Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 422: Promise me you will not give up.

Nyx pushed through the entrance of the command tent before the guards could even announce her.

The heavy fabric fell closed behind her, muffling the distant sounds of the camp outside. Inside the tent the air felt thick and dim, lit only by a few lanterns that cast wavering shadows across the wooden table at the center.

Her father sat there alone.

The King of Valerion no longer looked like the ruler who had once commanded armies and presided over courts filled with nobles and ambassadors. His armor had been removed and now rested carelessly on a nearby chair, still cracked from the blow Ken had delivered earlier in the valley.

A half-empty bottle of wine sat on the table.

Another cup lay on its side nearby.

The King held a goblet loosely in one hand, staring down at the dark red liquid inside as if the answers to everything might be hidden at the bottom of it.

His shoulders looked heavy.

He had not even noticed Nyx enter.

"Father."

Her voice was quiet.

The King looked up slowly.

For a brief moment he seemed surprised to see her standing there.

"My Daughter."

She walked forward without hesitation.

Her chest felt tight and her breathing uneven, but she forced herself to remain calm. The tent walls were thin, and outside hundreds of soldiers moved around the camp. She did not want them hearing the conversation that was about to happen.

So she spoke softly.

"Xavier told me something."

The King said nothing.

He simply set the goblet down on the table.

Nyx stepped closer.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

"He told me what Ken said."

Still the King remained silent.

Nyx swallowed.

Her voice came out carefully controlled.

"He said... Mother betrayed Valerion."

The words felt strange in her mouth, as though they did not belong in the same sentence.

She shook her head slightly.

"That cannot be true."

Her eyes searched her father’s face desperately.

"You know Mother."

She spoke quickly now, her voice low but urgent.

"She would never do something like that."

The King’s gaze dropped back to the table.

Nyx took another step forward.

"Tell me Xavier misunderstood," she whispered.

The King’s fingers tightened slightly against the wooden surface.

"Tell me Ken was lying."

Silence filled the tent.

Nyx felt her heart pounding harder with every second that passed.

"Father."

The King finally looked up.

Nyx immediately saw the answer in his eyes before he even spoke.

They were wet.

Tears clung to the edges of his lashes, though he had clearly tried to hide them.

He opened his mouth, but the words came slowly.

"It is true."

Nyx froze.

The simple confirmation felt like a blade sliding into her chest.

For a moment she could not breathe.

Her legs suddenly felt weak.

"No," she whispered.

The King’s voice trembled slightly.

"Ken showed me the crown." Nyx’s vision blurred. "He told us everything." She shook her head weakly. "That is not possible."

Her voice cracked.

"She is your wife."

The King looked away.

"She is your mother." Nyx’s hands trembled.

"She tried to poison Darius," the King said quietly.

The words shattered the last fragile piece of denial inside her.

Nyx staggered slightly before collapsing onto the chair beside the table.

The sob came out of her chest before she could stop it. Then another. And another.

Soon she was crying uncontrollably, her entire body shaking as the truth crushed down on her.

"My mother..." she choked.

Her voice broke completely.

"How could she..."

The King remained standing for a moment, watching his daughter break apart in front of him.

There was nothing he could say to ease it.

No explanation that could soften the betrayal they had both just learned.

He had ruled a kingdom for decades.

He had faced enemies, wars, assassins, and conspiracies.

But nothing had prepared him for this.

Finally he moved around the table.

He gently helped Nyx stand before pulling her into a tight embrace.

She clung to him like a child again, her sobs muffled against his chest.

The King closed his eyes.

His arms wrapped around his daughter firmly, as if trying to protect her from a world that had already taken too much.

For several moments neither of them spoke.

Only Nyx’s quiet crying filled the tent.

When the King finally spoke again, his voice sounded tired in a way she had never heard before.

"We have lost."

Nyx’s sobbing slowed slightly as she listened.

The King’s gaze drifted toward the tent entrance, toward the army waiting outside, toward the kingdom that might already belong to their enemies.

