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 – Outer Corridor

Steel rang against steel in the cold air as the clash ignited.

Commander Valen lunged forward with the precision of a predator. Her blade met Victor's in a shower of sparks. He countered, pivoting low and slashing toward her side, but she blocked it effortlessly, her strength surprising.

"Impressive," she smirked. "I expected the Kane heir to be more talk than talent."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "You'll learn I'm not the man you read about in Dominion archives."

Behind him, Zuri moved swiftly, taking on two enforcers in a flurry of blades. Her daggers flashed like lightning, disabling her opponents with bone-snapping precision.

Further back, Nora formed a protective glyph around the relic chamber, muttering ancient incantations only she and a handful of surviving sages knew. If the orb was taken now, the entire city of Halem Reach could be compromised.

"We're outnumbered!" Zuri called. "We need an exit!"

Victor parried another strike. "Then make one."

The fight intensified. The vault, once a silent hall of remembrance, echoed with grunts, sparks, and the crackle of old magic flaring back to life.

One Dominion soldier raised a shock cannon toward Nora.

"NO!" Victor roared, summoning an unseen force.

The orb pulsed inside his chestplate, and the soldier was blasted backwards by a force of pure kinetic energy—no spell, no chant. Just raw, ancestral power.

Valen's eyes widened. "The Core is already bonding with him."

"Too late for you," Victor muttered and charged.

They clashed again, but this time, Victor's strikes carried more weight—more focus. Valen was pushed back, her confidence slipping.

She called for retreat, throwing down a smoke shroud.

"Next time, Kane!" she spat before disappearing into the veil.

The enforcers scattered after her, vanishing into the echoing corridors.

As silence returned, the chamber lights dimmed, sealing the orb's cradle again. Nora released a shaky breath and collapsed beside a column.

Zuri approached Victor. "That… wasn't just skill. That was something else."

Victor looked down at his hands, still tingling with residual power. "The orb… it chose me."

He turned to Nora. "You knew it would."

She nodded slowly. "It was never about unlocking the vault. It was about awakening you."

Victor exhaled deeply. "Then it's time to stop reacting—and start taking control."

Elsewhere: Dominion Throne Room

Location: Undisclosed – Dominion High Seat

Valen knelt before a throne carved from obsidian and light.

A voice—deep, distorted, ancient—reverberated through the chamber.

> "You failed to retrieve the Core."

Valen lowered her head. "The boy… he's stronger than we thought."

> "Then awaken the Harbinger. He will draw the boy out."

Valen's eyes flickered with fear. "But he's unstable—"

> "So is the future. Do it."

Fractured Blades