Kora had crawled back to her corner, trying to force herself into a dreamless sleep to escape the gnawing hollow in her stomach. Suddenly, the pressurized seal of the door hissed open. Valerius walked in, the scent of fresh bread and warm eggs flooding the sterile room. The simple, human warmth of the food was a sensory assault.

  For a heartbeat, the "Solaris Princess" vanished. Driven by primal instinct, Kora lost control. She lunged toward Valerius, snatching the food with the frantic desperation of a starving animal. She tore into the bread, the heat of the meal waking her frozen senses. But as the first bite hit her tongue, reality crashed back down.

  She looked up at Valerius, her eyes wide with terror, and scrambled backward. She huddled against the wall, her mouth still full of bread, tears streaming down her face as she realized how easily her hunger had betrayed her dignity.

  Valerius ignored her fear, his footsteps slow and deliberate as he cornered her. His 185cm frame cast a long, suffocating shadow over her messy face and trembling hands.

  "You aren't able to fight me without fuel, are you?" he rasped, his voice vibrating with dark amusement. He looked down at her, a low chuckle escaping his throat. "A simple meal was all it took for you to lose control. You didn’t even have to beg; your body did it for you."

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  Trapped against the wall, Kora realized she had only one card left to play. She noticed the door—Valerius had left it wide open, a glaring mistake for a man so calculated. She forced herself to swallow, her watery eyes never leaving his. She saw the way he looked at her, his guard seemingly lowered by his own arrogance.

  "What do you want me to do now?" she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears and a sudden, darkened resolve. She moved before he could answer. Using her small, 160cm frame to her advantage, she lunged forward, grabbing Valerius around the waist.

  The sudden contact seemed to surprise him, his body tensing under her touch. With a burst of her remaining magic, she shoved him against the wall with enough force to rattle the glass. She didn't wait to see his expression. She pivoted and bolted through the open door, her heart screaming with the hope of freedom.

  Valerius remained pinned against the wall, but he didn't give chase. Instead, he touched the spot where her hands had gripped his waist, a slow, lethal smirk spreading across his face. He had left the door open on purpose. He wanted her to run. He wanted her to feel the crushing weight of the Dominion’s wilderness so that when he caught her again, she would realize there was nowhere in this world that wasn't his.

  "Run, little bird," he whispered to the empty room, his eyes glowing with a rational, terrifying heat. "Let's see how far you get before the mountain breaks you."