Hatzia Apotyの小説

Aria’s POV Kael had gone ahead to scout with Darius, leaving me and Mirabel to tend to the small campfire we’d managed to build. The flames were weak, fighting the damp air.For a while, neither of us spoke. The sound of burning wood filled the silence until Mirabel finally turned to me.“I never got to thank you properly,” she said, her voice low but steady. “For that day in the garden. When you stood up for me.”I glanced at her, surprised. “That? It was nothing.”“It wasn’t nothing,” she said quickly. “Everyone else just stood there. Even Kael didn’t do anything.”That last part earned a faint smile from me. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”She smiled back but it faded quickly. Her gaze dropped to the fire. “You didn’t have to step in. You could’ve ignored it.”“Maybe,” I said, poking the fire with a stick. “But I couldn’t. You didn’t deserve that.”For a moment, she didn’t respond. Then, softly, “You’re different, Aiden. Not like the others.”I froze, unsure what to say to that. She

Luca’s POV The scout hit the ground hard, wheezing. I didn’t even need to ask; the blood on his sleeve said enough.“They’re gone,” he stammered. “Kael… he—he wiped them out.”I stared down at him, the firelight from our camp flickering against his face. His fear was almost pathetic.“Which ones?” I asked quietly.“Roth, Jalen, and Venn.”Three of my best.I crouched, resting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched like I’d struck him. “And who was with him?”“The Ironclaw heir… and the Alpha-King’s son.”So. He had allies now.I smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “Kael finally found friends. How sweet.”The scout swallowed hard, unsure whether to stay silent or run. I spared him the choice — one clean twist, and his neck snapped. He dropped to the dirt, motionless.“Bury him,” I told the others. “He talked too much anyway.”As they dragged the body away, I turned toward the fire. The forest around us was dark, the air heavy with smoke and the stench of blood. A few of the

Aria’s POVIt must’ve been close to midnight when I woke up. The fire had burned down to faint orange embers, and the forest was quiet.I stretched a little, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. That’s when I heard voices. Low, close by.Kael and Darius.I stayed still, pretending to be asleep.“…you’ve been acting strange lately,” Darius said quietly. “Especially around him.”Kael gave a small, tired laugh. “You’re imagining things.”“I don’t think I am,” Darius replied. “You’re on edge. You watch him constantly. You think no one notices?”He paused. “Are you gay?”There was a short pause, the sound of Kael shifting against the tree trunk.“You’re overthinking things,” Kael said finally. “Ironclaw’s just… unpredictable. Someone has to keep an eye on him.”Darius hummed softly, clearly unconvinced. “If you say so.”The silence that followed made my chest tighten. I almost sat up just to stop it, but then Darius spoke again, this time, his voice had changed, it became low and serious.“Have

Aria’s POVThe forest had gone quiet again. Too quiet.Kael and I slowed to a stop near a cluster of mossy rocks. The air was thick with damp and the faint metallic scent of blood. We’d been walking for hours, following no clear path, and I was starting to think the forest itself was watching us.Kael’s shoulders were stiff. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered.I was about to ask what he meant when a growl cut through the silence.Another followed, then another.The first rogue burst from the shadows, slamming into the ground between us. Kael didn’t hesitate… his Core flared red as he met the beast head-on. The air cracked with energy as he landed a heavy strike to its neck.Two more came next. I jumped back, forcing my Core to flicker just enough to knock one off balance without revealing its true color. My pulse hammered as Kael tore through the second rogue, gritting his teeth.“What the hell?” he yelled over the noise. “These things shouldn’t even be here!”I didn’t answerThen, out

Seraphina’s POVI watched as Aiden and Kael made their way through the forest. They were definitely a fascinating pair.The kiss I had given the Draven Heir was just to fluster him a bit… I didn’t think he was that capable. There was potential there, more than I expected.One of the council members walked in, slightly trembling. How ironic — the council for a male heir academy, afraid of a single woman.Not that I was complaining. I absolutely loved it.“Lady Seraphina,” the man stammered, bowing low. “The first phase has begun. The rogues have been released into the southern and eastern regions. But…” he hesitated, “we’ve already lost two heirs.”I turned my gaze toward the large crystal that projected the image of the forest. My lips curved faintly as I saw the chaos beginning to unfold, heirs scattering, wolves fighting for dominance, fear filling the air.“Good,” I said simply.The man swallowed. “Good? With all due respect, Lady Seraphina, the Cull Trials were forbidden for a reas

Aria’s POVThe morning was quiet. Too quiet.No birds, no wind, not even the sound of insects. Just the faint crackle of what was left of last night’s fire.Kael was already awake. He sat a few feet away, sharpening his blade. His expression was serious, focused, nothing like the usual smugness I was used to.I got up, stretching a little. The air was colder than before, and when I looked up, the sky was pale orange instead of blue. Something felt different.I pulled my blanket tighter and turned in a slow circle. That’s when I noticed the claw marks on a nearby tree. They were deep, too deep for any normal wolf. The grooves looked like something had tried to tear the bark off completely.Kael followed my gaze. He didn’t say anything, but the way his jaw tightened said he noticed too.We packed up and started moving. The deeper we went into the forest, the stranger things looked. One area looked like autumn, with orange leaves and dry grass. Then, a few steps later, everything turne

