All Chapters of From His Shield to His Nightmare: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

What I never told Cedric was that the Guardian’s Pact wasn't eternal.Once a guardian protects their lord 9,999 times, the pact for that generation is automatically fulfilled.The guardian is free to leave whenever they wish.I could have left ten years ago. But I craved the pleasure of being by his side, yearned for our own eternal bond. I ignored my family’s call to return.Now, I shut down all my magical communications.If I was leaving, I was going to be thorough.At two in the afternoon, the main gate of my ancestral home was blasted open by a powerful surge of magic.Cedric’s right-hand, a blood thrall named Marcus, stormed in with four guards.“Lady Alaina,” Marcus’s voice was polite, but his hand was already on the hilt of his sword. “The Lord wishes to see you.”I didn’t look up, continuing to mend the tattered ancient spellbook before me. “Tell your lord I’m busy.”“I’m afraid this isn’t a request.”I set down my tools and stood up. “So you’re going to drag me back by force?”

Three days later, my door opened.Cedric walked in with Elsie on his arm.The bloodstone ring on her left ring finger, a symbol of her clan's alliance, flashed a blinding red.The Eternal Ice Rose I had dreamed of for a century was now a brooch pinned to her chest, a declaration of her victory.“Alaina,” Cedric’s voice was flat. “How are you feeling?”“Alive,” I said hoarsely. “Disappointed?”Cedric’s brow twitched, as if surprised by my calm.Elsie walked to my bedside, her face a mask of false concern. “I’ve been wanting to see you. I heard you were badly injured protecting us. You’re so brave.”Protecting them.What a fucking joke.“Just doing my duty,” I replied, my face blank.“Your loyalty is truly touching,” Elsie said, a flash of unconcealed triumph in her eyes.Just then, a black shadow flew in through the window and landed on my shoulder.It was a raven. His feathers were ink-black, shimmering with a strange, blood-red light.His name was Nyx.He was a magical familiar, born

My calm submission seemed to unnerve Cedric more than any violent protest.I had just packed the last ancient spellbook into my trunk when the door to my hideout was blasted open by a surge of dark magic.Cedric stood in the doorway, his crimson eyes were bloodshot, burning with a desperate rage.“What game are you playing?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.His eyes raked over me, scrutinizing me from head to toe, as if trying to find a single crack in my facade.“I am simply fulfilling my duty as a guardian, my Lord,” I answered calmly, even giving a slight curtsy.“Duty?” he snarled. “Designing a better token for my fiancée than the one you made for me? Supervising its creation and calling it duty? Alaina, do you really think I can't see you're trying to provoke me?"“I am not provoking you,” I met his eyes, my tone innocent. “I merely wish to offer my final, most perfect contribution to the Thorne clan.”“Final?” He seized on the word.A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as

Cedric’s POVI crushed the rebellion with the bloodiest of means.The last of the Bloodthorn clan were torn to pieces. Their screams were the final song for a ruined celebration.I calmed Elsie. She was terrified, crying. I had the healers give her a full examination. Nothing but a meaningless scratch on her arm and a bad scare. She was unharmed.I kissed her forehead, promising in my softest voice to make her forget this nightmare. Only then did I drag my exhausted body from the secure room.The great hall was a wreck. The stench of blood and burnt things was sickening.“Marcus.” I rubbed my temples, irritated. “Clean this up. The necromancers will repair the damage before sunrise.”I surveyed the ruins, my mind racing, figuring out how to explain this attack to the other clans.Everything was under control, except…A thought flashed through my mind.Alaina.She should be here. Watching me with those damn, calm eyes that always pissed me off. Then she’d silently clean up the mess.The

Cedric's POVIt’s been a month.She’s gone. Vanished like morning mist that was never there.And the hole in my cold heart just won’t close.Marcus knocked and entered, holding a guest list for the vow ceremony. “My Lord, you need to confirm this.”I didn’t turn from the window. The eternal night outside was suffocating. “Give it to Elsie.”“And the selection of blood-wines, the wraith-chant arrangement…”“I said give it all to her!” I snapped, my voice tearing through the castle’s silence. “From now on, don’t bother me with this petty shit!”Marcus retreated in silence.I should be satisfied.Though the alliance with the Valerius clan was on hold, Elsie had stayed.Our “Eternal Vow” ceremony was set for a month from now.So why couldn’t I sleep?Midnight. I sat up in my stone sarcophagus again.Elsie slept soundly beside me, but all I felt was a primal, restless emptiness.I got out of bed. Some invisible force pulled me toward the room that used to be Alaina’s.It was Elsie’s harp ro