Some deaths end a life.
Others…
Change the course of war.
The battlefield is still burning.
But for Aria—
Everything has narrowed to one moment.
Draven.
She kneels beside him, her hands pressed against his wound, trying to stop what cannot be stopped.
Blood seeps through her fingers.
Too much.
Too fast.
“No…” she whispers.
Around them, the battle begins to fade.
Their forces are pushing the enemy back.
The siege is breaking.
But none of that matters.
Not now.
Kael stands nearby, watching in silence, his chest rising heavily.
For once—
He has no command to give.
Because this…
This is not a battle that can be won.
“Stay with me,” Aria says, her voice breaking for the first time.
Draven exhales slowly, his breathing shallow, uneven.
But his eyes—
Still sharp.
Still a
