✧ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 28 - ᴡʜɪsᴘᴇʀs ᴏꜰ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ ✧

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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟴 - 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗟

The war had ravaged the kingdom of Lysia for what seemed like an eternity. Once-proud lands now lay desolate, blackened by fire and soaked in blood. Villages had been razed, families torn apart, and the fields where children once played had become battlefields. Riki, a knight sworn to Lysia's king, stood in the heart of the chaos. His sword hung loosely in his hand, heavy not just from the blood of enemies but from the burden of his own heart.

For years, Riki had fought tirelessly for his king, for his homeland. But war had a way of twisting everything. What once seemed so clear—duty, honor, loyalty—had been swallowed by the fog of violence and death. Now, standing at the edge of a battlefield, Riki's thoughts weren't of victory or glory. They were of her.

Hwayoung.

She was the enemy, the brilliant general who led the rival kingdom's forces. She was fierce, her mind as sharp as her sword. When they first crossed paths on the battlefield, they had been nothing more than adversaries. Their duels had been brutal, every blow exchanged with precision and fury. Riki had never encountered someone who could challenge him so completely, who could match him in both skill and wit.

But something had changed. What began as a rivalry slowly shifted into something deeper, something forbidden. Each encounter on the battlefield was electrified, not just by the clash of steel but by the unspoken tension between them. It had taken time, but eventually, their hatred gave way to something more dangerous.

It was on one of those nights, in the secrecy of the forest that bordered their warring lands, that everything between them had changed.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the darkened forest. Riki had ridden alone, deep into enemy territory, where the war couldn't reach them. The trees were thick, their branches tangling overhead, but Riki knew the path. He had walked it many times before, always under the cover of night, always to see her.

Hwayoung stood waiting by the edge of a clearing, her form bathed in pale moonlight. She wore no armour tonight, just simple, dark robes, though she still looked like the warrior who had bested him time and again.

"You shouldn't be here," she said softly, though there was no anger in her voice. Instead, there was something else—something deeper that she wouldn't allow herself to name.

Riki stepped closer, his heart racing in his chest. "Neither should you."

She shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. "If we're caught, Riki—"

"I know." His voice was low, but firm. "But I had to see you. Just one more time."

Hwayoung's eyes searched his face, her usual sharpness giving way to something softer. "And what would you have me say? That I'll run away with you? That we'll escape this madness, this war? It's a foolish dream, Riki."

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