The cool night air was crisp against Evolis' skin as he walked Aeliana back toward her quarters. The palace grounds were quieter now, the echoes of the banquet and duels fading into memory. Only the distant murmurs of lingering nobles and the soft rustling of leaves in the night breeze remained.
Aeliana walked beside him, her usual sharpness softened, her expression unreadable. She hadn't spoken much since their conversation on the balcony, and Evolis found himself studying her in the dim light. She was deep in thought.
When they finally reached her chamber doors, she hesitated before turning to face him.
"This world hasn't been kind to you," she murmured, her emerald eyes searching his face. "And yet, you keep going."
Evolis smirked. "What else can I do?"
She exhaled softly. "Just… be careful."
Evolis tilted his head. "You almost sound worried about me, Princess."
Aeliana scoffed, crossing her arms. "Hardly." But her expression lingered for a second longer before she finally turned, pushing open her door. Before stepping inside, she cast one final glance over her shoulder. "Goodnight, Evolis."
He watched the door close behind her before turning away, the faintest smirk playing on his lips.
The halls were quieter now, the lanterns casting long shadows against the marble walls. He moved at a steady pace, his mind already shifting to the events of the night. The duel, the king's words about war, the reactions of the nobles… all of it swirled in his mind like a tangled web of intrigue and unseen dangers.
Then, his Seer's Gaze activated.
His vision flickered one second into the future—and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.
A blade was already through his throat.
A figure cloaked in darkness, moving with inhuman speed, had appeared behind him. The blade gleamed under the pale moonlight, aimed for a swift, clean kill.
His body tensed, his Etherion flaring in instinctive resistance, but even before he could react, he realized the truth. He couldn't dodge in time. The difference in power was too vast. The assassin was fast—too fast.
A Master Stage warrior.
And yet—
The moment the blade should have met his flesh, a shadow blurred into existence.
*CLANG!*
A shockwave erupted as metal met metal, the force of the impact sending a gust of displaced Etherion through the corridor. Evolis stumbled back, his golden eyes widening as the assassin's strike was intercepted.
By Varian.
The elven warrior had moved in utter silence, his silver eyes cold and focused as he stood between Evolis and the assassin. His blade, shimmering with spatial distortions, held the deadly strike at bay with effortless precision.
For the first time in a long while, Evolis felt something unnerving.
His Seer's Gaze had not seen Varian.
"Move." Varian's voice was a quiet command, carrying the weight of undeniable authority, the very space surrounding them bending to his will.
The assassin hesitated, muscles tensing as if gauging the distance between them, but it was already too late.
The very air around them twisted.
One moment, the assassin was poised to retreat into the shadows, the next—space itself folded. Space constricted around them like an invisible cage, warping with an unnatural hum.
Evolis barely registered what had happened before the assassin was yanked downward, slammed into the marble floor with crushing force. A silent pulse of Etherion had compressed the space around them, locking them in place.
A sharp grunt escaped the hooded figure as they struggled, only to find themselves utterly restrained. Their limbs trembled, unable to move beneath the weight of compressed spatial energy.
Varian exhaled, stepping forward with measured patience. His silver eyes gleamed like twin blades in the dark. "You should know better than to attempt to retreat before a Monarch."
The assassin let out a sharp breath but said nothing.
Evolis, still catching his breath, stepped closer, his golden eyes narrowing. "Who sent you?"
No response.
Varian sighed. With a flick of his wrist, the pressure around the assassin intensified. The stone beneath them cracked under the force of the condensed space, their breath hitching as the overwhelming Etherion dug into their very bones.
Still, they refused to speak.
"Tch." Varian studied them for a moment, then turned his attention to Evolis. "The king will want to interrogate them himself."
Evolis nodded, though his mind was still spinning. His Seer's Gaze had failed him. It had only shown him his death, but not Varian saving him. That fact alone unsettled him more than the assassin's presence.
His fists clenched slightly. "Why didn't my Seer's Gaze predict you?"
Varian gave him a long, considering look before responding.
"Because I was never within your perceivable future." He let the words settle before continuing, his voice quieter, but no less absolute. "Your ability does not see what does not exist in your dimension. I was hidden, outside the flow of space that you perceive. That is the difference between an Awakened and a Monarch."
The words should have sounded foreign, but they didn't. They made sense. Too much sense.
And for the first time, Evolis realized something—Varian had known about his ability.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly. "You… knew, didn't you?"
Varian held his gaze, his expression unreadable. "I suspected," he admitted. "I confirmed it during our training."
Varian had known there was something different about Evolis from the moment they first sparred. It wasn't just his rapid adaptability or the unnatural way his body adjusted to magic—it was his eyes.
During their training, Varian had been testing him. Subtly, carefully. His attacks had been layered with feints and unpredictability, designed to see how Evolis responded under pressure. Yet time and time again, the boy reacted just a moment too early. Not with instinct, but with certainty.
