Lord of Deception

The corridors of the royal palace stretched endlessly before Lucian, their once-familiar grandeur now suffocating. The torches lining the walls flickered weakly, casting ghostly shadows that seemed to whisper his failures back at him. Every step he took felt heavier than the last.

The Hero of the Kingdom? A fraud.

A Champion of the Gods? Forsaken.

A Savior to the People? Abandoned.

And Kael had orchestrated it all.

His mind was a storm, a cacophony of anger, disbelief, and desperate hope. There had to be a way out of this. A way to reclaim his name.

But everywhere he turned, doors had closed.

The Hero's Last Hope

Lucian found himself in the castle gardens, where the moonlight painted everything in hues of silver and shadow. The statues of fallen heroes lined the path, their expressions frozen in eternal triumph. Once, he had stood among them as their equal.

Now, he could hardly meet their gaze.

And then—soft footsteps.

His heart clenched.

She was here.

The woman he had sworn to protect. The woman for whom he had sacrificed everything.

She stopped a few feet away, hesitant. He turned, eyes pleading.

"Say it was all a lie," he whispered. "Tell me you don't believe them. Tell me you still—believe in me."

She looked away.

"Lucian..." she started, her voice heavy with something he couldn't quite name.

"I did this for you," he pressed, stepping closer. "For the kingdom. For us."

But she took a step back.

"You let your anger control you," she said. "You changed."

Lucian's breath hitched. No.

"I was betrayed!" His voice cracked. "Kael—he twisted everything! He poisoned their minds! He's manipulating everyone!"

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Then, softly—"Maybe you were the one who was blind all along."

It was a quiet sentence.

But to Lucian, it was a death sentence.

His body turned ice cold. He shook his head. No. No, no, no—

But she wouldn't meet his eyes.

And then—she turned away.

She walked back into the castle, leaving him alone beneath the moonlight.

The last piece of his world shattered.

The Final Blow

Lucian stood frozen, his heart hammering in his chest. His entire body felt numb.

And then—

Slow, deliberate clapping.

The sound echoed through the empty garden, dripping with mockery.

Lucian already knew who it was before he turned.

Kael.

Leaning against a marble pillar, the nobleman's smirk was almost amused.

Lucian saw red.

"You," he growled.

Kael tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "Me?"

"You did this." Lucian's fists clenched.

Kael sighed, shaking his head. "Lucian, Lucian... Do you really think I needed to? All I did was tell the truth."

"You twisted everything—"

"I simply let everyone see who you really are."

Lucian's breath came in short, ragged bursts. "SHUT UP!"

He lunged—but Kael merely sidestepped, letting the hero stumble like a fool.

Lucian turned, chest heaving, his vision a haze of rage.

Kael smoothed out his gloves, eyes cool. "Pathetic."

Lucian froze.

Kael took slow steps toward him. "You once stood at the pinnacle—adored, worshipped. And now? The king doubts you. The church has abandoned you. Your allies whisper behind your back. And her?" He gestured toward the castle doors. "Even she has left you."

Lucian's breathing grew erratic.

He forced himself to speak. "I—I can fix this."

Kael leaned in, voice a whisper of poison. "No, you can't."

Lucian's mind snapped.

Kael delivered the final dagger:

"You were never a hero, Lucian. Just a pawn. And now? You're nothing."

Lucian's sword—the sacred weapon of the gods—slipped from his fingers. It embedded itself into the dirt, its divine glow flickering weakly.

He fell to his knees.

His entire world had collapsed.

And Kael?

Kael simply turned and walked away.

He didn't need to kill Lucian.

He had done something much worse.

He had destroyed him.

To be continued....