The Man Who Should Be Dead
1600 Words
Adrian’s breath locked in his chest as the silhouette stepped into the broken light spilling through the warehouse ceiling. Dust floated in the air, catching onto the figure’s sharp outline. The steps were slow, controlled, almost deliberate, like someone arriving late to a performance meant entirely for him.
Adrian’s voice cracked. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
The man smiled faintly. “And yet, here I am.”
“Ezra.” Adrian’s fists tightened on his sides. “How?”
Ezra took another step forward, dark coat brushing the ground, eyes fixed straight on Adrian. Those same grey eyes—cold, intelligent, and calculating. “Death is not as permanent as people like to believe.”
“You died the night my father was killed,” Adrian said. “I saw your body.”
“You saw what you were meant to see,” Ezra replied. “The hunters needed you to believe I was gone. It was easier to control the narrative that way.”
Adrian swallowed, every memory of that night flashing behind his eyes. “You were his brother. His most trusted friend.”
Ezra’s smirk widened. “Trust is a dangerous thing. Your father knew that. Too late, perhaps.”
Adrian forced himself to stay steady. “You betrayed him.”
“That depends on who you believe,” Ezra answered. “Your father believed in the old ways. He believed in balance, in peace, in restraint. But the kingdom needed strength, something he lacked.” His eyes sharpened. “So I offered it.”
Adrian’s blood boiled. “You murdered him.”
Ezra lifted a brow. “Is that what they told you? That I slaughtered my own brother for ambition?” He chuckled softly. “You really were sheltered.”
“You expect me to believe anything you say?” Adrian snapped.
“I expect you to choose your truth,” Ezra said. “You always had a stubborn mind. Much like him.”
Adrian flinched at the comparison. “Don’t talk about my father.”
Ezra ignored him. He stepped closer, boots dragging across the dusty warehouse floor. “Do you know why the hunters exist, Adrian?”
Adrian glared. “To eliminate threats against the crown.”
Ezra shook his head. “Wrong. They exist to protect the real balance the balance your father tried to destroy.”
“You’re twisting everything,” Adrian said.
“Am I?” Ezra tapped the lantern remains with his foot. “The hunters didn’t betray the crown. They were ordered to stop a king who made the wrong alliances.”
Adrian frowned. “What alliances?”
Ezra smiled thinly. “You don’t know. Of course, you don’t. He hid the truth from you to keep your childhood untouched.”
“Ezra,” Adrian growled, “say what you came to say.”
Ezra breathed out slowly. “Your father was working with the very people you’re running from.”
Adrian froze. “You’re lying.”
“This is why you’re not ready,” Ezra said. “You cling to the image of the man you loved, not the man he was.” He folded his arms behind his back. “Your father made deals with the hunters behind the council’s back. He promised them power, expansion, control. And when he failed to deliver, they turned on him.”
“That makes no sense,” Adrian said. “My father hated them.”
“Or pretended to,” Ezra replied. “A king’s smile hides many knives.”
Adrian took a step forward, anger tightening his throat. “You’re trying to manipulate me.”
“I’m trying to prepare you,” Ezra corrected. “Because the hunters don’t just want your crown. They want the legacy your father died protecting.” Ezra leaned in slightly. “And they need you to fall exactly as he did.”
Adrian stared at him, refusing to let the words sink in. “Why reveal yourself now? After all these years hiding like a ghost?”
Ezra’s expression hardened. “Because your enemies are no longer hiding.” He moved closer, lowering his voice. “They’ve chosen their moment. They’re ready to take everything.”
“And what do you want?” Adrian asked.
Ezra’s gaze locked on his. “To stop them.”
Adrian laughed—not from amusement but from disbelief. “You? You expect me to trust the man accused of killing my father?”
Ezra shrugged. “Believe what you want. But if the hunters silence me, you’ll never know the real truth. And neither will your kingdom.”
Silence fell between them.
The air grew colder.
Adrian narrowed his eyes. “Why did the hunters attack the man who contacted me?”
“Because he tried to break ranks,” Ezra said. “He knew too much. He wanted to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
Ezra tilted his head slightly. “About the creature hunting you.”