At first, Varian had assumed it was just heightened battle awareness, an advanced level of prediction honed through experience. But then, during a particularly fast exchange, Evolis had dodged an attack Varian hadn't even fully committed to throwing yet.
That was when the realization struck.
His gaze.
Those golden eyes weren't just sharp. They were calculating something beyond what should be possible.
Later, after training, when the exhaustion had settled in and the night air was cool, Varian had approached him.
"You see things before they happen," he had said, not as a question, but a statement.
Evolis had tensed for just a fraction of a second before rolling his shoulders. "Observation is key in combat."
Varian wasn't so easily fooled. His silver eyes had narrowed slightly. "It's more than that. I've fought warriors with heightened perception, with battle intuition so sharp they can almost predict the flow of a fight. But you? You know."
Evolis had exhaled slowly, tilting his head. "And if I did?"
Varian had studied him for a long moment before finally speaking. "Then you need to understand your limits."
Evolis had scoffed at that. "You think I don't?"
"No," Varian had said, his voice cool but not unkind. "I think you haven't had a reason to doubt it yet."
Evolis had fallen silent at that.
And now, standing before Varian in the wake of an assassination attempt, that moment carried a new weight.
His Seer's Gaze had limits. And tonight, he had finally come face to face with them.
His grip tightened slightly. He hated that realization. Hated that something he thought of as an absolute had cracked.
"You were studying me," Evolis muttered.
Varian nodded, unapologetic. "I needed to know what you could see. And what you couldn't."
Evolis exhaled sharply. "And you never thought to tell me?"
"I did." Varian's silver eyes didn't waver. "But I also knew you wouldn't listen. Not until you failed."
A quiet silence passed between them. Evolis hated how right he was.
He had thought of Seer's Gaze as invincible, his absolute advantage, the one thing that ensured he was never caught off guard. But tonight had proven otherwise.
There were things even his sight couldn't reach.
Evolis clenched his jaw slightly, his mind already filing away this revelation for later. There was more to space magic than he understood. And if his ability had weaknesses, he needed to find a way to overcome them.
'Next time,' he thought, 'I won't need saving.'
Varian didn't acknowledge his reaction, merely extending a hand outward. The space around the assassin pulsed again before warping completely.
A silent twist.
And then—they were gone.
Varian turned, his cloak shifting with the night breeze. "The king will be waiting."
Evolis let out a slow exhale, casting one last glance at the now-empty corridor. His thoughts were already working ahead, dissecting everything that had just happened.
This wouldn't be the last time someone tried to kill him.
But next time… he would be ready.
Without another word, he followed Varian towards the king's royal chamber.
---
The grand doors of the royal chamber loomed before Evolis, the intricate silver engravings gleaming under the dim candlelight. Two royal guards flanked the entrance, their expressions unreadable as they wordlessly pulled the doors open, allowing him passage.
Inside, the chamber was vast yet strangely intimate. Unlike the grand throne hall, this room bore the weight of true authority. A space where real decisions were made, beyond the watchful eyes of the court.
At the center, seated behind a carved obsidian table, was King Aldorien.
Although Evolis couldn't see it on the king's face, he could feel it... the anger that was brewing inside of him due to someone being daring enough to attempt to assassinate someone under his protection... in his castle no less.
His piercing silver eyes were already on him.
The air felt heavier the moment Evolis stepped inside. Not from magic, but from presence, the unmistakable pressure of a ruler who commanded simply by existing.
Varian stood to the side, arms crossed, his usual unreadable expression in place.
"Sit," the king commanded, motioning to the chair opposite him.
Evolis strode forward, ignoring the way the guards shifted ever so slightly at his approach. He wasn't in the mood for formalities.
Not after nearly dying in the halls of this very palace.
He sat.
A moment of silence stretched between them.
Aldorien's gaze was sharp, his fingers steepled before him.
"Tell me," he began, his voice quiet but unwavering, "what did you see?"
Evolis felt a flicker of tension coil in his chest. The way the king asked it—it wasn't just a casual inquiry. It was pointed. Deliberate.
He wasn't just asking about the assassin.
He was asking about his eyes.
For a brief second, Evolis considered his answer carefully. He had never spoken openly about the specifics of his Seer's Gaze. Few even knew it existed, aside from Aeliana, who had only seen glimpses of his unnatural reflexes, although she didn't really know the specifics, and Varian, who had pieced it together through sheer observation.
But now, sitting under the weight of Aldorien's gaze, it was clear this wasn't a moment for deception.
Because Varian had already told him.
The realization clicked in his mind.
Of course he had.
Varian was the king's right-hand. His most trusted warrior. His enforcer. There was no world in which he would keep something like Evolis' ability hidden, not when it concerned someone as politically volatile as him.
So that's what this is.
Aldorien wasn't asking to confirm if Evolis had an ability.
He was asking to gauge how much Evolis was willing to admit.
