The first thing Kael did when he realized he was being suffocated was not panic.
It was anger.
Deep inside a rented cultivation pavilion in the outer noble district, he paced back and forth, fists clenched, golden spiritual energy flickering faintly around his body.
"Someone is stealing my people," he said through his teeth. "I don't know how, but I can feel it. Like pieces of my destiny are being cut away."
His remaining companions exchanged worried glances.
One of them, a tall woman with blue eyes and long ash‑brown hair, stepped forward. "Then we strike back. We find whoever is doing this and expose them."
Kael stopped pacing.
"…Azrael."
The name tasted bitter.
"He's the only one with that kind of reach," Kael continued. "The only one arrogant enough to do this in the open."
His eyes burned with determination. "Prepare a formal challenge. I will meet him in public. If he wants to steal my fate… I'll force him into the light."
Back in the palace, I was aware of Kael's decision long before the message arrived.
Seraphina was sitting on my lap, idly playing with my hair while Mireya stood nearby, arms crossed, watching us with a faint, unreadable expression.
"You're doing this on purpose," Mireya said. "The closeness. You want reactions."
"Everything I do has a reason."
Seraphina smirked slightly, her possessive side showing. "Good. Let her see who you belong to."
Mireya scoffed. "Confident for someone who just joined the harem."
Seraphina's emerald eyes narrowed.
I let them glare at each other for a moment before speaking.
"Enough. If you're going to compete, do it in a way that amuses me."
Both of them went quiet immediately.
Satisfied, I turned just as a messenger entered, kneeling.
"Your Highness. Kael of the Dawn Path Sect has issued a formal public challenge. He requests a confrontation in the Grand Sky Arena."
I smiled.
"So he's finally decided to bark."
Seraphina's fingers tightened around my sleeve. "You're going."
"Of course."
Mireya tilted her head. "And if he loses?"
"He won't just lose," I said calmly. "He'll break."
That evening, word spread across the capital.
The Third Prince.
The Hero.
A public confrontation.
Crowds gathered. Nobles whispered. Cultivators speculated.
On the surface, it was a duel.
In truth…
It was a battle for fate itself.
Seraphina walked beside me as we prepared to leave. She looked up at me, her gaze intense.
"Don't get hurt," she said softly.
I brushed my thumb across her cheek. "Who do you think I am?"
Her lips curved into a proud, possessive smile.
Mireya followed a step behind, watching us with an expression that was part jealousy, part curiosity, part something deeper.
Far across the city, Kael stood in the arena, unaware that not only his power—but even the hearts meant to stand beside him—were already slipping through his fingers.
And tonight…
The world would finally see who truly owned destiny.
🐉