The palace slept.
At least that's what the council wanted everyone to believe.
But deep within the eastern wing, shadows moved quietly through the corridors.
Four figures dressed in dark cloaks advanced without speaking. Their boots made almost no sound against the polished stone floor.
Professional.
Silent.
Trained killers.
At the front walked a man with a thin scar across his jaw.
Captain Rovan.
Leader of the council's private enforcement unit.
He stopped outside a door.
Aria's chamber.
Behind him, one of the assassins whispered.
"Are we certain she's inside?"
Rovan nodded once.
"The advisor confirmed her location."
"Lord Meridan?"
Rovan didn't answer.
But the silence spoke enough.
Orders from the council.
Final orders.
One of the assassins produced a small vial and poured its contents across the door handle.
Poison.
Fast acting.
Even touching it would paralyze a normal person within seconds.
Rovan placed a gloved hand on the handle.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The door opened without a sound.
Inside—
Darkness.
The chamber was empty.
The bed untouched.
The windows closed.
Rovan frowned.
"Where is she?"
Behind them—
A voice answered.
"You're late."
All four assassins spun around instantly.
Aria stood at the end of the corridor.
Calm.
Completely awake.
Her dark hair loose around her shoulders.
Her expression unreadable.
Rovan recovered quickly.
"Lady Aria."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I assume this is not a social visit."
The assassins spread out quietly, forming a half circle around her.
Professional.
Precise.
They had expected resistance.
But not this.
Not calm.
Rovan spoke carefully.
"You should have remained in your room tonight."
"And you should have chosen a less obvious entrance."
A flicker of irritation crossed his face.
"You're aware why we're here."
"Yes."
Her voice didn't shake.
"They're afraid."
Rovan didn't confirm it.
But he didn't deny it either.
"You possess abilities that could threaten the stability of the empire."
Aria's lips curved faintly.
"The empire survived wars, invasions, and corrupt kings."
Her eyes sharpened.
"But I'm the threat?"
One of the assassins stepped forward.
"We're not here to debate politics."
"No," she agreed quietly.
"You're here to kill me."
Rovan raised a hand slightly.
The signal.
Two assassins moved instantly.
Fast.
Blades flashing toward her.
Aria didn't move.
For half a second.
Then—
The air exploded outward.
Not violently.
But with overwhelming force.
The assassins were thrown backward like leaves in a storm.
One slammed into the wall with a heavy crash.
The other skidded across the floor.
The corridor windows rattled loudly.
Silence followed.
Rovan stared at her.
Not with surprise.
With confirmation.
"So it's true," he murmured.
Aria lowered her hand slowly.
"I warned you."
The third assassin lunged.
This one smarter.
He threw a small blade first — aiming not for her chest but her arm.
Distraction.
Then he moved in close with a dagger.
Aria stepped aside calmly.
The air around her shifted again.
The assassin's momentum suddenly changed.
As if gravity had tilted.
His body slammed face-first into the floor before he could recover.
Rovan's expression hardened.
"Enough."
He drew his own sword.
Unlike the others, he didn't rush.
He studied her carefully.
"You're inexperienced."
"Perhaps."
"But raw power is rarely enough."
Aria nodded.
"That's what the council believed nineteen years ago."
Rovan attacked.
Fast.
Not reckless.
Precise strikes aimed to limit her movement.
Aria dodged the first swing.
Then the second.
But this fight was different.
Power alone couldn't control a trained swordsman.
Rovan adjusted quickly.
His blade grazed her sleeve.
Close.
Too close.
Aria stepped back.
For the first time, her concentration faltered.
The air pressure dropped slightly.
Rovan noticed instantly.
"Control requires focus," he said calmly.
"And fear disrupts focus."
Aria looked at him.
"I'm not afraid."
"You should be."
He attacked again.
This time faster.
Aria raised her hand instinctively—
But instead of pushing outward—
The air collapsed inward.
A sharp pressure drop.
Rovan froze mid-strike.
His sword arm suddenly felt heavier.
Like the atmosphere itself was pressing down.
His knees bent slightly under the force.
Aria blinked.
Surprised.
She hadn't meant to do that.
The assassin behind Rovan tried to move.
He couldn't.
The pressure pinned him to the floor.
Rovan's eyes widened slightly.
"Interesting."
Aria slowly lifted her hand higher.
The pressure increased.
The torches along the corridor dimmed.
The flames struggling for oxygen.
"You see the problem," she said quietly.
Rovan's voice came slower now under the weight.
"Yes."
"You came here believing you were hunters."
Another small movement of her fingers.
The air shifted again.
His sword clattered to the floor.
"You were wrong."
The corridor doors suddenly burst open.
Guards rushed in.
Steel armor.
Royal insignia.
At their front—
Kael.
He stopped immediately when he saw the scene.
Three assassins pinned to the ground by invisible pressure.
Rovan struggling to stand.
And Aria standing in the center.
Calm.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
For a moment no one moved.
Then Kael spoke.
"Release them."
Aria looked at him.
"Why?"
"They were sent by the council."
"I know."
"They're also still royal soldiers."
Her eyes studied him carefully.
"You're protecting them."
"I'm preventing escalation."
Silence.
The pressure in the corridor remained heavy.
Then slowly—
Aria lowered her hand.
The weight vanished instantly.
The assassins collapsed onto the floor gasping.
Rovan steadied himself.
His eyes locked with hers.
"Next time," he said quietly,
"We won't underestimate you."
Aria met his gaze without blinking.
"There won't be a next time."
Kael stepped forward.
Guards moved in to secure the assassins.
The prince stopped a few feet from her.
"You could have killed them."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you?"
Aria glanced at the struggling assassins.
Then back at him.
"Because the council needs to understand something."
"What?"
Her voice was calm.
But the words carried across the corridor like thunder.
"They failed tonight."
Kael watched her carefully.
"You just started a war."
Aria shook her head.
"No."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"They did."