Chapter 6: The King Behind the Monster
Elena stumbled backward, clutching her sore nose. She looked up into the shadows of the labyrinth, expecting a terrifying guard. Instead, she gasped.
Standing before her was the shockingly handsome, broad-shouldered man from the river. He was dressed in fine black silk, but he didn’t wear a crown.
“You!” Elena whispered loudly, her eyes wide. “What are you doing here? Did they catch you too?”
Kane stared down at her, his golden eyes flashing with a mix of shock, relief, and amusement. He played along, tilting his head.
“Something like that. Why are you running?”
“I was captured! My awful ex sold me out because I matched some weird description the Dragon King wanted,” Elena hissed, looking over her shoulder nervously.
“They say the Dragon King is a bloodthirsty monster who burns women alive. Look, you saved me from that bear. Can you help me escape this place? Is there a way out of this garden?”
Kane looked at her, his heart swelling in a way it hadn’t in a century. She didn’t know who he was. She trusted him.
“If I help you escape,” Kane said softly, testing her, “the King will hunt you down. Are you sure you want to run?”
“Yes! I’d rather take my chances running forever than be murdered by a tyrant,” she said fiercely.
Kane let out a low sigh. The air around him grew warm. Slowly, he stepped into the moonlight, letting the silver light illuminate his face.
“I cannot help you run from the King, Elena,” he murmured. “Because you are already looking at him.”
Elena froze. The silence between them grew heavy, suffocating. She looked at his golden eyes, remembered the terrifying aura that had scared away a grizzly bear, and realized the truth.
She took a step back, her hands trembling. “You… you’re him. They say you’re a murderer. They say you killed a thousand brides.”
Kane didn’t move toward her. He stood perfectly still, his expression turning deeply sorrowful.
“I have never murdered a single one of them. A hundred years ago, your human king poisoned my lineage so we could never have heirs. A human shaman made a prophecy demanding a human bride to break the curse. But my magic is too hot for normal humans. They burned because we were not compatible. I never wanted their deaths. I carry their ashes on my conscience every single day.”
Elena stared at him. She saw the profound, crushing pain in his eyes. He wasn’t a monster enjoying slaughter; he was a prisoner of his own broken magic. The humans had caused this. Her own kind had lied and sent innocent girls to die just to fulfill a desperate prophecy.
Kane asks quietly: “Now that you know… will you still run?”