The first sign of Kael's collapse was not loud.
It was silence.
A courier failed to arrive. Then another. Then a third. The small but vital flow of information that had once fed him dried into scattered trickles. When he finally slammed his hand down on the table inside his rented sect pavilion, the echo was the loudest sound in the room.
"Where are they?" Kael demanded.
His aides exchanged uneasy looks. One of them, a thin young man with nervous eyes, bowed deeply. "My lord… the Azure Pavilion contact has gone dark. So have the canal merchants. Even the herb guild is refusing to sell us high‑grade supplies."
Kael's jaw tightened. "They wouldn't dare."
"They are," another aide whispered.
Something was wrong. Kael could feel it in his bones. Ever since Azrael had entered the capital, things had begun slipping out of alignment. At first it was subtle. Now it was undeniable.
Someone was strangling him… slowly.
Back in the palace, I was enjoying tea.
Seraphina sat across from me, delicately lifting her cup, her eyes flicking between me and the gentle ripples in the liquid.
"You look too relaxed," she said.
"I just won a small war without lifting a finger."
Her lips curved. "I knew it."
Before she could say more, the doors slid open. A palace attendant entered, bowing deeply.
"Your Highness, Lady Mireya has arrived."
Ah.
The next thread.
"Send her in."
Mireya stepped into the room like a flame given human form.
Long crimson hair fell down her back like silk, her eyes a deep molten gold. She was Kael's newest supporter, a wandering cultivator with a mysterious background and frightening potential. In the original story, she would have become one of his strongest allies.
In this timeline…
She stopped three steps into the room, gaze locking onto me.
"…So it's you."
Seraphina immediately stiffened, eyes narrowing.
"You feel it too, don't you?" I said calmly. "That pull. That pressure. Fate leaning in my direction."
Mireya swallowed. "I was told the Third Prince was dangerous. I didn't think… it would feel like this."
Seraphina leaned closer to me, possessively, her hand sliding over mine. "He's already taken."
Mireya's eyes flicked to their intertwined fingers. Something dark and curious stirred behind her gaze.
"I didn't come here for romance," Mireya said. "Kael is losing his support. I want to know why."
I stood, slowly approaching her.
"Because Kael is weak," I said softly. "He just doesn't know it yet. His allies are loyal to an idea. Mine are loyal to a person."
I stopped inches from her.
"And people are easier to steal than ideas."
Her breath hitched.
"You're manipulating everyone."
"Of course."
"Even me?"
I smiled faintly. "Especially you."
Seraphina watched, torn between jealousy and fascination. She hated seeing anyone else so close to me… but she also loved watching me bend others to my will.
Mireya exhaled slowly. "If I switch sides… what happens to me?"
"You get protection. Power. A place beside me."
"And Kael?"
"He continues to fall."
Mireya closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, her gaze was steady.
"…I choose you."
Seraphina clicked her tongue softly but said nothing.
I extended my hand.
Mireya hesitated only a second before taking it.
The thread snapped.
Another piece of Kael's world was gone.
That night, Seraphina cornered me on the palace balcony, the city glowing beneath us.
"You like her," she accused quietly.
"I find her useful."
"That's not what I meant."
I turned to her, placing my hands gently on her waist. "You're still here. Still at my side. Still the one who knows me best."
Her jealousy softened into something warmer.
"…Don't forget me."
"Never."
Far below, Kael stared out over the same city, unaware that another of his destined allies had just been taken from him.
The isolation was no longer subtle.
It was tightening.
🐉