"Valerion has fallen," he said quietly.

His arms tightened slightly around her shoulders.

"And now we have nothing left to fight for."

Nyx remained in her father’s arms for a long moment, her shoulders trembling as the last of her sobs slowly faded into quiet, uneven breaths.

The King still held her, his chin resting lightly against the top of her head. His eyes had closed for a brief moment as though he wished the world outside that tent would simply disappear.

But reality did not grant kings such mercy.

Nyx slowly pulled away.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and faint tear tracks still glistened along her cheeks. She wiped at them quickly with the sleeve of her dress, trying to steady herself.

The King watched her carefully.

Then Nyx shook her head.

"No."

The word came quietly, but it carried a firmness that surprised him.

The King frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Nyx lifted her gaze toward him.

Her voice was still fragile from crying, yet something inside it had hardened.

"I do not accept that."

The King studied her expression.

"Nyx..."

She shook her head again.

"You said we have nothing left to fight for."

Her fingers clenched slightly.

"That is not true."

The King sighed softly.

"Valerion has fallen."

"But we are still alive," Nyx replied quickly.

Her voice trembled, yet her words did not falter.

"You are still alive. I am still alive. Our soldiers are still alive."

The King watched her quietly.

Nyx’s chest rose and fell as she forced herself to continue.

"If everything is truly gone," she said, "then that only means we fight for what little we still have left."

The King’s brow tightened.

"Nyx, you do not understand the situation."

"No," she said.

Her voice grew stronger now.

"You are the one who does not understand."

The King blinked slightly at the sudden boldness in her tone.

Nyx’s eyes filled with tears again, but she did not cry this time.

"If our home has been taken, then we fight for the chance to take it back."

She swallowed hard.

"And if we cannot take it back..."

Her gaze hardened slightly.

"Then we die trying."

The King looked at his daughter in silence.

For the first time since hearing the truth in the valley, something inside his chest stirred faintly.

Nyx stepped back toward the entrance of the tent.

Her hands trembled slightly as she wiped her face again.

"I refuse to believe everything is over," she said.

The King did not answer.

Nyx looked at him one last time before turning toward the exit.

When she pushed aside the tent flap and stepped outside, the cool evening air hit her face.

The camp was quieter now.

Lanterns had been lit along the pathways between tents and soldiers moved slowly through the dim glow of firelight.

Nyx looked around briefly.

Her eyes found Lucas almost immediately.

He stood not far away speaking quietly with Commander Alexander near a wagon. Lira and Selene were still nearby as well, watching anxiously as Nyx emerged from the tent.

The moment Nyx stepped out, all of them turned toward her.

Lucas saw the fresh tears on her face.

He already knew the answer.

Nyx walked straight toward him.

Her steps were quick and determined despite the sadness still lingering in her eyes.

Lucas turned fully to face her.

"Nyx—"

She stopped in front of him.

Then, before he could say anything else, she reached forward and grabbed his hand tightly.

The sudden motion caught him slightly off guard.

"Lucas," she said.

Her voice was still shaky, but the desperation inside it was unmistakable.

"I need you to promise me something."

Lucas frowned slightly.

"What is it?"

Nyx looked directly into his eyes.

"You cannot give up."

The words came out quickly.

"No matter what happens tomorrow."

Lucas said nothing yet.

Nyx tightened her grip on his hand.

"Even if everything looks hopeless," she continued. "Even if everyone else believes the war is already lost."

Her voice trembled again.

"Even if there is only one percent chance left."

Lucas watched her quietly.

Nyx swallowed hard.

"I am placing that one percent on you."

Her eyes filled with tears again, though she refused to let them fall this time.

"You always find a way when there should not be one."

Her fingers trembled slightly against his.

"You did it when Darius was poisoned."

She drew a shaky breath.

"You did it when the monsters attacked Valerion."

Her voice softened.

"You always find a way."

Nyx looked at him like someone holding onto the last fragile thread of hope in a collapsing world.

"So promise me," she whispered.

"Promise me you will not give up."