Selene walked up to me and leaned in, whispering coldly into my ear,"You will never earn my approval. A girl with a monster for an ancestor isn't worthy of it. And mark my words—I'll find a way to pull Kai away from you. One day, he'll see someone like me and fall in love for real."With a sharp glare, she gave my shoulder a subtle but deliberate shove, just enough to make her point sting.
For a moment, fear gripped my chest like a tightening vice. Her words echoed the quiet doubts I hadn't dared voice aloud—what if she was right? What if Kai saw the darkness in my blood and turned away?
But then something deeper stirred within me—steady, strong, and defiant.
I straightened my posture, refusing to let her see me flinch."You don't scare me, Selene," I said, my voice low but unshaking. "You can try to twist Kai's heart all you want, but love isn't something you can steal. And I am not my ancestor's shadow—I'm me."
The air around Selene shimmered. Her eyes flashed with rage, and a flicker of violet flame curled around her fingertips. It pulsed like a heartbeat—unstable, threatening.But before it could surge, a deeper voice cut through the tension behind us.
"Selene. Step away from her."
We both turned—Kai stood just a few feet away, eyes locked on Selene with a mix of disappointment and fury. His posture was calm, but the way his jaw tightened said everything.
Selene's flame hissed and vanished, swallowed by her own surprise."Kai... I didn't mean—"
"You meant every word." His voice was colder now, steady and sharp. "And I heard all of it."He moved to my side, placing himself between us without hesitation. I felt the warmth of his presence, the silent comfort of his choice.
Selene's mask slipped for a moment—wounded pride flashing behind her glare."You're choosing her over everything you know?"
Kai didn't hesitate."I already have."
Selene said nothing more. She turned, her steps crisp with humiliation, and disappeared down the corridor.
I looked up at him, heart still pounding.
"You heard all of that?" I asked softly.
Kai glanced at me, then gently reached for my hand."Every word. And I'm proud of how you stood up to her."His voice dipped, more vulnerable. "I don't care what's in your blood, Anna. I care about what's in your heart.
The corridor was quiet now, the echo of Selene's footsteps long faded. I stood beside Kai, still holding his hand, but my body was buzzing with leftover adrenaline. The magic in the air had died down—but not my thoughts.
Kai guided me gently to a nearby bench nestled beneath a window, where the fading afternoon light spilled through the stone lattice. We sat in silence for a while, the weight of everything settling between us.
"I didn't expect her to say those things," I murmured, eyes on the golden dust dancing in the sunbeam.
"I did," Kai said softly. "I just didn't want to believe she'd actually say them to you."
I looked at him, surprised by the heaviness in his tone. "She's been like this before?"
He hesitated, then gave a slow nod. "Selene's always been drawn to control. She hides it under charm and duty, but when she feels threatened... she lashes out."
"She said she'd take you away from me." I laughed under my breath, but it was hollow. "Like I'm just something to be pushed aside."
Kai turned toward me then, his voice gentle but unshakable. "You're not something to be pushed aside. You're... everything I've been searching for. Even before I knew your name."
My breath caught. For a second, I forgot the sting of Selene's words and the strange magic in the air. I only saw the way he looked at me—like I was something precious he didn't want to lose.
"I still don't know who I'm supposed to be," I whispered. "Not really. Not with what everyone keeps saying about my past, my blood... And what if—what if they're right? What if I am dangerous?"
"You're not," Kai said instantly. "And even if there is power in you that others fear—I don't."
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
"I've seen darkness before, Anna. You're not it. You fight it. That matters more than anything."
I swallowed hard, leaning into his touch for just a moment. "But what if I lose control one day?"
"Then I'll be there," he said. "To remind you who you are. To bring you back."
A quiet pause settled between us. The wind beyond the window picked up, whistling gently through the stone, carrying with it something neither of us could name—but we both felt it.
Something was shifting.
Kai's hand found mine again.
"Whatever's coming," he said, "we face it together."
And for the first time since Selene's words, I believed that maybe... just maybe, I wouldn't have to face this alone.
"Anyway, enough of this gloomy mindset. I think it's time we prepare to head into the forest to retrieve my blade," I said, a hint of excitement slipping into my voice.
Kai placed his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow. "Already eager to get away from here, huh?" he said with a teasing smirk.
I grinned and gave him a light nudge with my elbow. "Can you blame me? Between dramatic stares, secret grudges, and people threatening to steal my boyfriend, I think a cursed forest sounds relaxing."
Kai chuckled, pretending to be offended. "Boyfriend, huh? Is that what I am now?"
