ECLIPSED REALM

THE BREAKING POINT

Elara’s heart pounded as she entered Alaric’s tent. Her mind raced, still processing the heartbreak and fury that had brewed during her meeting with Kieran, yet knowing that here, under Alaric’s scrutinizing gaze, she would need to muster every ounce of strength to keep her turmoil hidden.

Inside, Alaric stood rigid, his arms crossed over his chest, a cold intensity in his eyes. The early morning light filtered through the tent’s fabric, casting a harsh glow that only seemed to sharpen the tension between them. He wasted no time.

“Where were you last night, Elara?”

he asked, his voice hard.

“And what was a Nocturne doing in your tent?”

Elara flinched, her gaze dropping to the ground. She opened her mouth to answer but found herself at a loss. How could she explain the wrenching desperation that had driven her to seek out Kieran, to try and find the remnants of the man she once trusted, the ally who now seemed lost to the darkness Lyra wielded over him?

When she didn’t answer, Alaric’s expression darkened, frustration mingling with something far more painful.

“Don’t lie to me,” he said sharply.

“You went to him, didn’t you? You went to Kieran.”

At that, Elara’s eyes lifted, glistening with unshed tears, the grief evident in her expression. She had hoped, somehow, that her sorrow might be enough to soften him, to convey the depth of her regret. But as she looked at Alaric, she saw only anger, masked by his customary stoicism.

He shook his head slowly, each word a quiet, measured blow.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” he said, his voice raw with barely restrained emotion.

“We are on the brink of war, Elara. We’ve always fought together, stood as one in the face of every threat, every hardship. And now you...you risk it all. For him.”

“Alaric, I just wanted—”

“No,” he interrupted, his voice steely.

“Don’t justify it. You risked everything we’ve built. For Kieran. He may have been your friend once, but he will always be the Nocturne prince first. You must understand that.”

Elara swallowed, fighting to keep her composure as his words sank in. She wanted to explain herself, to find the words that would make him understand that her actions came from a place of hope, a desperate need to avoid the devastation that awaited if the war went unchecked. But it was clear to her now that nothing she said would reach him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady.

Alaric’s jaw tightened, his gaze filled with a mixture of fury and pain. He took a step back, a symbolic withdrawal that felt more severe than any blow.

“Sorry isn’t enough, Elara. Not this time.”

He turned away, and his next words were softer, colder.

“Prepare for war. If Kieran and Nocturne have chosen this path, then we must be ready to face them, to do whatever it takes to protect Solara.”

The finality in his voice struck her with the weight of an iron bar, and though she wanted to speak, to plead with him, she knew she was dismissed. Swallowing her grief, she forced herself to nod and left the tent without another word.

Outside, the air was still. She lingered for a moment, closing her eyes as the depth of her loss settled over her like a shroud. Alaric had been her constant, her most loyal companion. Now, that bond felt irrevocably shattered.

As Alaric watched Elara’s silhouette disappear from the tent, his chest tightened with a storm of conflicting emotions. Every fiber of his being wanted to rush after her, to hold her back, to tell her exactly what she meant to him. But the sting of betrayal held him firmly in place. She had chosen Kieran—the prince of Nocturne, the man who had only ever brought her pain, over him.

How could she be so blind? he thought bitterly, his jaw clenched as the fury roared within him. After everything we’ve fought for, everything we’ve been through, she still doesn’t see me. Not truly. She looks right past me as if I’m no more than her shadow, as if I don’t feel the same pain and fear she does.

A memory surfaced, unbidden—a memory of the countless nights they’d spent together, sometimes with no words spoken, just silent, unbreakable companionship in the darkness. He had been her rock, her constant. He had always stood beside her, through blood, through exhaustion, through triumph and despair. And yet, here he stood now, watching her tear herself apart over a man who would never put her first, a man whose loyalties wavered like sand shifting in the wind.

"Why can’t she see the truth about him?"

He seethed, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Kieran will always be Nocturne’s prince, bound by that bloodline, and yet she clings to this illusion of him as if he’s the man who will save her from herself."

The anger twisted into something darker, more resolute. He could almost see Kieran’s face, his mocking smile, the way he could so effortlessly manipulate Elara’s heart. Alaric’s chest tightened with a rage that was quickly turning into something dangerous.

“She’s always looked at him like that,”

he muttered under his breath, the words bitter on his tongue.

“As if he’s a part of her soul that she can’t let go. But he’s done nothing to deserve it. Nothing.”

His voice grew quieter, the harsh whisper filling the empty tent.

“I’ve been there for her. I’ve guarded her from threats that she never even knew existed. I’ve been by her side every step of the way, fighting her battles as if they were my own. And yet she sees none of it.”

He took a shaky breath, his mind spiraling into dark, vengeful thoughts. The way she had looked at Kieran—he had seen it in her eyes. She cared for him in a way she would never care for Alaric. It was a realization that sliced through him with a searing finality, filling him with a bitterness he could not suppress.

“I won’t let her ruin herself for him,”

he vowed, his voice quiet but edged with iron.

“If she can’t see the truth, then I’ll show it to her. She deserves to be free of him, to understand what kind of man he truly is.”

In that moment, a strange calmness settled over him, dark and resolute. He knew what he had to do. He would protect Elara, even if it meant destroying the thing that had taken her from him. Kieran’s hold on her heart would be broken, even if it meant he had to do it by force.

If he’s going to shatter everything we’ve built, he thought, his gaze darkening, then I’ll make him pay for every moment of pain he’s caused her. And I’ll make sure she understands that I am the one who will be there for her—not him. Not ever again.

By the time Elara returned from her night foray, the war they had tried to avoid was already inevitable. But in Alaric’s mind, this was no longer just a war between Solara and Nocturne. It was a personal reckoning. Kieran had taken everything from him, and he would ensure that Kieran paid for it with his life.

As he turned back into the empty tent, his thoughts solidified into a silent vow.

“For every tear she’s shed over him, he will bleed. And when this is over, she’ll finally see me.”