second, the world froze. The guards stepped forward, reaching for their weapons—and Adhivita moved.
A surge of blue light erupted around her, the Noctirum within her flaring to life. Her eyes blazed like twin stars, fierce and furious.
"Nobody touches them!" she shouted, voice cracking like thunder through the plaza.
The crowd gasped. The guards hesitated. The prince's face twisted into an ugly snarl.
"You dare—"
"You wanted me, brother," Adhivita cut him off, her voice trembling with anger. "Then take me. But you will not harm them."
Behind us, hands gripped our shoulders. Raghu and Janvi — the two guards we thought we had lost in the chaos — had appeared, pulling our heads down forcibly.
"Bow your heads," Raghu whispered harshly. "Follow our lead."
Loudly, Janvi stepped forward, her voice clear for everyone to hear.
"Forgive them, my Prince. These three... they lost their families in the Garbage Collapse last month. They've not been right since."
She kept her face respectfully lowered, but her voice was firm.
"They are broken, my lord. They know not what they do."
A long, tense silence followed. The prince looked at us, sneering, weighing whether it was worth the effort. Then he scoffed, a sharp, ugly sound.
"Who would want to waste time on garbage like this?"
He spun on his heel, signaling his guards. The golden chariot, gleaming under the harsh artificial sun, rolled forward. Adhivita climbed in without a word, her back straight, her face a mask.
But just before she disappeared behind the polished metal doors, she turned — and her eyes found mine. There was sorrow there. And something like a final goodbye. Then the chariot sped away, vanishing into the glittering streets.
I didn't move. I didn't breathe. I just stood there, heart splintering into pieces too small to gather. Betrayal. Fear. Heartbreak. They wrapped around me like a noose. But survival shouted louder.
Survive now. Feel later.
Raghu and Janvi pushed us into the crowd as the plaza erupted into movement. Among the milling soldiers and civilians, I caught glimpses — men and women in fake uniforms, their eyes too sharp, their movements too precise. Rebels. They had seen us. They had tried to move toward us. But the chaos swallowed them before they could reach us. Just like everything else.
At the same time, deep within the golden arches of the Dominion's palace, the prince and Adhivita stormed through the marble halls. The chariot had hardly stopped before the younger prince was already recounting the scene with twisted glee. Adhivita's silence followed them into the throne room.
Commander Navek Vyer sat upon a throne of obsidian and gold, carved into the shape of spreading wings. He did not stand. He did not need to. His presence alone filled the room with dread. The prince spoke first, quick and self-satisfied.
"She's been sneaking into the Lower Cities again. Disguising herself. Talking to the filth."
Adhivita stepped forward, her jaw set.
"Father, I—"
"Silence!"
The word thundered through the room. Adhivita flinched. The fire in her eyes faded as she bowed her head.
"You are not one of them. You are a daughter of Vashra. Act like it."
He flicked his hand toward her clothes.
"Change. Dress as a Vyer should. I will not tolerate this nonsense again."
The prince stood to the side, watching it all with a crooked, satisfied smirk. Adhivita didn't answer. She only turned and walked away, swallowed by gold and shadow.
Elsewhere in the city, in a shaded alley behind the market square, Vidhart stood among his rebel agents, listening as one of them spoke in hurried whispers.
"We saw them. Shivam. Dikshant. Aanchal. They're alive. The princess protected them."
Naina pressed a hand to her chest; her breath caught between disbelief and relief. Aman let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. They were alive. But the city was too crowded. Too dangerous. They couldn't reach them. Not yet.
"They'll come back to us," Vidhart said quietly, eyes on the palace. "We just need to be ready when they do."
And somewhere above them, the Dominion spun on, glittering and golden — a beautiful lie, hiding a thousand knives beneath its throne.