Grayhaven changed overnight.
Not in noise.
Not in fear.
In readiness.
Lira noticed it first at dawn.
Guards doubled at the gates.
Messengers moved fast, quiet, focused.
"Kael… the city feels tight," she said.
He stood beside her at the window.
Everyone is holding their breath, his intent replied.
The Seer entered the room, cloak damp with morning mist.
"The heir sent word," he said.
"He will arrive by midday."
Lira's heart jumped.
"So soon…"
"Yes," the Seer answered.
"He doesn't want time to stretch fear."
Kael felt that clearly.
Control through presence.
Lira sat slowly on the bed.
"What does he want to say to us?"
The Seer didn't answer immediately.
"When powerful people speak," he said carefully,
"they don't ask.
They frame choices."
Outside, a bell rang once.
Not an alarm.
A signal.
The city council gathered in the square.
Kael and Lira were escorted there—not guarded.
Accompanied.
People stepped aside as they walked.
Not because they were ordered to
Because they chose to.
Lira felt the weight settle again.
Expectation.
At the center of the square stood a raised stone platform.
Empty.
Waiting.
The scarred woman stood near it.
"He will not bring soldiers," she said quietly.
"He wants this clean."
Lira swallowed.
"He thinks words are enough."
The woman nodded.
"And sometimes… they are."
The crowd grew silent.
Then
The air shifted.
Not wind.
Not magic.
Presence.
A man stepped into the square from the eastern road.
Alone.
No armor.
No crown.
Simple dark clothes.
Calm eyes.
The bond reacted instantly—not in fear.
Recognition.
Lira's breath caught.
"Kael… that's him."
He felt it too.
The heir stopped at the edge of the platform.
He didn't climb it.
Didn't raise his voice.
"People of Grayhaven," he said calmly.
"I come without blades."
The city stayed silent.
His eyes moved slowly
until they found Lira.
Then Kael.
"You carry something rare," he said.
"And dangerous."
Lira's hands shook.
Kael stepped half a step forward.
The heir noticed—and smiled faintly.
"Good," he said.
"You stand together."
He looked back at the city.
"I'm not here to take them."
Murmurs rippled.
The heir raised one hand.
"I'm here to offer a future."
Lira felt cold creep into her chest.
Offers were never free.
The heir's gaze returned to them.
"Walk with me," he said softly.
"And I will ensure no one ever hunts you again."
Silence crushed the square.
Lira felt Kael's intent spike.
This is the trap.
The heir waited.
Patient.
The city watched.
And the choice
Had finally arrived.