The ground trembled as her father’s army crashed against the outer walls.
Torches flickered in the blizzard, revealing hundreds of soldiers bearing the banners of Valdris.
Lord Mordred had not come to negotiate.
He had come to ensure the beast of Therval finally died.
Kelric stood at the battlements, his frost-white hair whipping in the wind.
The rhyme patterns on his skin spread faster, the curse feeding on his doubt.
“You knew,” he said without turning, voice like cracking ice.
“All this time.”
“I didn’t,” Vera pleaded, clutching the railing beside him.
“My father used me as a weapon without my knowledge.
But I’m here now.
With you.
”
He looked at her, pale eyes filled with centuries of betrayal.
For a moment, the beast who had ruled alone seemed ready to push her away.
Then he pulled her close, cold lips brushing her forehead.
“Stay behind me.
If I fall, run.
”
The gates buckled.
Soldiers poured into the courtyard.
Kelric shifted — not fully into the monster of legend, but something between man and beast, towering and terrible.
He descended like an avalanche, tearing through the front lines with claws of ice.
Vera refused to hide.
She moved through the chaos, her gift awakening.
Names flashed before her eyes — true names of soldiers, their weaknesses, their hidden fears.
She spoke them carefully, weaving threads of consequence.
One man dropped his sword as his greatest shame consumed him.
Another turned on his comrade when his true loyalty was revealed.
Kelric fought like winter itself — unstoppable, beautiful, and terrifying.
But the curse was winning.
Rime spread across his chest, slowing his movements.
He roared in pain as a silver blade cut deep into his side.
“Verathain!” Vera cried, the true name tearing from her throat.
The beast staggered but did not fall.
Instead, something shifted.
The name did not destroy him.
It anchored him.
For one brief moment, warmth flickered beneath the frost on his skin.
Their eyes met across the battlefield.
Hope.
Fear.
Love so fierce it hurt.
But Lord Mordred stepped forward from the rear lines, holding a glowing artifact — the seal that had once bound Vera’s power.
“Enough games, daughter.
Speak his name again.
Finish what I started.
”
The final wave of soldiers charged.
Kelric fought to reach her, but the curse was pulling him under.
Vera stood her ground as her father approached, the seal pulsing with dark energy.
“You were always meant to be the end of him,” Mordred hissed.
“Now finish it.
”
Vera looked at Kelric — the beast who had chosen her, the man who had given her voice.
Then she looked at her father.
The name rose within her, not just Kelric’s, but the threads connecting them all.
She spoke, not with destruction, but with truth.
The seal in her father’s hand cracked.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
