The World Cannot Know

Chapter 37

Matthew Wild 

Five Years Later 

The world had changed, and so had I. Winston. That was the name I'd grown into over these last five years, a new identity forged in the fires of survival. Arney and I had built a life for ourselves, though it was a far cry from the one I'd once known. 

Life now was anything but simple. Gone were the luxuries of palace life—the soft silks, the lavish banquets, the security of knowing where my next meal would come from. Instead, we lived day to day, always on the move, always watching our backs. The palace had been a gilded cage, where every need was met, every danger kept at bay by walls of stone and armies of guards. Out here, there were no walls to protect us, only the rough edges of the world and the sharpness of our wits.

The kingdom of Valoria had grown stronger, seizing more land, and now, Kinsley was locked in a brutal war. The once peaceful fields and villages had become battlegrounds, and the lines between friend and foe were blurred.

My mind was always on Sebastian. Despite the years and the distance, I couldn't shake the thought of him. The prince, now likely burdened with the weight of the war, haunted my thoughts. I wondered if he was safe, if he still remembered me as fondly as I remembered him. The connection we'd shared, once so strong, now felt like a fragile thread stretched across a chasm of time and war.

Life wasn't easy, but it this was now home. We made a living working for Clive, the head of a crew that thrived in the chaos. Clive was tough, cunning, and always two steps ahead of the law. We ran jobs for him, stealing what we needed to survive, sometimes more if the reward was worth the risk. The world was hard, but we'd become harder.

"Got a new job for you two," Clive said, sliding a worn map across the table. "This one's big. Could change things for us if you pull it off."

I leaned over the map, tracing the lines and marks with my finger. It was a detailed layout of a fortress—no, a vault. "What's inside?"

Clive's eyes glinted. "Information. Something the Valorians don't want getting out. If we can get our hands on it, we'll have the upper hand. Maybe even sell it to the highest bidder."

Arney exchanged a glance with me, his usual grin tempered by the seriousness of the task ahead. "Sounds risky. What's the catch?"

Clive leaned back in his chair, his gaze piercing. "The place is heavily guarded. But there's a window—during the change of the guards, the security's a bit lax. That's your chance."

My heart pounded with a familiar mix of adrenaline and dread. Five years ago, I would've hesitated, but now, this was our reality. "We'll do it," I said, my voice steady.

Arney nodded, his grin returning. "Yeah, we're in. Just tell us when."

Clive smiled, a rare expression on his usually stoic face. "Good. You leave tonight. Be quick, be careful, and don't get caught. The fate of a lot of people might depend on what you find."

As Arney and I left the tavern, the weight of the mission settled on my shoulders. This was no ordinary job—it could change everything. But as I glanced at Arney, his confident stride and easy smile, I felt a flicker of the old connection, the one that had kept us alive all these years.

"Ready to do this, Winston?" Arney asked, his tone light but his eyes serious.

I took a deep breath, nodding. "Let's go steal us a future."

...

We moved through the narrow, winding streets, the night air cool against our skin. The sounds of the tavern faded behind us as we approached the outskirts of town, where the shadows grew thicker, and the noise of the city was replaced by the distant echoes of soldiers preparing for war. The mission loomed ahead of us, the weight of its importance pressing down on my thoughts.