A slow exhale left Evolis' lips, his shoulders relaxing just slightly. No point in hiding it, then.
His golden eyes flickered with a subdued glow as he met the king's gaze.
"A blade. My death." His voice was steady, unreadable.
Then, after a beat—
"But not my rescue."
The king's expression didn't shift, though something unreadable passed through his gaze. "Then it seems your ability is not as absolute as you believed."
Evolis' jaw clenched slightly. He already knew that. Hearing it spoken aloud didn't make it sting any less.
"And the assassin?" Aldorien prompted.
Evolis narrowed his eyes. "Master Stage, at the very least. I didn't see their face. Only their intent." His voice hardened. "They were aiming to kill. Not injure. Not warn."
Aldorien nodded slightly, as if he had already expected this.
"The attempt was reckless," the king murmured. "Sloppy, even."
Evolis frowned. "Sloppy?"
"Yes." Aldorien's silver gaze was piercing. "An assassination within my palace? On a night when security was at its highest?" He shook his head, a flicker of irritation slipping through his usually impassive demeanor. "Whoever ordered this attack did not care if the attempt succeeded. Their true goal was to send a message."
Evolis frowned, considering that. If they truly wanted him dead, wouldn't it have been more effective to strike when he was alone? The attempt had been… bold.
Perhaps too bold.
A calculated risk. A warning.
"They wanted me to know," Evolis muttered.
Aldorien nodded once. "Indeed."
A silence stretched between them.
Evolis exhaled. "And what do you intend to do about it?"
The king studied him for a long moment before speaking. "I will do what must be done. My kingdom is already at war on one front. I will not allow another conflict to fester within my own court." His voice was cold, carrying the weight of a ruler who had long since learned that power was never without opposition.
Evolis met his gaze evenly. "So what happens now?"
Aldorien's lips curled ever so slightly. Not in amusement, but in acknowledgment.
"You survive," the king said simply. "And you prove that no assassin, nor hidden enemy, will be enough to remove you from the board."
His words carried unspoken weight.
Survival was not just expected—it was a challenge.
A warning.
Evolis' smirk was slow, deliberate. "You almost sound like you're rooting for me."
Aldorien's gaze didn't waver. "I do not waste time rooting for pieces I cannot use."
Evolis chuckled under his breath. "Good to know where I stand."
Aldorien leaned back. "You stand exactly where you should, Evolis Aetherion." His voice was calm. "For now."
A pause. Then—
"You are dismissed."
Evolis stood without hesitation, his golden eyes lingering on the king for a brief moment before he turned and strode toward the doors.
As he stepped into the corridor, the weight of the conversation settled over him.
For now.
Aldorien was watching. Calculating. And Evolis had no doubt that tonight's events had shifted something within the king's plans.
The game was changing.
And whether he liked it or not—he was playing.
The hallway was eerily quiet, the echoes of his own footsteps the only sound as Evolis made his way back toward the guest quarters.
Then, in the distance—hurried footsteps.
He turned just as Aeliana came into view.
She wasn't walking—she was rushing.
Her silver hair, always so carefully kept, was slightly disheveled, her usually composed expression cracking under the weight of something she rarely showed.
Worry.
The moment her gaze locked onto him, she exhaled sharply, as if she had been holding her breath.
"You—!" Aeliana stopped short, her emerald eyes scanning him hurriedly, as if checking for any lingering injuries. Her fingers clenched and unclenched at her sides before she crossed the distance between them in three quick steps.
Evolis raised a brow. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Aeliana scowled. "Don't be an idiot."
He smirked. "Oh? I thought I was the reckless one."
She didn't take the bait. Instead, she exhaled, her arms tightly folded, as if restraining herself from reaching out.
Her voice dropped slightly. "I heard what happened."
Evolis tilted his head. "Let me guess. Varian."
She hesitated, then nodded.
Evolis chuckled. "And here I thought you were cold, Princess."
Aeliana blushed. "I—"
A rare sight to see for Evolis, as he took a mental picture to capture this memory.
"Are you blushing?" Evolis grinned.
She whirled around. "Tch. Forget it. I should've let you die."
Evolis laughed. A genuine one this time. The tension from the night bled away just slightly as he shook his head.
"Relax," he said, voice lighter now. "I'm fine."
Aeliana's back was still to him, but she didn't move.
For a moment, she was quiet.
Then, in a softer voice, she spoke.
"You almost weren't."
Evolis' smile faded slightly.
The cold elven princess—the one who never faltered, who never let anything touch her—had cracked. Even for just a moment.
Aeliana turned back slightly, her emerald eyes unreadable. "Just… be more careful."
Evolis smirked. "Worried about me?"
She scoffed. "Hardly."
But Evolis caught the faintest tinge of red dusting her ears before she spun on her heel and strode away.
Evolis watched her retreating figure for a moment.
Then, shaking his head, he chuckled under his breath and made his way back to his room.