Bound in Blood & Fire (Heeseung ff)

Rivals

You are Elara, the daughter of the Cursed King, ruler of the Ironclaw.
Heeseung is the son of the Bloodlord, leader of the Nightveil—the deadliest clan in the Ashen Territories—Your rival, the bane of your existence.

You had lost everything because of his family.Your parents, your home.
You are now an elite assassin of the Free, going on missions to slowly
kill whoever stood in the way of the rebellion.

He is the last prince of the Reclaimed, the ruling class that had taken everything away from you.

———

Heeseung

The first time Elara tried to kill me, I was impressed.

Most people who want me dead try something subtle—poison in my drink,
maybe a blade in the back.

Not her. No, she came at me head-on, sword in hand, eyes blazing with fury.
No hesitation. No fear.

We'd been rivals for years. Our clans, enemies for centuries. She was the daughter of the Cursed King, ruler of the Ironclaw—the faction that had been trying to wipe out my people since the dawn of time.

And me? I was the son of the Bloodlord, leader of the Nightveil—the deadliest clan in the Ashen Territories.

To be honest, I don't even remember why our clans hated each other.
Something about a betrayal a thousand years ago, land disputes, whatever.

The history didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that Elara and I had been raised to hate each other.

It was in our blood, in our bones.

But man, the way she tried to kill me that first time?
It was art.

She came at me like a force of nature, her blade a blur as it sliced through the air. I blocked her strike, the sound of metal on metal ringing in my ears. Sparks flew as we danced around each other in the moonlit forest, our shadows twisting in the dim light.

"You think you can take me down?" I taunted, deflecting her next strike with ease.
Her eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a snarl.

"I don't think, Heeseung. I know."

I had to admit, she was good. Better than anyone else who had ever tried to end me.

But what she didn't know was that I liked a challenge.

Hell, I lived for it.

Her sword was fast, but I was faster. I ducked beneath her swing, twisting behind her and grabbing her wrist. She growled in frustration, using her free hand to elbow me in the ribs. Pain shot through me, but instead of getting angry, I just laughed.

"What's so funny?" she spat, turning to face me, her eyes burning with rage.

"You are," I said, wiping blood from my lip. "You really think you can win this?"

Her response was a sharp kick to my chest, sending me stumbling back.
I crashed into a tree, wind knocked out of me for a second. She stalked forward, her blade raised to deliver the final blow, but something in her eyes shifted—hesitation, maybe, or curiosity.

And that's when I realized it. She hated me, sure, but there was something else there.
Beneath the anger, beneath the bloodlust, she was as drawn to me as I was to her.

But I wasn't going to let her off that easily.

"Nice try," I muttered, grabbing a dagger from my belt and flinging it toward her.
She caught it as it was grazing her face.

So attractive of her..

"One day, Heeseung," she growled, wiping a thin line of blood from her cheek where the blade grazed her skin, and keeping the dagger I threw with her.

"I will watch the light leave your eyes."

"Yeah, yeah," I grinned, pushing myself off the tree. "But not today."

———

The thing about Elara? She never gave up.

Every time I thought she'd reached her limit, she'd come back stronger, fiercer.

I spun around, narrowly dodging the sword she was swinging toward my neck.
I could feel the whoosh of air as it passed, a fraction of an inch from decapitating me. Again.

Gods, I loved her.

"You really need to get better aim," I said, my voice dripping with amusement.

"At this rate, you'll kill me with boredom before your blade gets the job done."

She didn't even respond, just leapt forward with terrifying speed, her sword slicing through the air toward my chest this time. I barely managed to block it with my own blade, the metallic clang echoing through the empty, shattered ruins we fought in.

I winced a little when I felt a sting on my chest— she had managed to cut my chest
a little with the tip of her sword.

The ground beneath us was cracked, remnants of a world long destroyed in the war between the Reclaimed and the Free.
I wasn't really sure which side we belonged to anymore.

Hell, I didn't even know which side I wanted to belong to.

She twisted, her body a blur of motion as she swung her leg up, aiming a kick at my ribs.
Again, I barely blocked in time, my breath catching at the sheer force behind her strike.

Elara wasn't just fast—she was strong. Stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

"You've been practicing," I remarked, locking her blade with mine, pushing back
just enough to throw her off-balance. Her eyes, sharp and burning with hatred,
flickered with the faintest hint of amusement.

"What, afraid I'll finally succeed, Heeseung?" she growled, shoving me away and lunging again, her movements fluid and precise.

The way she fought was nothing short of art—violent, chaotic art.

"Afraid I'll do what no one else could?"

"I think you just like chasing me around."

She growled, her face flushed with exertion—and maybe a bit of rage.

I liked it. A lot.

There was something thrilling about knowing that every second I spent with
her could be my last. It made every dodge, every block, every close call feel like a dance on the edge of death.

The truth? I knew why she wanted me dead. I was a prince—well, technically.
The last prince of the Reclaimed, the ruling class that had destroyed her home, her family.

The Free had been at war with us for years, and Elara? She was one of their best—
an elite assassin.
Raised to be a weapon, to take out anyone who stood in the way of the rebellion.

She'd lost everything because of my family. Her parents, her home. I understood her rage, her desire to see me dead.
It was written in every swing of her sword, every word that dripped with venom.

Me? I was the last of a dying breed. The Reclaimed were scattered, our empire crumbling, and I was barely holding on. I wasn't even sure why I was still fighting—what was left to fight for?

Maybe that's why I kept letting Elara come so close. Maybe part of me wanted to see how far she'd go, if she really had it in her to finish me off. Part of me wanted her to.

But, gods, did I find her captivating.