The night was cooler than they'd anticipated, with the air biting at their skin as they settled by the campfire. The crackling flames cast dancing shadows on the rocks surrounding them, flickering across their faces as they sat in a comfortable silence, a small tent pitched just a short distance away. It was supposed to be a simple camping trip—a chance to escape the complexities of their lives for a few days.

But for Sebastian, the stillness of the night brought with it a flood of memories, none of them good.

He tried to focus on the fire, the rhythmic sound of the crackling wood, but every so often, his gaze would flicker toward the backpack lying beside him. It was there that he kept the "Wanted" flyer. The weight of it pressed on his mind like an invisible hand, suffocating him.

Sebastian wasn't stupid. He knew the kind of life he'd led—the number of targets he'd taken out, the systems he'd torn down, the people he'd killed. His hands were stained with blood in ways he couldn't ever undo. But it wasn't the killing that haunted him, it was the consequences.

The Galactic Foundation, that bloated institution of justice, had a price on his head. The flyer, worn and weathered from constant handling, had been slipped into his backpack just days before he left on this trip. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it—he'd been wanted dead or alive before, but this… This was different.

Dead or alive. Ownership of a planet. For his head.

He tried not to think about the consequences. It didn't matter, right? He wasn't supposed to be a target anymore. He wasn't supposed to be tied to his past. But now, sitting next to "Shae"—his friend, his companion, the one person who seemed to understand him—it all felt different.

They had gotten closer, hadn't they? The moments they shared, the soft touches, the stolen glances, the way her eyes would linger on him… and he couldn't deny the growing warmth in his chest whenever she was near.

But then, a cold wave of realization washed over him.

She's a target too.

He hadn't thought about it before—hadn't allowed himself to. But he could never be a burden to anyone again. Not after everything that happened with his parents. Not after the destruction he had wrought in his past. He had gotten people close to him killed before. People who didn't deserve it.

His parents had been the first. He still remembered the knock on the door, the sound of the blast, and the fire consuming their home. They were collateral damage, sacrificed to the same system that had used him, abused him, and ultimately killed his family. The mercenary job had been a side hustle at the time, a way to make ends meet, but it had ultimately cost him everything.

He couldn't let that happen again.

Sebastian's hands clenched into fists at his sides as the memories twisted in his mind. He hadn't been cold just for the sake of being distant. He was distant because people would kill for him. They would kill anyone who got too close. And that included Shoshana, who had unknowingly wormed her way into his heart.

A cold sweat began to bead at his forehead, and he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment—not again. Not after all the bloodshed.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. Shae.

She was sitting on a large rock by the fire, the flames casting a warm glow on her face. She was talking, her voice light and carefree, but Sebastian couldn't quite catch her words. All he could focus on was her. The way she smiled. The way her eyes sparkled under the stars.

For a brief moment, he let himself forget everything else. Let himself pretend that he could keep her safe.

But the weight of the flyer was still in his bag, still looming over him. He knew what needed to be done. He couldn't keep pretending. He couldn't stay close to her, not when there was a target on his back—and now, hers too.

He pulled the flyer from his bag with trembling fingers. He stared at it for a long time, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten. His eyes scanned the print: Wanted. Dead or alive. Reward: Ownership of a planet. Sebastian Harrington. Status: High Priority.

The words were no longer just a reminder of his past; they were a ticking clock. The danger wasn't only for him anymore. It was for everyone he cared about. And he couldn't risk it. Not with her.

His fingers hovered over his communicator, and with a deep breath, he opened a secure channel to the Galactic Foundation. They had to know.

He wasn't asking for protection, though. He didn't care about that anymore. He was telling them—informing them—of the situation. It was only a matter of time before they connected the dots between him and the Demon Princess.

Shoshana.

His thumb hovered over the button to send a photo of them together—taken just earlier that evening. She hadn't known he took it, but it felt important now. With the photo, they'd know.

In mere moments, he sent it, and as he stared at the blinking screen, he wondered how long it would take for the truth to surface.

Minutes passed. Then a response.

The message that followed was brief, but it was all he needed to know:

Identity confirmed. The Demon Princess, Shoshana, is confirmed to be 'Shae.'

The truth hit him like a physical blow, and his mind raced. He hadn't known. He hadn't wanted to know. But now, there was no going back.

Shoshana, the one person who had somehow wormed her way under his defenses, was the very heir to the throne of the Demon Kingdom—the one person his employers wanted dead more than anyone.

His hands trembled, and he slammed the communicator shut, turning his eyes back to the fire. His heart felt like it was being crushed in his chest.

She wasn't just some girl from the woods. She was the Demon Princess. And now, everything had changed. Sebastian pulled the flyer from his bag with trembling fingers. He stared at it for a long time, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten. His eyes scanned the print:

WANTED — DEAD OR ALIVE
Reward: Ownership of an Entire Planet
Target: Sebastian Leon Castillo (Alias: Harrington)
Status: Galactic Priority #0

The words weren't just a warning anymore. They were a noose tightening around not just his neck, but anyone who dared stand too close to him.

Sebastian Leon Castillo.

His real name. A name that once meant something—family, home, hope—before all of it had been ripped away from him. Before he had to bury who he was under a dozen false identities just to stay alive. "Harrington" was just a convenient mask. Leon Castillo was the boy who lost his parents because of a world that rewarded betrayal and blood.

And now Shae—Shoshana—was tangled in his mess. And he wasn't sure he would be able to trust ANYONE after the ONE person he thought was his FRIEND, had betrayed him. "Emotion... Is a weakness" he muttered to himself. "And nothing will ever change that" he added afterwards