The campfire crackled softly, its orange glow painting Kyle’s face.
The quiet was deep. The kind of stillness that pressed into your ears and made even the smallest sound feel loud.
Kyle sat by the fire, staring into the flames. His mind racing despite his calm expression.
The shadows behind him shifted slightly.
"I was wondering when you would show up."
From the darkness. Eleanora stepped out.
Her cloak fluttered softly behind her as she moved. Her presence silent and smooth like she’d been carved out of the night itself.
The firelight lit the edge of her pale blonde hair and the deep red in her eyes, giving her an almost ghostly look.
"She took the bait," Eleanora said quietly.
"She informed Rodric about the Eastern cliffs," she continued. "She thinks the supply line is being rerouted there."
Kyle let out a breath, not quite a laugh. More like quiet relief. The last piece of the trap had been set.
"She was careful," Eleanora added. "Did it when no one was around. But I saw everything."
Kyle gave a small nod. "Good. That’s all we needed."
He grabbed a stick and dragged it through the dirt, sketching a crude map.
He marked the camp, the main roads, and then circled the Eastern Cliffs.
Then, with a sharp jab. He pointed toward the Southern Cliffs... The real location.
"You’re sure he’ll go for the Southern cliffs?" Eleanora asked, stepping closer to look.
Kyle tapped his temple.
"Positive. I’ve been watching Rodrick’s tactics for a month. He’s not the type to take things at face value."
"He’ll assume the East is a setup. He’ll look for where we’re weakest...Or where he thinks we’re weakest."
Eleanora studied the sketch. Her gaze narrowing slightly. "So he’ll attack the South."
"That’s the only move that makes sense for him," Kyle said.
"That’s where we will prepared the traps. Explosive runes, hidden archers, everything."
Eleanora didn’t speak for a moment. Then she gave a small nod. "Then it’s time."
Kyle stood, brushing the dirt off his hands. His voice was low but firm.
"We tell Cedric and Cassian now. No more secrets. They’ve earned the truth."
Eleanora looked off toward the training field. Where the two were still sparring under the lantern glow.
Her expression didn’t change. But her voice dipped a little.
"Cassian will be angry."
"He’ll deal with it." Kyle rolled his neck, cracking the tension from his shoulders.
"They needed to believe the act too. If they knew earlier, it might’ve slipped. And Lena and Rook would’ve picked up on it."
Eleanora turned her eyes back to Kyle. "And now?"
Kyle’s smirk returned, cold and sharp. "Now we grab them. Quietly. Before they get suspicious."
"They have already played their part."
Eleanora’s voice lowered. "And what about Rodrick?"
Kyle’s answer came without pause.
"He’ll come himself."
That was the endgame.
Rodrick wouldn’t send a squad this time. Not after losing his elite unit to a fake ambush.
He’d want to finish the job personally. Take control of the battlefield with his own hands.
Kyle’s eyes reflected the firelight, his face calm but fierce.
Eleanora looked at him for a long moment. Then she nodded once, slow and deliberate. "I’ll tell Serena. Meet you at the tent."
Kyle turned back to the fire as she slipped away. The flames danced and cracked.
The plan was in motion. The bait had been taken. Now they just had to wait for Rodric to walk into the trap. Thinking he was the one setting it.
Kyle crouched down again and ran his finger through the dirt.
There was no going back now.
The endgame had begun.
The sun had barely climbed above the jagged horizon when the Southern Cliffs came into view.
A cold breeze swept across the battlefield outpost, carrying the scent of stone, dust, and the faint tang of smoke.
The sky was a pale orange, streaked with clouds that promised another hard day.
But this time. They were ready.
Commander Halric had called a strategy meeting late last night. After Kyle returned with the false report.
Kyle had explained everything. His suspicions. The planted map, and the trap at the southern cliffs.
He didn’t name Lena or Rook. He didn’t need to.
Halric had listened in silence. Then leaned forward and said just three words.
It wasn’t just a gesture. It carried weight.
Kyle had spent a month fighting alongside the Black Legion.
His plans had stopped ambushes, saved scouts, and turned losing battles into narrow victories.
People followed his word not because he shouted, but because he delivered.
The captains didn’t argue. Halric didn’t second-guess him. The decision was made.
Now, the Black Legion’s strongest were gathered at the edge of the Southern Cliffs.
Their eyes watched the eastern trail in the distance. Where Kyle had leaked false information about a supply depot ambush.
It was only a matter of time before the Red Legion arrived.
But this place... this was the real trap.
Lena and Rook had already been captured at dawn.
Eleanora and Serena had taken them quietly during the early hours. Before most soldiers had stirred.
There hadn’t even been a scuffle.
Now, tied and gagged in a concealed tent further down the ridge. They could only watch as the plan unfolded.
Kyle stood in the center of the formation, surrounded by his team. His eyes scanned the landscape, sharp and focused.
To his left. Serena crouched by a set of rocks, drawing glowing runes into the dirt. Her hands moved quickly, her face calm.
Lightning runes sparked to life under her fingers. Forming precise circles and lines.
"Done with these," she said. Standing up and brushing dust from her palms.
Kyle nodded. "Perfect. Let’s set the next batch farther along the slope."
Beside him. He knelt again, carving frost-infused patterns into the earth.
Ice runes were slower to form. Colder, more delicate. But with Serena’s theory notes from the last month and her guidance.
Kyle had nearly mastered the basics.
Each rune pulsed gently with magic. Once the ambush started. A single trigger would be enough to detonate the entire line.
A few steps away. Cedric was working with Cassian, etching fire runes into stones and burying them halfway beneath the soil.
"I still can’t believe it," Cassian muttered, shaking his head. His hands moved steadily.
But his voice was thick with frustration. "We ate with them. Trained with them."
Cedric didn’t look up. "I know. I trusted them too."
Cassian snorted. "You are too nice, man."
"No," Cedric said quietly. "I’m just trying to understand. If it was the only way out... maybe I’d have done the same."
Cassian glanced at him but didn’t say anything. After a moment, he kept writing.
Kyle overheard them but didn’t interrupt.
He understood their feelings. The betrayal still stung. Even if it had been expected.
Lena and Rook had looked them in the eyes. Laughed with them. Helped them fight.
Maybe they hadn’t enjoyed it. But they had done it. And that made it worse somehow.
But Kyle didn’t hate them.
And the Red Commander knew exactly how to use that.
Eleanora approached from the nearby ridge. Her cloak trailing behind her. "The perimeter’s secure," she reported.
Kyle nodded. "We’ll be ready."
She came to stand beside him, her eyes scanning the hills beyond. "Do you think he’ll come himself?"
"He will," Kyle said softly. "He thinks this is his chance to cut the head off the snake."
He looked up, his gaze narrowing. "Let’s show him what a mistake that is."
Behind them, more soldiers moved to place traps under Kyle’s direction.
As the final runes were set. Kyle stood and took a step back, looking at the array.
Each symbol etched with care.
Each one connected to the other by a string of mana that ran beneath the surface like a web waiting to be snapped.
Cassian walked up beside him. "Looks like a battlefield."
Kyle nodded. "It is a battlefield."
Cedric wiped sweat from his brow and sighed. "This better work."
"It will," Serena said quietly. "We didn’t come this far to fail."