The battlefield was quiet now. The scent of gunpowder lingered in the air, and the smoke was slowly clearing as the first rays of morning broke through the heavy clouds. Guards moved around the compound, gathering the injured, securing what was left of their territory. But in the heart of it all, Dylan stood motionless.
He stared down at Richard—his younger half-brother—who now lay unconscious, his once proud expression reduced to blood and bruises.
Jayden stood a few steps behind, cautiously watching Dylan's face.
"What should we do with him?" Jayden asked quietly.
Dylan didn't answer at first. His jaw clenched tightly as he fought the swirl of emotions—anger, betrayal, sorrow. All his life he had fought for a place in a world that never wanted him. And the one person who should've understood—his brother—had become his greatest enemy.
"Put him in the holding chamber," Dylan finally said coldly. "He lives… for now."
Jayden nodded and gestured to two guards.
---
Inside the Mansion – A Quiet Reunion
Heaven helped Dylan into his room, her hand trembling as she touched the dried blood on his cheek. She hadn't said much since the battlefield. The silence between them was filled with things neither of them could yet say.
"Sit down," she said softly, pushing him gently toward the bed. "Let me clean this."
"I've been through worse," Dylan muttered, but he didn't resist.
She went to fetch warm water and a cloth. As she dabbed the wounds on his face, he stared at her in silence.
"You didn't have to come out there," he said finally.
"And you didn't have to fight alone," she replied without looking at him. "But we both did what we had to do."
His hand caught hers as she pressed the cloth against his temple.
"I told you not to get involved."
"And I didn't," she said, her voice low. "But I needed to see you. I needed to know you were alive."
There was a pause, heavy with unspoken words. Then he asked the question that had been buried under every breath since the war began.
"Do you hate me?"
Heaven froze. Her fingers tightened slightly on the cloth, then slowly relaxed.
"I don't know what I feel," she admitted honestly. "You've hurt me more than anyone ever has… but you've also protected me like no one else ever did. And right now… I'm just glad you're still breathing."
Dylan nodded once. "That makes two of us."
---
Elsewhere – Richard Wakes Up
The cell was dim, cold, and damp. Richard blinked against the light as his vision slowly returned. His hands were bound, his body aching.
The last thing he remembered was Dylan's fist and the fury in his eyes.
"You should've finished me," he whispered hoarsely, a dark smirk forming on his lips. "This isn't over, big brother."
Outside the chamber, a shadow moved. Someone was watching him—someone not aligned with either Dylan or Richard.
The real game, it seemed, was just beginning.