Lyre’s POVUrgh…. I groaned. Waking up to a migraine wasn’t a part of my to-do list for the day. I looked around and noticed I was back in my chambers.What had happened? Forget that… How did I even get here?I tried getting on my feet but my side hurt as hell. Immediately I slumped back on my bed placing a hand over my side. Now that jolted my memory, I was in the arena… till some Alpha started yelling something that obviously would come out of a rat's mouth. But then I was the bigger rat for rushing into the bait, I knew it was a bait but I still rushed in.Tch.. I let some Alpha get the better of me. I looked out my bedroom window, willing and hoping this was all a dream. Was I really going to marry some random Alpha? I began to think through a possible way out. Maybe if I declared another trial…. No… that would only confirm what Orion said. I wanted to go on but then I realized something…. Orion?? Then I recalled our moment before I fainted. Oh my gosh…. I was getting married

Mia’s POV I couldn’t believe what I just saw. Orion had won against the Princess of Thornveil. After she charged in with her dragon on cue, I definitely thought he was toast. But I guess I should have known… Orion had his way of surprising people. And that’s what I like about himMaybe that’s why Lyre loves him. Suddenly the thought of that seemed to irritate me. No, there’s no way. Orion was just someone I happened to get entangled with because of some silly mate bond. If that didn’t happen, I’d be dead though but then again, if I never met him. I’d probably still be at the rogue lands… still intact and able to protect from that wolf, Roger. My fists tightened, I still had to deal with Roger but according to Orion, we’d just be free targets if we charged in with our current abilities. Apparently I had died in one of our battles with Roger, forcing Orion to kill himself and loop back.I still couldn’t get it into my head. Only the goddess knows how many times I’d died already… obv

Orion’s POVLyre was definitely furious… each of her strikes landed heavily. I had expected her to grow incredibly but I didn’t think it would be this much. I dodged a set of ice blades…. Seems like she had formed a bond with her dragon. I smiled…. Lyre… you’ve grown a lot haven’t you? She slashed again but this time, I placed more pressure on the blade…. Shattering her ice sword. “The weapons you’ll create are no match for me. “ I didn’t think she would stop now though but I still told her. Lyre was no fool obviously so she could tell I wasn’t lying but she didn’t seem convinced. She created a few more Ice swords and attacked… I smashed through all of them. Finally Lyre seemed to have accepted the reality… her claws extended and she took a stance similar to Chinese martial arts…Ah… that gave me a nostalgic feeling.. China…Seeing that I tossed my sword to the ground. Lyre’s eyes widened, clouded with disbelief “What are you doing?” she asked.“An experiement…” I said, stret

Orion’s POV The entire arena had fallen into chaos. Guards were shouting, the crowd was murmuring, and at the center of it all… Lucien stood tall, one hand still gripping Mia like she was a criminal…Well I mean she is a criminal but c’mon My fingers twitched. Every instinct screamed at me to go down there, to tear him apart for even touching her.But that would be the end of us both.So I stayed still. I needed to fix this without revealing who I was.A grin slowly tugged at my lips. Well, there was one thing I was good at—causing trouble.I stepped forward, letting my voice boom across the arena. “Is this how Thornveil handles their trials?” I called out. “Stopping the entire ceremony just because a rogue shows up?”The sound rippled through the silence. Mia’s gaze snapped toward me and if looks could kill, I’d be buried six feet under already.Lucien looked up, his smile sharpening. Lyre’s expression faltered…. caught off guard.I pressed on, taking full advantage.“Or maybe,” I

Mia’s POVThe cheers above dulled into a low hum as I pushed deeper through the tunnels.Where was I even going? No plan, just a direction….up toward the north tower stairs where the guards had said Lucien wanted his “mysterious Alpha” brought.I tightened the cloak around my shoulders.The tunnel turned, then forked, and I slipped left where the light thinned. A pair of guards paced by one of the doors, talking about prize fights and ale. I waited until both faces turned the other way, then moved.No flashing swords, no dramatic leap. Just a hand on the neck, a quick twist, a single cloth pressed over a mouth. One knock and the guard slid to the floor, breathing steady but out cold. I dragged him into the alcove, wiped the sweat from my palms, and kept moving.My heart beats at a steady, focused pace. Years of hiding, of training alone, made my steps quiet. I wasn’t a murderer by trade, I’d prefer to avoid blood but Lucien’s face had become something that could be erased.For the s

Mia’s POVIt took everything in me not to storm out there and tear Lucien’s smug face apart.What was he even doing here?I sighed, pressing my back against the cool wall of the Colosseum. Sitting among the crowd would’ve been suicide. Too many guards, too many eyes. So instead, I hid in one of the narrow halls behind the viewing stands, close enough to hear the cheers but far enough to stay invisible.In my hands, the small crystal globe flickered softly… glowing with faint, shifting light.Lena called it a dragon’s eye. Said it could mirror whatever I wanted to see, as long as the energy around it stayed stable.Stable…. Right.The image inside was a blur of sand and movement…. Orion, standing at the center of the arena surrounded by unconscious wolves. The camera, or whatever dragon magic this thing used, zoomed on its own, focusing on the balcony.And there he was. Lucien Silver.I clenched my jaw, the memory of what his pack did flashing through my mind.The crowd above me was a