By dawn, Volantis had found a new god — one born of blood, silence, and rumor.
Everywhere, people talked. The whole city seemed to hum with a single story retold in a thousand different mouths.
"She killed them all—six men!""With chains, they say!""Chains? Then what would she do unbound?""Forget her — tell me about the fool who clapped!""A mercenary, they say. Or a madman. Or both."
The House of Silver Veils buzzed with it. Sailors in the docks swore the man was a sellsword from Qohor, black eyes like obsidian. The priests said no man of Qohor would clap for a demon. The courtesans said he was beautiful, which made sense of the madness.
By midday, the whispers had grown teeth.
"He's challenged her.""In the pit? With weapons?""He threw gold at the masters' feet, said gold silences all!""He'll be dead before the gate opens."
Every tavern sang of him. Every temple warned against him. And in the Red Temple's shadow, old slaves whispered the same name again and again—The Madman of Volantis.
The Coliseum Master's Chamber
Master Tolos paced, sweat slicking his neck. His steward, thin and pale, fidgeted with his quill.
Steward: "You can't possibly allow it! The crowd will riot if he dies too fast—"Tolos: "They'll riot if we don't! Have you seen the wagers? The pits are drowning in coin."Steward: "Then drown yourself in reason! He'll be slaughtered before the second gong!"
The door opened.
Silence devoured the argument.
Kaine stepped inside, every inch of him calm and deliberate. His boots made no sound. His gaze swept the chamber once — weighing, measuring — and came to rest on Tolos.
He dropped a heavy bag of gold onto the marble floor. The sound was solid, final. The bag split open, spilling gold like sunlight.
Kaine: "Gold silences all."
The steward swallowed. "You— you can't buy your life with coin."
Kaine: "I'm not buying my life. I'm renting silence."
Tolos stared at the coins, then up at Kaine. "You want to fight her? You know who she is?"
Kaine: "The city won't stop talking about her. Hard to miss."
Steward: "She's not a woman, she's a beast. A curse in flesh. You'll die screaming—"
Kaine's eyes shifted, dark and steady. "Then the crowd will get what they paid for."
Tolos hesitated, then laughed weakly. "You're insane."
Kaine: "Often."
The steward leaned toward his master, whispering, "He'll die before the first chain lands."
Kaine turned his head slightly. "Then I'll make sure it's worth the admission."
He stepped closer to Tolos and tapped the pile of coins with his boot.
Kaine: "Feed her. Heal her. Let her sleep. When I return, I want her strong enough to regret it."
Tolos exhaled through his nose. "And if I refuse?"
Kaine: "Then you'll be the first I fight."
That ended the debate.
The Whispers Spread
By nightfall, Volantis was drunk on the promise of blood.
Merchants toasted in wine-soaked halls. Slaves whispered through barred gates. Children chased each other through the streets shouting "The Madman and the Demon!" in gleeful terror.
In the Red Temple, a priest raised his hands before the flame.
"R'hllor watches. Two flames will burn, and one shall outlast the other."
In the markets, an old woman sold talismans shaped like chains.
"Protection against madness," she said. "Or attraction to it."
At the House of Silver Veils, even the courtesans paused to gossip.
"He's handsome, they say.""They always are before they die.""Maybe he'll tame her.""Or maybe she'll eat him alive."
The Demon's Cell
The cell smelled of iron, dust, and old sweat.
The Demon sat cross-legged in the corner, chains coiled like serpents around her wrists. A guard leaned against the bars, nervous but curious.
Guard: "Word's out. You've got a challenger."
She didn't look up. "They always send someone."
Guard: "This one's different. Paid the master in gold. Demanded you be fed and mended."
That earned her attention. She lifted her head slowly. "He demanded?"
Guard: "And said you'd fight with real steel this time. No chains. He called you artist of death."
Her lips twitched. "Artist." She rolled the word in her mouth like poison. "And what does he think he'll paint with me?"
The guard shrugged. "His own tombstone, maybe."
She rose, the chains hissing softly as they dragged across the floor. "Tell him this."She stepped to the bars, close enough that the guard took a half-step back."Tell him I'll tear out his heart before he finishes his bow."
The guard swallowed hard. "He—he said something too."
"What."
"If you kill him," the guard stammered, "he'll give you the world at your feet."
Her laughter filled the corridor — low, dark, and humorless. "Then I'll make sure he's awake when I take it."
Kaine and Vaerynna
Back in his suite at the House of Silver Veils, Kaine sat by the window overlooking Volantis. The city glowed like a wound beneath the night.
The dragon's voice coiled into his mind, cool and sharp as wind over glass.
Vaerynna:You paid for this madness.
Kaine:I bought honesty. The city will show its true face now.
Vaerynna:It will show you teeth.
Kaine:Then it will have something in common with me.
Vaerynna:You don't have to fight her. You already know how this ends.
Kaine:Do I?
Vaerynna:You'll win, and still lose something.
Kaine:Then it's a fair trade.
She hissed softly, the sound echoing through his mind like a heartbeat. Vaerynna:You find beauty in ruin. I find it tiresome.
Kaine:That's because you're young.
Vaerynna:And you're old enough to know better.
Kaine smiled faintly, eyes on the coliseum's distant torches. Kaine:When you've lived long enough, little flame, you learn the only truths worth keeping are the ones written in blood.
Vaerynna:Then I'll read them when you're done bleeding.
The Meeting at the Gate
A week later.
The city throbbed like a single heart. The air was thick with heat and perfume, sweat and excitement.
The pitmaster waited by the iron gate, wiping his brow. Kaine approached, his steps measured, his armor dark and practical — travel-worn, clean, not gilded.
The guards beside the Demon's cell shifted nervously.
When the gate opened, the torchlight spilled across the sand.
The Demon stood there — unchained. Her wrists still bore the bruises of her bonds, but she held herself tall, unbent. The crowd above screamed her name.
She saw him and stilled.
Demon: "You."
Kaine: "Me."
Demon: "The fool who clapped."
Kaine: "Guilty."
Demon: "You came to die?"
Kaine: "I came to see what lives."
Demon: "You'll find nothing but death in me."
Kaine: "Then at least I'll die seeing something true."
She laughed—short, humorless. "You'll regret this."
Kaine: "I don't believe in regret."
Demon: "You should."
He tilted his head slightly, the hint of a smile ghosting his mouth. "You sound almost worried."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm deciding whether to kill you slow."
Kaine: "You'll have to catch me first."
The gong struck once — deep and final.
The crowd roared like an ocean breaking against stone.
As the pitmasters retreated to safety, Kaine leaned closer, his voice low enough for her alone.
Kaine: "If you can kill me, I'll give you the world at your feet."
Her expression faltered — just slightly. Then she bared her teeth. "Then I'll make you watch while I take it."
Kaine's smirk deepened. He stepped back, drawing one sword — the Valyrian steel singing softly as it left the sheath.
The Demon flexed her hands, the sound of cracking bone echoing through the pit.
Above, the nobles leaned forward. Priests began to chant. The city of Volantis held its breath.
From the stands, someone whispered, "May the gods watch."Another answered, "They won't dare."
The Demon's lips curved in a slow, savage grin.Demon: "Show me, mercenary. Show me what a madman bleeds like."
Kaine: "You'll find I don't bleed easy."
The gong rang again.
And the crowd's roar drowned the world.