The moment shattered.
"She's out of control—!"
The shout echoed through the room—
And everything collapsed.
The fragile balance Liora had been holding onto snapped instantly.
The silver light around her detonated.
Not outward in a clean wave—
But violently.
Chaotically.
Like it was reacting to fear again.
To judgment.
To threat.
"WAIT—!"
Too late.
The nearest guard raised his weapon.
"Contain her!"
Magic chains shot forward—
Dark, reinforced bindings designed to suppress powerful entities.
They never reached her.
The moment they touched the edge of her power—
They disintegrated.
The backlash threw the guards backward.
Crashing into the broken walls.
Liora's breath hitched.
"I didn't—"
But her voice was drowned out by the rising chaos.
"She's attacking—!"
"Subdue her!"
"No—!"
The pressure in the room spiked again.
Her magic surged—
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
Fear clawed its way back into her chest.
This was exactly what she didn't want.
Exactly what she was trying to avoid.
And now—
It was happening anyway.
"Liora."
Cairis's voice cut through the noise again.
Sharp.
Grounding.
"Stay with me."
"I'm trying—!"
Another wave of power cracked through the floor.
The entire chamber groaned under the strain.
Outside—
More guards were arriving.
Too many.
Too fast.
And they weren't hesitating.
To them—
This wasn't uncertainty anymore.
This was a threat.
Cairis's expression darkened.
"…Enough."
The word dropped like a command.
The air shifted instantly.
Crimson energy exploded outward from him.
He stepped forward—
Placing himself directly between Liora and the guards.
"Stand down."
The authority in his voice was absolute.
But the guards hesitated.
Only for a second.
Then—
"My Prince… she's unstable—!"
"I said stand down."
The pressure intensified.
Some of the guards faltered.
But not all.
Because fear—
Fear makes people reckless.
"If we don't act now—"
"She'll destroy the palace!"
That word again.
Destroy.
The same word from before.
From the past.
From the memory.
Liora's chest tightened painfully.
The silver light surged again.
Stronger.
Darker at the edges.
Azhrael's voice whispered faintly again.
"They already see you as a monster…"
"…No."
Her fingers trembled.
"I'm not—"
"Then prove it."
"STOP."
The magic cracked violently again.
Cairis felt it immediately.
Her control was slipping again.
Faster this time.
Because now—
It wasn't just emotion.
It was influence.
Something external.
Something ancient.
His eyes sharpened.
"…Azhrael."
The name came out low.
Dangerous.
He stepped closer to Liora.
Ignoring the guards completely now.
"Look at me."
She shook her head.
"I can't—"
"You have to."
Another surge tore through the room.
The walls began to crumble further.
Time was running out.
Behind him—
One of the higher-ranking captains stepped forward.
His voice firm.
Resolute.
"…Your Highness."
Cairis didn't turn.
"Leave."
"We can't."
That—
That was a mistake.
The air went completely still.
Cairis's voice dropped.
"…Say that again."
The captain swallowed slightly.
But didn't back down.
"For the safety of the kingdom—"
He raised his weapon.
"We have to restrain her."
That was it.
That was the line.
Cairis turned.
Slowly.
And for the first time—
The guards understood something they hadn't before.
The real danger in the room—
Wasn't Liora.
It was him.
His wings spread fully.
Dark energy flooded the chamber.
Thick.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
"…You will not touch her."
The words weren't loud.
But they carried absolute authority.
The kind that didn't need to be repeated.
The captain hesitated.
"…Your Highness—"
"I am not asking."
Silence.
Heavy.
Tense.
Because now—
This wasn't about control anymore.
This was about sides.
And Cairis had just made his clear.
Behind him—
Liora's breathing became more unstable.
Her magic surged again.
The room trembled violently.
He didn't look back.
Didn't hesitate.
"…If you take one more step."
His voice dropped further.
Colder.
More dangerous than it had ever been.
"I will treat you as enemies."
That—
That changed everything.
The guards froze.
Because this wasn't a warning.
It was a declaration.
And they believed him.
Every single one of them.
The captain's grip tightened on his weapon.
But slowly—
Very slowly—
He lowered it.
"…Stand down."
The other guards followed.
Reluctantly.
Uneasily.
But they obeyed.
Because no one in this palace—
Would survive fighting the Crown Prince at full power.
The tension didn't disappear.
But it shifted.
From immediate violence—
To something more dangerous.
Uncertainty.
Cairis turned back to Liora immediately.
The moment he did—
His expression changed.
Not cold anymore.
Not threatening.
Just focused.
On her.
"…Liora."
Her eyes were unfocused.
Her breathing uneven.
The silver light still flickering wildly around her.
But weaker now.
Fading.
"You're still here."
His voice softened slightly.
"Stay with me."
Her gaze struggled to focus.
"…Cairis…"
The way she said his name—
Unsteady.
Fragile.
Something in his chest tightened.
"You're fine."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
He stepped closer.
Carefully.
Slowly.
"I've got you."
The words came out before he could stop them.
And for a moment—
Everything else faded.
The guards.
The destruction.
The tension.
It was just the two of them again.
Like before.
Like in the memory.
Liora's breathing slowed slightly.
The magic flickered again—
Then—
Gradually—
It began to fade.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to stop the destruction.
Enough to bring the room back from the edge.
Her knees gave out.
Cairis caught her immediately.
Just like before.
Only this time—
She didn't pull away.
Not completely.
Her hand gripped his sleeve weakly.
"…I almost lost it again."
Her voice was barely there.
Cairis held her steady.
"You didn't."
"But I did."
Her eyes closed briefly.
"…I felt it."
The darkness.
The pull.
Azhrael.
Cairis's expression hardened slightly.
"I know."
That confirmed it.
Which meant—
This wasn't just her power anymore.
It was something worse.
Something growing.
Something coming.
Behind them—
The guards watched silently.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Because now—
They had seen everything.
The power.
The instability.
And the Crown Prince choosing her over them.
And that—
That would not stay quiet for long.
From the corridor outside—
A shadow watched.
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
Vael.
His expression calm.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Calculating.
"…Perfect."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"They've chosen sides."
And once that happened—
There was no going back.