Tauriel woke up slowly on the silk sheets, her body still humming from the intense encounter. She reached out beside her, expecting to feel the warm body of the so-called "Great One," but the spot was empty. Jason was gone. She blinked once, then sat up without any rush or panic. She did not care about Jason. He was just another male — useful for a moment, nothing more. The fact that he was not an elf had already crossed her mind before she passed out, but that was not what woke her.

It was the commotion outside.

Shouts echoed through the corridors, boots pounding on marble floors, and frantic orders being barked. Tauriel swung her legs off the bed and stood, completely calm. She walked to the ornate closet built into the wall and opened it. Inside hung a set of spare armor — light, elegant plate with glowing runes along the seams. This was a tradition among the elves: spare armor was always kept in guest rooms in case of sudden trouble. She slipped into it piece by piece, the metal fitting perfectly over her curves.

Once armored, she stepped out into the hallway.

Guards were rushing past, faces pale with panic. "Find the human and the werewolf!" one shouted. "They were last seen on the upper floors!"

Another guard skidded to a stop near her. "Lady Tauriel! The intruders have escaped their room. We’re searching everywhere!"

Tauriel raised a hand, her voice steady. "Calm yourselves. This is nothing. They are just two lost outsiders. Continue the search, but do not destroy the palace in the process."

The guard bowed quickly. "Yes, my lady."

She could sense it now — the same magic signature she had felt earlier or more precisely, the day before. It was violent and dark, far too powerful for any of the broken males they kept in the dungeons. Her eyes narrowed. She had punished the wrong elf. That pathetic creature she had whipped earlier was already close to death. There was no way he could cast something this strong.

"Step back," Tauriel called out to the nearest group of guards, her tone sharp. "All of you, pull back from the upper levels. Something is—"

Before she could finish, a massive explosion ripped through the top floor of the tower. The blast shook the entire palace. Stone and wood debris rained down from above like deadly hail. Tauriel dove sideways, pressing herself against the wall as chunks of masonry crashed around her.

Two guards standing directly below the blast were crushed instantly. One was smashed under a falling beam, his scream cut short. The other was impaled by a long shard of wood that tore straight through her chest. Blood sprayed across the polished floor.

"Get back!" Tauriel shouted, raising her hand to cast a quick shield spell. "I said pull back, you fools!"

Another guard nearby coughed through the dust. "Lady Tauriel... what is happening? That magic... it’s not ours!"

Tauriel’s eyes burned with cold fury as she stared up at the smoking hole where the top floor had been. "No. It is not. Someone just broke free from the cage we built for him." She wiped dust from her cheek and tightened the strap on her armor. "Find the human and the werewolf. Bring them to me alive. And someone seal the lower levels. Whatever woke up in that tower is far more dangerous than a simple intruder."

She turned on her heel, already moving toward the stairs, her voice cutting through the chaos. "And if any of you see that bastard Thalion... I want you to kill him on sight. Do not hesitate."

The surviving guards scrambled to obey, fear clear on their faces. Tauriel walked forward through the settling dust, her mind already calculating the next move. The game had changed, and she refused to lose control of it.

-

Jason stood frozen, staring at the malnourished elf on the floor. He knew he had made a mistake by releasing him. The second that door shattered and the elf’s eyes burned with pure hatred, Jason realized he had just unleashed something far more dangerous than the elves chasing them.

Thalion had filled them in on what was going on here.

But there was nothing he could do now but play the part.

The only reason he was alive was because the elf thought he was the one giving him the visions — the ones that kept him alive all these years and quietly helped him build his strength up in secret. Jason knew by that logic he should be able to talk him out of whatever madness was brewing, but first, he needed to get out of here with Ylva. That was his priority. And if he could use Thalion’s strength to do that, then so be it.

"Thalion," Jason said carefully, forcing a calm smile, "listen to me. We need to move. Now. Can you help us get out of this place?"

Thalion slowly pushed himself up on shaky arms, coughing violently. A crazy amount of blood sprayed from his mouth onto the stone floor. His whole body trembled as the high-level spells he had been using finally took their toll.

Ylva’s eyes widened. "Jason, he’s dying! We can’t—"

Jason cut her off. "Ylva, carry him. Now."

Ylva hesitated, claws twitching. "Are you insane? If I get close to him, what if he—"

"I said carry him," Jason repeated, voice firm but low. "Trust me. Please."

Ylva growled in frustration but stepped forward. She scooped the frail elf onto her back with surprising gentleness. Thalion’s blood stained her fur, but she didn’t complain. "If he tries anything, I’m dropping him," she muttered.

Thalion let out a weak, rasping laugh. "You... you truly are my savior... I will not harm you..."

Jason didn’t wait. "Go. Jump out the window. Land on the roof below."

Ylva nodded once, then leaped out of the shattered opening, landing gracefully on the sloped roof below with Thalion still on her back.

She looked up at Jason, eyes urgent. "Jason! Are you coming?!"

Jason stood at the edge, glancing back into the room. "I’ll be fine. Go ahead — I’ll catch up!"

Before Ylva could argue, Jason turned around and found himself face-to-face with Tauriel.

She stood at the top of the stairs, armor gleaming, eyes cold and furious. Two guards flanked her, weapons drawn.

"Great One," Tauriel said, her voice dripping with venom. "Or should I say... imposter? You really thought you could fuck me and then run away?"

Jason forced a grin, heart racing. "Hey, Tauriel. Funny seeing you here. I was just... leaving."

Tauriel stepped closer, her massive chest rising and falling with barely contained rage. "You lied to me. You are no pure-blood. You are nothing but a filthy imposter who somehow slipped through our gates. And now you have taken lives, I cannot let you leave here,"

She raised her hand, mana crackling around her fingers. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand."

Jason swallowed hard but kept his voice steady. "Because if you kill me, you’ll never get what you really want. That ’perfect mage’ you’ve been trying to breed for years? I might be the key to making it happen. But only if I’m alive."

Tauriel’s eyes narrowed. "You are bluffing."

"Am I?" Jason shrugged, trying to look confident. "You felt what I can do. You passed out from it. Imagine what I could give you if we worked together instead of fighting."

Tauriel stared at him for a long second, then lowered her hand slightly. "You have ten seconds to convince me, imposted. Ten."

Jason’s mind raced. Behind him, he could hear Ylva shouting his name from the roof below, but he couldn’t turn around yet.

"Come on, Tauriel," he said quickly. "You don’t want to kill me. You want to use me. And right now, I’m offering you exactly that."

Tauriel’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Very well. You have my attention... for now."

Even she couldn’t deny it, Thalion was a failure for the sole purpose his body couldn’t contain the magic he could use without destroying itself.

It didn’t matter if it was restored to its prime condition either.

But Jason stood here, this tale was as old as time. Reproduction and he had already established this world was perverse.

"Why does this sound similar to a book I read in the past? Oh yes..."