RickAdams

A war-scarred military commander. A world-renowned doctor shrouded in mystery. Bound by secrets, hunted by enemies, and tied by a vow soaked in blood — together they must fight the forces that seek to tear them apart.
Love, power, and revenge converge in this spellbinding romance where nothing is as it seems.

Tactical Desires

Location: Vault of Echoes – Inner Sanctum

Victor's boots echoed softly as he stepped toward the obsidian pedestal. The silver-blue orb hovered a few inches above it, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat—as if it recognized him.

Zuri stood behind him, tense. "I've seen relics that burn minds. Be careful."

Nora narrowed her eyes. "It's not a weapon. It's a living memory."

Victor extended his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the orb, a burst of light engulfed the chamber.

Suddenly, they weren't in the sanctum anymore.

They stood in the middle of a colossal battlefield—echoes of a time long forgotten.

Massive beasts with crystalline armor clashed with floating citadels. Armies clad in ancient Dominion insignias fought alongside rebels bearing the seal of the Kane bloodline.

At the center of it all stood a younger version of Victor's grandfather—Alexander Kane—wielding a staff of flame and light, commanding both fear and loyalty.

A voice echoed, neither male nor female, but felt deep in the soul.

> "You who awaken the archive… descend from the blood of truth… and betrayal."

Victor watched, stunned, as Alexander Kane met with a Dominion Elder—one wearing the robes of unity, not conquest.

"He made a pact," Victor whispered. "The Kanes didn't just resist the Dominion. They helped build it."

Nora's face paled. "But then… what changed?"

The scene shifted. The same Dominion Elder lay dead. Poisoned.

Alexander stood over him, hands stained, expression unreadable.

> "The world is not built by peace. It is carved by those willing to be hated… for the greater good."

Victor recoiled. "No… that can't be—"

The battlefield began to fracture. The orb pulsed violently in his palm.

They were thrown back into the present. The memory collapsed behind them like shattered glass.

Victor stumbled. "My family… we helped start all this."

Zuri lowered her gaze. "And you might be the one to end it."

Nora moved to steady him. "The truth is never clean. But it gives you power. You're not just a heir. You're a key."

Victor clenched his fists. "If my grandfather corrupted that alliance, then I'll rebuild it—with new terms."

The orb dimmed and floated gently into a carved recess within his coat's armor. It accepted him. Bound to him.

Suddenly, alarms echoed in the distance.

Zuri spun toward the hall. "They've breached the outer sanctum."

From the vault's far end, the walls exploded outward. A dozen Dominion enforcers entered—led by a tall woman in obsidian armor.

She removed her helmet, revealing sharp eyes and a cold, cruel smirk.

"Nora Wexley," the woman said smoothly. "Still hiding in your fairy tales."

Nora stiffened. "Commander Valen. You shouldn't be alive."

Valen stepped forward, drawing a blade that shimmered with time-etched runes. "You took something that belonged to us. That orb… is Dominion property."

Victor stood between them. "Then come and take it."

The Core's Whisper