Adrian stiffened. “What creature?”
Ezra’s face darkened. “The Fallen Lion.”
Adrian nearly stopped breathing.
Ezra watched him closely. “Tell me you’ve heard the name.”
“It came up,” Adrian admitted. “But he didn’t explain.”
“The Fallen Lion isn’t a title,” Ezra said. “It’s a curse. A living curse.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “You’re talking in riddles.”
“No,” Ezra answered. “I’m talking about history.” He stepped closer. “Your father wasn’t the first king to fall. And you won’t be the last. Not unless you listen.”
Adrian swallowed hard. “What is the Fallen Lion?”
Ezra hesitated for the first time since entering. “A king who rose too high… and fell too deep.” His voice dropped. “Your ancestor.”
Adrian’s heart hammered. “You’re saying it’s part of my bloodline?”
Ezra nodded once. “And blood doesn’t stay buried.”
Adrian stepped back, shaking his head. “No. That’s impossible. That’s.”
“Very real,” Ezra said sharply. “Your father spent his life trying to keep that truth contained. That’s why he made alliances with the hunters. That’s why he hid so much from you.”
Adrian’s breathing grew uneven. “If this creature existed, why haven’t I seen it?”
Ezra gave a cold smile. “Because it only wakes when the crown is threatened.”
Adrian froze.
Ezra took one slow step forward. “And now, it is wide awake.”
A sharp noise echoed through the warehouse.
Adrian’s head snapped to the side.
Ezra didn’t turn. “They followed you.”
“The hunters?” Adrian whispered.
Ezra nodded. “They’re faster than you think.”
Adrian immediately moved for the nearest exit, but Ezra grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
Adrian jerked his arm free. “Let go.”
“Listen,” Ezra demanded. “You’re not ready for them.”
“I’ve handled worse.”
“Not this,” Ezra said sharply. “You’re walking into a trap.”
Adrian glared. “If they want me, they can try.”
Ezra hissed under his breath. “You’re too much like him.”
Adrian stopped. “Like who?”
“Your father,” Ezra said. “Stubborn. Blind. Determined to fight battles he doesn’t understand.”
Adrian frowned. “And you think you understand?”
“I know more than you ever will if you keep running like this,” Ezra replied. “The hunters have aligned with something bigger. Something darker. And if you go out there without knowing what you’re facing, you won’t last a night.”
Adrian stared at him, chest rising and falling faster.
Ezra lowered his voice. “They’re using the Fallen Lion. They’re using your bloodline’s curse against you.”
Adrian stepped back, forcing himself to stay grounded. “If you’re telling the truth… if all of this is real… why help me?”
Ezra looked at him with something unreadable—part anger, part regret, part something else entirely. “Because your father made mistakes. And I refuse to let you repeat them.”
Adrian swallowed. “You expect me to believe that you’re doing this out of loyalty?”
Ezra smiled faintly. “Loyalty? No. Survival, Adrian.” He leaned in. “The hunters think they can control the Fallen Lion. They can’t. If it wakes fully, everything burns. Kingdom, hunters, and you.”
Adrian’s heart pounded. “Then tell me how to stop it.”
Ezra stepped back, folding his arms. “I will. But not here. Not now.”
A loud crash shook the far wall.
Both men turned sharply.
Ezra’s voice dropped to a whisper. “We’re out of time.”
Adrian reached for the fallen man’s weapon on the floor. “Then we fight.”
“You won’t survive a direct confrontation,” Ezra said. “Not until you know what you are.”
“What am I?” Adrian echoed.
Footsteps thundered across the metal walkway overhead.
Ezra said quietly, “You’ll understand soon.”
Adrian glared. “Tell me now.”
Ezra held his gaze, eyes glinting with a truth he still refused to speak.
“Adrian,” he said, voice low, “you are not just the heir. You are—”
The lights blew out.
Darkness swallowed the warehouse.
A roar not human shook the entire structure.
Adrian’s heart stopped.
Ezra’s voice was the last sound he heard before the creature’s shadow loomed over him.
“Run.”
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