The imperial palace never slept.
But some parts of it pretended to.
Kaelith moved like a shadow through the western wing, bypassing guards with practiced precision. His black cloak brushed marble as he descended the hidden stairway beneath the Hall of Crowns.
He had to see it for himself.
The vault.
The mirror.
The other half of the truth.
---
Scene Break – The Forbidden Vault
The final lock required his signet ring and a drop of his blood.
He gave both.
The iron doors creaked open, revealing a long corridor lit by eternal flame.
Relics from the empire's cursed history lined the walls: broken swords, sealed tomes, the skeletal remains of a long-dead dragon king.
But at the very end stood a familiar object.
A mirror.
Identical to the one Seraphina had described. Perfect. Pristine.
He approached it cautiously.
No ripples. No glow.
Just his reflection—grim, exhausted, uncertain.
But something was wrong.
His reflection was smiling.
And it raised a hand before he did.
Kaelith's blood ran cold.
The mirror whispered in a voice that was not his:
> "You already chose her once.
Will you betray her again?"
The glass cracked.
Just once.
A single fracture.
Right over his heart.
---
Scene Break – Velora Estate, Private Study
Seraphina sat at her mother's desk, the scroll unfurled before her, ancient ink glowing faintly in the candlelight.
Marianne hovered nearby. "My lady, you haven't slept."
"I've slept enough for two lifetimes," Seraphina muttered, eyes scanning the symbols.
Her fingers stopped suddenly over one passage.
It wasn't written in prophecy script.
It was a name.
> Thalia Velora.
Her mother.
There was a second line beneath it.
> "The heir who was never crowned… shall give birth to the one who might."
She stared at it.
Her mother had been the rightful heir?
And then…
Her?
"No," Seraphina whispered. "It can't mean me."
---
Scene Break – Imperial Tower, Empress's Chambers
The Empress stood before a burning hearth, a glass of dark wine in hand.
Verren spoke from the shadows.
"She's digging, Your Majesty."
"She'll find bones," the Empress said simply. "Let her."
Verren hesitated. "What if she learns about the first child?"
The Empress's gaze turned icy.
"Then we ensure that the second one dies before she can use her blood."
Verren bowed low.
"And the Prince?"
Her silence was answer enough.
---
Scene Break – Midnight, Outside the Vault
Kaelith emerged from the passage soaked in sweat and dread.
That mirror wasn't a copy.
It was a twin.
Two halves of a prison. Or a weapon.
He needed answers—fast.
And there was only one person left alive who could give them to him.
He mounted his horse.
Destination: the Tower of Records.
A place even royals were forbidden to enter.
But Kaelith was no longer playing by rules.
Not when Seraphina's life hung in the balance.