The caravan slowed as twilight spilled across the land, painting the skies in hues of burnt orange and royal violet. The path curved beside a lazy river that shimmered like molten glass, bordered by tall moonblossom trees—whose pale petals drifted on the wind like glowing feathers.
A stone clearing near the river served as their resting point for the night.
Asher dismounted first, his armored boots crunching softly against the gravel. With a subtle hand gesture, his knightly retinue—men and women born of this dream-world—moved with loyal precision. They fanned out, lighting enchanted lanterns that flared to life with blue flame and began pitching tents with the fluid rhythm of soldiers living a life they believed was real.
Valeris stepped down from the royal carriage with regal ease. Her gown rippled like woven water, catching the last of the dying sun. Even here, in this fabricated realm, she wore the skin of a queen with effortless grace. Her gaze wandered across the trees, thoughtful, quiet.
"It feels almost too peaceful," she murmured.
Asher's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's the point. This dungeon doesn't operate on logic or levels—it's a narrative prison. One that's been looping for who knows how long."
All around them, the soldiers of the battalion moved like clockwork—laughing, sharpening blades, making quiet conversation under the dying light. They believed this world was real. The war. The Queen. The sleeping King. Every tragedy, every betrayal—they lived it as truth.
Only Asher and Valeris know the true reality.
While the camp took shape, the two of them walked to the riverbank. Fireflies danced above the surface, glowing with soft pulses. Asher knelt, dipping his hand into the water. It was cool. Real. Vivid in ways that no ordinary illusion could match. The soul of the knight he currently wore—Gallahad—tried to assert itself again, whispering loyalties, regrets, half-formed desires.
Asher pushed it aside. Not yet.
He rose and turned toward Valeris, who had already made herself comfortable under a moonblossom tree. Her elegant dress had morphed into a more practical, royal hunting gown—still beautiful, but functional. She sat cross-legged, polishing a ceremonial dagger that had likely been gifted by her supposed father, the Lord of Mimir.
Asher sat beside her, offering a flask pulled from his saddlebag.
"Still feeling like a queen?" he asked with a faint smile.
Valeris snorted softly, unscrewing the cap. "I am a queen. This dungeon just provided better confirmation."
He chuckled. "Still not sure how I feel about being ordered around."
"You'll get used to it," she said with a smirk, sipping the liquor. It was surprisingly smooth. "Besides, you've always looked good in armor."
A pause settled between them. The air was thick with memory—not theirs, but the ghosts of this story's past. A kingdom steeped in deception. A young Queen married to a sleeping King. A conniving brother, ready to seize the throne. And now, the two of them—Asher and Valeris—outsiders wearing borrowed skin, dropped into a tragedy that had already played out countless times.
"This story," Valeris murmured, "feels too lived."
"It is," Asher replied. "I think it's been playing itself out for decades. Maybe longer. But it always ends the same way."
"Badly," she said.
He nodded. "Which means we're not here to finish it. We're here to fix it."
She glanced at him then, firelight flickering in her storm-blue eyes. "Then let's change the ending."
Behind them, the soldiers had completed the camp. A large central fire burned steadily, casting dancing shadows on the trees. Spiced meat turned slowly on enchanted spits. An old rune box played the soft echo of a lullaby—something melodic and beautiful.
The night deepened.
Stars blinked into existence across the velvet sky, and the moon's light turned the river to quicksilver. Somewhere beyond the trees, the Mimir Kingdom awaited—the Queen's homeland, and the cradle of this story's bloodied roots.
But tonight, beneath the glowing blossoms, two souls from beyond the tale sat quietly.
The world around them breathed. Alive. Doomed. And waiting.
Waiting for them to reshape its fate.
The stars had long since claimed the sky when the first sign of danger stirred.
The soft lullaby playing from the rune box near the fire wavered, a subtle shift in tone that made Valeris open her eyes. She had been dozing lightly beneath the moonblossom tree, the ghostly petals scattering gently over her resting form. The air was cool and still, but too still. Unnaturally still.
Asher's eyes opened at the same moment.
He had been seated beside her against the tree, half-meditating, half-listening. The unease prickled at his instincts like a needle to the back of his neck.
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A twig breaking nearby.
He stood in a single, fluid motion, drawing his blade from his belt. Valeris followed, slipping her dagger into hand without a word. Around them, enchanted lanterns flickered as if caught in a breeze that never touched the skin.
Too quiet. No insects. No rustling trees.
Just breath. And silence.
Then a shout from the far end of the encampment:
"AMBUSH!"
The tranquility shattered.
From the trees came a rush of cloaked figures, faces hidden by masks and scarves, blades gleaming with poison lacquer. No glowing eyes. No corrupted wraiths. These were real men. Assassins—human. And they moved with grim intent.
"Get down!" Asher shouted, intercepting the first attacker, their swords clashing in a flurry of sparks. He twisted and countered, driving his blade through the man's chest. The body fell without a sound.
"Assassins," Valeris growled, slashing down another who came too close. "Too coordinated to be bandits."
"I think this ambush was for you," Asher said grimly, glancing toward her even as he deflected another strike. "They didn't charge the knights. They went straight for the carriage."
"They're after the Queen," Valeris said, her tone sharp. "Trying to cut off the royal line while it's still vulnerable."
The Queen's return to Mimir was supposed to be symbolic—an image of strength. Unity. But not everyone welcomed her rise. There were factions who had wanted someone else to ascend. Someone easier to control. Someone born in Mimir who wouldn't share power with a foreign kingdom.
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