☬♛ PART TWENTY TWO ♛☬

Sebastian sat at the edge of the quiet village, the weight of his past pressing against his chest like a stone.

Alex sat beside him, silent. Waiting.

Sebastian had never been afraid of war.

Never hesitated to spill blood.

But this-

This was terrifying.

Because this time, he wasn't facing an enemy.

He was facing Alex.

And Alex was the only thing he couldn't afford to lose.

Sebastian inhaled sharply.

"You don't know what I've done."

Alex's gaze remained steady. "Then tell me."

Sebastian clenched his fists.

"I didn't just fight my father," he admitted. "I destroyed him. I made sure he suffered before the end."

Alex didn't flinch.

Sebastian exhaled.

"I burned villages that stood against me. I didn't spare the nobles who sided with him. I didn't just take the throne-I ruined everyone who stood in my way."

His voice wavered.

"I became everything my father was. Worse."

He turned to Alex then, bracing himself for the disgust. The horror.

For Alex to look at him and finally see the monster he had become.

But Alex-

Alex just watched him, eyes filled with something Sebastian didn't deserve.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

Just understanding.

And then-

Alex reached for him.

Slowly.

Carefully.

And before Sebastian could stop him-

Alex pulled him into an embrace.

Sebastian froze.

His breath caught, his entire body stiff with shock.

"Why-" His voice was hoarse. "Why aren't you running?"

Alex exhaled against his shoulder.

"Because I know you, Sebastian." His voice was quiet but steady. "And I know that if you truly were the monster you think you are, you wouldn't be here, telling me this."

Sebastian broke.

Because for years, he had convinced himself that he had become something unrecognizable.

That the boy Alex once loved was gone.

But now, held in Alex's arms-

He wasn't so sure.

And as he finally let himself sink into the warmth of Alex's embrace-

He realized something.

Maybe there was still a way back.

Maybe he hadn't lost everything after all.