Chapter 187: the night of reckoning

The feast raged on inside the grand hall, filled with laughter, the clinking of goblets, and the deep hum of music. It was a world completely detached from the storm that was about to break upon it. The nobility and warriors of Maelstrom had no idea that within their own walls, their enemies lurked in disguise, waiting for the moment to strike.  

I could barely hear the merriment over the steady thud of my heart.  

From my position near the banquet’s entrance, I took a slow breath, grounding myself. My eyes flickered across the hall, searching for him.

Sirius.  

There he sat at the head of the table, draped in heavy royal robes, a goblet of wine in his hand. Even from this distance, I could see how much he had changed. The once-golden sheen of his skin was now paler, his sharp features gaunt as if exhaustion weighed upon him. His long dark hair was tied back in a way that exposed the sharp angles of his jaw, his once-vibrant amber eyes dulled by something I couldn’t place.  

Was it grief?  

Regret?  

Did he ever think about the lives he had taken?  

About Lira? About Yong?  

I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching as I reminded myself that none of that mattered.

What mattered was getting him outside.

The battle would start the moment he left the safety of that hall. My men were already in position, blending seamlessly into the banquet as guards, servants, and even musicians.  

At my signal, they would act.  

But first, I had to separate my father from the crowd.  

And I knew just how to do it.  

I moved cautiously along the hall, keeping my head low as I approached the long table near the dais.  

A jug of wine sat at the edge, untouched. I reached for it, pretending to be another nameless servant refilling drinks.  

And then, just as I lifted the jug...

I turned my head ever so slightly, just enough for him to see my face.  

Our eyes met.  

For a single moment, it was as if time stopped.

Sirius froze, his goblet halfway to his lips. His entire body went rigid, his brows furrowing as he squinted, like a man trying to distinguish between a dream and reality.  

I watched as realization dawned over him.  

I saw the flicker of recognition.  

The widening of his eyes.  

The way his grip on the goblet tightened until his knuckles turned white.  

His lips parted slightly as if he were about to say something.  

Then, before he could speak, I turned and walked away.

Not too fast. Not too slow.  

Just enough to make him follow.  

And just as I hoped.

He did.

I led him through the corridors, weaving through servants and passing by the grand pillars that lined the inner palace. I never once looked back, but I could hear his footsteps echoing behind me, heavy and deliberate.  

As I reached the courtyard doors, I pushed them open and stepped outside into the frigid night air. The cold bit at my skin immediately, but I ignored it.  

I kept walking.  

And then—  

The doors slammed open behind me.

I stopped.  

Slowly, I turned to face him.  

Sirius stood beneath the torchlight, his breath visible in the cold air, his expression dark and unreadable.  

For the longest moment, neither of us spoke.  

Then—  

“…Aster?” His voice was barely above a whisper, as if he didn’t dare believe what he was seeing.  

I lifted my chin. “Father.”  

Something flickered in his eyes. Something dangerous.

“I thought you were dead,” he murmured, taking a slow step forward.  

I clenched my fists. “Disappointed to learn otherwise?”  

His expression twisted, but I couldn’t tell if it was anger or something else. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear his thoughts.  

“How are you here?” he asked, his voice sharper now. “How did you—?”  

I took a step back, my body tensing in preparation.  

The air between us felt like the calm before a storm.  

But before he could move—  

The castle erupted in chaos. 

A loud crash echoed from inside the great hall. The distant sound of steel clashing against steel followed, along with the startled cries of nobles.  

Sirius’ head snapped toward the entrance.  

And that was when he realized.

“This was a trap,” he breathed.  

I met his gaze, my voice cold. “Did you think I came here to have a father-son reunion?”  

For the first time, his mask cracked.  

He looked at me not as a stranger, not as a ghost from his past—

But as an enemy.  

I saw the moment his rage ignited.  

In a blink, he closed the distance between us, his hand grabbing my collar.

"You little—!"  

I reacted instantly, shoving my hand against his chest, a surge of magic blasting between us.  

The force sent both of us skidding back, my boots digging into the snow as I caught myself. Sirius staggered but recovered quickly, his expression now fully twisted in anger.

"You came here to kill me."  

I didn't deny it.  

"You deserve worse," I spat.  

Sirius exhaled sharply, his hands clenching at his sides. “You don’t understand what I’ve done—”  

“I understand exactly what you’ve done!” I snapped. “You killed Yong. You killed Lira. You left my mother in grief. You’ve ruled like a tyrant, and now it’s time you answer for it!”  

His eyes darkened.  

"You think you're ready to challenge me?" His voice dropped to something low, something dangerous. "You are still a child."

I lifted my chin, my magic crackling around my fingertips.  

“Then fight me.”  

Sirius inhaled sharply.  

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion..

He unsheathed his sword.

The sound of steel rang through the courtyard.  

He lunged first.  

I barely dodged in time, rolling across the snow as his sword sliced through the air where I had been standing.  

I countered with a blast of magic, but he was fast. He sidestepped, the force of my spell cracking the stone behind him instead.  

He was stronger.

More experienced.

But I was faster.

And I fought with something he no longer had. conviction.

We exchanged blow after blow, neither of us gaining the upper hand. His sword met my magic in an electrifying clash, sparks flying into the night air.  

With each attack, I could feel my father’s anger growing.  

Not just as a warrior.  

But as a man who had lost everything.

"You don’t know what it means to rule," he growled, slashing forward.  

I dodged, breathless. "And you don’t know what it means to be a father."  

That finally hit him.  

His movements hesitated.

And in that brief moment of weakness.

I struck.

Magic surged from my palms, hitting him directly in the chest.

He staggered back, crashing to his knees.

I stood over him, breathless, my body trembling from exhaustion.  

Sirius knelt in the snow, panting, his sword digging into the ground for support.  

For the first time, he looked defeated. 

I could end this.

Right here.  

Right now.  

I lifted my hand, gathering the last of my magic.

But then—  

He laughed.

A low, broken sound.  

And through the blood trickling from his lips, he whispered—  

"You think this is over?"  

And then...

The sky ignited in flames.