I'M THE HERO OF THIS STORY?

Chapter 22: Structured Facade

thank you for reading! 

DORIN POV:

The air in the Vault was thick with the scent of stone and ancient magic, the walls whispering of a time long past. Every step echoed as if the very halls were aware of the choices we were about to make. The girl—no, the otherworlder—and her companions walked quietly, unaware of the weight pressing down on us. They were brave, but they didn't know the truth. None of them did.

I led them to the inn, a shadow of its former self, nestled in the heart of the vault. It felt like a false refuge, but it was all we had for now. I needed them to rest—just a little while longer—before the inevitable happened.

"Rest here," I said, my voice firm yet carrying an edge of something they might not have recognized. "You'll need your strength."

The otherworlder gave me a silent nod, her eyes too sharp for comfort. I knew she was sensing something, but she wouldn't confront me—not yet. It was the others who stood a little farther away. Fein, always watchful, scanned the room like he expected trouble, and Jax, who usually wore a grin on his face, now looked uneasy.

I let out a quiet breath. 

They were unprepared. None of them were ready for what was coming. But we had no choice.

"Branwen will be your bodyguard for now," I said, turning to the dwarven mage who had been silently waiting by my side. "You can trust her. She'll see you through until it's time."

Branwen's eyes met theirs, cold and calculating. No friendly words, no comfort. 

Just a look that spoke volumes. She was here to protect them... for now.

I turned away from them, walking through the stone corridors with purpose. I knew what I had to do, but that didn't make it any easier. The cloaked one had arrived.

When I reached the king's chamber, the weight of the situation crashed down on me. I didn't need to say anything. The king's tired gaze said it all.

"Dorin," he said, his voice low, weary. "What news?"

I recounted everything—how the otherworlder and her companions had proved themselves, and how we had come to this point. I didn't need to say it aloud, but the cloaked one was already here. And that meant there was no turning back.

"The cloaked one is here," I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "It's only a matter of time before the full force of their power is unleashed."

The king's face darkened, his fingers twitching near the hilt of his sword. He knew the truth, too. He had always known.

"I feared this moment," he murmured. "But we cannot delay any longer. The girl is the key. She has to be given to them."

I felt a cold shiver run through me, even though I knew it had to be done. 

The otherworlder, her companions—they didn't know how deep this went. She was an outsider, and whatever power she held, it was not for us to control. The cloaked one would not be denied. The price for our world's salvation was her.

"We've done what we could," I said quietly. "But the girl is not our ally. She's the prize for the cloaked one. There's no choice but to turn her over."

The king nodded slowly, but his eyes were filled with a heavy regret. "It must be done. If we do not give her to them, the chaos will consume us all."

I stood there, trying to hold back the words I couldn't say, trying to fight the growing sense of dread. The otherworlder had been our hope. But that hope was built on a lie