Chapter 16:A Game of Shadows
While Victoria earned her place through courage and gathered allies through valor, Phina moved in the shadows, carefully weaving a deadly plan to deceive Marcus and lead him to his end.
But Marcus was no easy target.
He carried darkness within him—something dangerous, something only Prince Eric truly understood. Marcus had long been the one to carry out Eric's most ruthless commands, and because of that, there was very little he feared.
Phina knew this well.
Marcus already saw her as a villain, and perhaps he wasn't wrong. After all, it takes one to recognize another. He had never trusted her, and that made her plan even more dangerous.
Still, she believed Marcus wanted the throne. And if he claimed it, she would lose everything—her crown, her power, her place. So she chose to play a dangerous game, convincing herself she was in control.
What she didn't realize… was that she was merely a pawn in Marcus's.
Unknown to many, Marcus was bound to a demon—one he had kept hidden even from the secret clan known as the Forgotten.
Unlike most, his demon was not entirely malevolent. It granted him power, but not without limits. Even so, it whispered, guided, and watched.
And Marcus listened.
Phina found him in the royal hall, seated in silence, already deep in thought. He, too, was planning—calculating how to bring his clan to Axel and dethrone his brother.
Her footsteps echoed softly as she approached.
Marcus didn't look up. He didn't acknowledge her presence.
Still, she spoke.
"Eric has changed since he summoned Den," she said, her voice low, trembling just enough to seem real. "He speaks of cleansing his bloodline… Tell me, Marcus, how can blood cleanse blood?"
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"He knows who you are. The king's true son.
The rightful heir. And he fears you."
That caught his attention.
Marcus slowly lifted his head, his gaze sharp and filled with restrained fury. Silence swallowed the room.
"Eric and I have an understanding," he said coldly. "I do what he is too noble to do himself."
Phina shook her head.
"Not anymore. He plans to destroy your clan—the Forgotten. He intends to use them against you."
In an instant, Marcus was on his feet.
His hand closed tightly around her throat, lifting her slightly as his voice dropped into something far more dangerous.
"How do you know about them?" he demanded. "Even Den does not know of my clan. So tell me… how do you?"
Phina clawed weakly at his hand, struggling for breath.
"Let me go… and I'll tell you," she choked.
After a brief pause, he released her.
She staggered back, coughing, before quickly continuing her lie.
"I overheard Den," she said. "He told Eric to send soldiers to the Forbidden Forest—where your clan hides. To kill them all… except one. A woman with blue eyes. He wants her."
She steadied herself, then added carefully,
"But I can help you. Help me in return. When you bring war to Axel, protect me and my family."
Marcus said nothing.
"Meet me tonight, beyond the palace walls," she continued. "I'll give you a map to Eric's vault. Everything he values is there… including the scroll you seek."
Marcus exhaled slowly, studying her.
"Why betray your husband… for someone like me?" he asked.
Phina's lips curved faintly.
"Someone like you?" she echoed. "You are the most powerful man in Axel—and the true heir. I intend to keep my crown. Eric is blind to what Den is turning him into. I would rather stand with you than fall with him."
A dry laugh escaped Marcus.
Within him, his demon stirred, its voice slithering through his thoughts:
She craves power… but this reeks of a trap.
Den is near. I can feel him.
Marcus already knew.
Still, he nodded.
"I'll meet you," he said. "But if this is a trap… I will feed you to my shadow."
Phina agreed too quickly, too confidently. She trusted that Den would take control of what followed.
What she didn't know… was the truth.
Red-eyed demons could not harm those protected by blue-eyed ones.
Marcus knew.
He understood the balance of power in Axel—the demons, their limits, their secrets. He had spent years preparing, waiting, learning how to awaken and control them.
Phina's offer wasn't a threat.
It was an opportunity.
Through her, he could reach Den… and claim the scroll he had long sought.
Den may have been powerful—but even he could not touch one shielded by a blue-eyed demon.
That was why he had been patient.
Why he had waited.
Why Victoria mattered.
Because the one protecting her—Lucas—was a blue-eyed demon.
And in this game of power, that changed everything.
Marcus went to the meeting place as agreed, but Phina was nowhere to be found. Instead, palace guards surrounded him.
In the middle of the chaos, Eric had no idea that his own brother was being set up and offered as a sacrifice within the palace.
Marcus didn't resist. He calmly allowed the guards to take him, and they brought him straight to Den.
The moment Marcus arrived, Den sensed something unusual. He immediately noticed the presence of the blue-eyed woman he had been searching for.
"Dia… so you chose to bond with this human instead of me," Den said, his voice sharp with disbelief. "I thought you wanted power. So why choose a human?"
Dia responded coldly,
"Don't pretend you ever cared about me. You don't love me—you want my eyes and your daughter's heart for your ritual to become a god. And I know what you plan to do after that. I won't let you bring chaos into this world… not after what you did to him—our protector."
Den knew he couldn't kill Marcus, so he quickly changed his approach.
"I don't need to fight you," Den said. "I want your help instead. Talk to Eric. He's becoming unstable."
Marcus frowned slightly.
"Den… what have you done to Eric?"
Den let out a low laugh.
"And you? You're secretly building an army to overthrow him without his knowledge. Do you really have the right to question me?" he said. "He wanted power… so I gave him what he asked for. I trained him."
"Trained him?" Marcus repeated.
As they shifted between worlds, Den's anger exploded. With a single command, every door and window slammed shut. The room fell into deep silence and darkness—except for the soft blue glow from Dia's eyes, which lit the space with a warm, steady light.
Using that moment, they escaped.
Marcus knew Phina was behind what had happened. But seeing Eric lying there, weak and broken, he couldn't prove it or act against her yet.
So they left, choosing instead to prepare their next move.