Chapter 6 : Seran’s Warning.

The noble hall was chaos.

Guards swarmed the ballroom, weapons drawn. Nobles shouted over each other, demanding answers. A few women screamed as Lord Aldryn's body was dragged away, blood smearing across the polished marble floor.

But Ethan barely noticed any of it.

His focus was locked on Seran Durell.

The general hadn't moved.

While the rest of the room spiraled into panic, Seran simply watched.

He watched the guards fumble for order.

He watched the nobles scramble to protect themselves.

And then—he watched Ethan.

Ethan knew he should turn away. Pretend to be just as shocked as the rest of the crowd.

But Seran's gaze was like a vice.

Cold. Unreadable. Amused.

And then, slowly—Seran started walking toward him.

Ethan's throat went dry.

Seran reached him with effortless grace, as if he were merely strolling through a garden.

"You're calm," Seran murmured, tilting his head.

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"Most of the people here are panicking." Seran glanced at the nobles still shouting at the guards. "And yet… you're just standing there. Observing."

Ethan forced a nervous chuckle. "It's a shock, but—what am I supposed to do? Scream?"

Seran smiled slightly. "No. I suppose not."

A pause.

Then—Seran's golden eyes flickered with interest.

"You were at Fort Ironwood."

Ethan's stomach dropped.

"Weren't you?" Seran continued. "One of the… survivors."

Ethan kept his expression neutral. This was bad.

If Seran was asking about Ironwood, it meant he was already digging into who had lived and who had died.

And Ethan had no way of knowing what Seran already suspected.

So he played dumb.

"I was," he said with a careful nod. "I was lucky to escape."

"Lucky," Seran repeated. His gaze sharpened. "Tell me. How did it feel?"

Ethan frowned. "How did what feel?"

Seran's smile widened. But it wasn't friendly.

"To watch history change before your eyes."

Ethan went completely still.

His blood turned to ice.

For a split second, he forgot to breathe.

Seran watched him, amused. "Ah," he murmured. "That's the expression I was looking for."

Ethan forced himself to recover. Too late.

Seran already knew.

Or, at the very least—he suspected.

He's testing me.

Ethan needed to get out of here. Now.

Before Ethan could answer, a guard shouted across the hall.

"My lords! The assassin has been found—dead in the courtyard!"

The attention immediately shifted.

Seran glanced toward the guards, looking briefly annoyed.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

He took a step back. Then another.

And then—he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

His hands trembled as he pushed through the nobles, heading for the side entrance.

He needed to get back to Lysia and Kael.

Because now, more than ever, he was running out of time.

Seran Durell was onto him.

And that meant Ethan's days of hiding in the background were over.

Ethan moved quickly, slipping through the side entrance of the estate.

He didn't stop.

Didn't look back.

The noble gathering faded behind him, the distant shouts of the guards still ringing through the halls. But Ethan's thoughts were locked on one thing.

Seran knew.

Maybe not everything. Maybe not the full truth.

But he suspected.

And that was bad enough.

Ethan clenched his fists, forcing his breathing to steady as he made his way back to the safe house where Lysia and Kael were waiting.

He had to warn them.

Velmire's lower district was a different world from the noble estates.

The streets were narrow, the buildings crumbling, the air thick with the scent of damp wood and burning oil. Crime thrived in the back alleys, and the city guard had long since given up trying to enforce order.

Which was exactly why Ethan had chosen it.

No one would ask questions here.

He slipped into the dimly lit inn they had secured earlier. The wooden floor creaked beneath his boots as he made his way upstairs, knocking twice before pushing open the door to their rented room.

Lysia and Kael were already waiting.

Kael was seated near the window, sharpening his sword with lazy efficiency. Lysia stood beside the rickety wooden table, arms crossed, her gaze sharp.

The moment Ethan stepped inside, she spoke.

"You were followed."

Ethan stiffened. "What?"

Lysia gestured toward the window, where the streets below stretched into the distance.

"Someone tailed you here," she said calmly. "They didn't get close, but they were watching."

Ethan felt cold.

It wasn't the Retrievers.

It was Seran's people.

Kael glanced up from his sword. "So, you wanna tell us what the hell happened?"

Ethan exhaled.

He told them everything.

About the banquet. The assassination. Seran's warning.

When he finished, silence filled the room.

Kael was the first to speak.

"Well," he muttered. "That's bad."

Ethan shot him a look. "That's an understatement."

Lysia didn't react immediately. She simply studied Ethan.

Then, she spoke.

"You're running out of time."

Ethan frowned. "What?"

Lysia's violet eyes flickered. "You were trying to stay in the background," she said. "But now, Seran is watching you. That means you've already stepped onto the board."

Ethan hated that she was right.

Before, he had thought he could just hide. Use his knowledge carefully. Avoid attention.

But the moment he changed fate—Seran noticed.

The moment he survived—Seran started hunting.

Ethan had always believed he was just a background character in someone else's story.

But now…

Now he wasn't so sure.

that night...

Ethan didn't sleep.

He sat by the window, watching the streets below, waiting for Seran's men to make a move.

But they never did.

They didn't need to.

Seran wasn't after him yet.

No—Seran was waiting to see what Ethan would do next.

And that terrified him more than an open attack.

By morning, he knew one thing for certain—they couldn't stay in Velmire.

Not with Seran's spies crawling through the city.

Not with Kael's face known to the mercenary guilds.

Not with Lysia's imperial blood painting a target on all of them.

They needed to move.

And they needed a guide.

Someone who knew Velmire's underbelly better than anyone.

Which meant finding Dorian Grayveil.

---