I smirked. "Well, I figured it was either that or 'emotionally conflicted magical guide with great hair.' Thoughts the first one was easier to say."
He laughed, the tension in his shoulders softening. "Fair enough. But don't think I'll go easy on you in the forest just because you've been charming."
I flashed him a grin as I turned toward the gear we'd been gathering. "Wouldn't want you to. I like a little danger."
Behind us, the wind rustled through the trees just outside the stone walls—a soft warning, or perhaps an invitation.
The sun had just begun to dip behind the tree line when we left the safety of the village walls, the light casting long, golden shadows across the overgrown path ahead. The forest loomed before us, ancient and tangled, its branches whispering secrets we weren't meant to hear.
I tightened the straps on my satchel, the weight of the empty scabbard on my back a quiet reminder of why we were here.
Kai walked beside me, silent for a few minutes, his gaze scanning the woods with practiced ease. His presence was reassuring—like having a fire at your back in the middle of a cold night.
"Does it always feel this... heavy out here?" I asked, brushing aside a branch that arched low over the path.
Kai gave a short nod. "It's not just the forest. It's what's buried in it. Old magic sleeps here, and it doesn't like to be disturbed." He paused. "Your blade—it wasn't forged in an ordinary fire. It was sealed in this place for a reason."
"Because it's dangerous?" I asked.
"Because you're dangerous with it," he said gently. "But also powerful. It's waiting for the version of you that's ready."
That didn't help the nervous flutter in my chest, but I kept walking, letting my fingers brush against the bark of a nearby tree. The forest didn't feel evil... but it watched. And beneath the moss and roots, I could feel something stir—like it recognized me.
"Does anything live out here?" I asked.
Kai hesitated. "Things that should've died a long time ago. Spirits. Shadows. Memories that never found peace. If your blade is still where it was hidden, it's likely guarded."
"Guarded by what?"
He glanced at me, his expression unreadable."By what remains of the last person who wielded it."
I stopped in my tracks. "You mean... her? Anaria?"
The wind shifted suddenly, colder, as if her name itself had stirred something beneath the ground.
Kai said nothing. Just nodded.
And ahead of us, through the thinning trees, I caught a glimpse of something glinting in the dirt-covered fog—a stone archway, cracked and vine-wrapped, half-buried in the earth.
A forgotten entrance.
The blade was near.
I ran up to the entrance of the cave, heart pounding with anticipation. I was just about to step inside when Kai grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"You're not seriously thinking about going in there alone, are you?" he said, his voice edged with concern.
I yanked my arm free and turned to face him, eyes flashing."Why not? This is my blade. My past. My fight. I'm not going to keep standing in the background while everyone else tries to protect me."
Kai stepped closer, his brow furrowed. "It's not about protection—it's about being smart. That cave radiates old magic, Anna. It could twist your mind, trap your spirit, or worse."
I took a breath, grounding myself. "Then I'll fight through it. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Prove I'm more than my bloodline? I need to face whatever's in there. I have to."
He didn't speak right away. His expression softened as he looked at me—not with disapproval, but something closer to reluctant admiration.
"You're brave, Anna. Braver than you know," he said quietly. "Just... don't try to prove your strength by walking into danger alone. Let me face it with you."
I hesitated, the edge of my defiance dulling slightly. Then I gave him a small nod.
"Fine. But I go first."
The moment I stepped past the threshold, the air changed. It grew thick and damp, laced with something that tasted like old ash and memories.
The walls of the cave pulsed faintly, like they were breathing—alive with magic long sealed away. Shadows clung to the edges of my vision, and the further we moved in, the more distant Kai's footsteps felt behind me.
Then, without warning, the cave swallowed the light.
"Kai?" I called, spinning around—but he was gone. Vanished like a whisper in a dream.
Panic surged in my chest, but before I could call his name again, the cave shifted. The jagged rock walls melted away, replaced by stone pillars and flickering blue torches. I stood in a grand chamber, circular and echoing, like a forgotten throne room buried beneath time.
And in the center of it… stood her.
She looked like me—but older. Her posture was straighter, her eyes colder. She wore a silver battle cloak torn at the hem, and her hand rested on the hilt of a blade that shimmered with pale fire.
Anaria.
I froze.
She tilted her head, studying me like I was a puzzle she'd already solved."So. The girl finally comes to reclaim what she abandoned."
My throat tightened. "I didn't abandon anything. I'm not you."
She stepped forward, each stride graceful, powerful."But you carry what I carried. The blade. The burden. The blood. You are me. Deny it all you want—your fate will find you."
"Then I'll rewrite it." The words came out stronger than I expected. "I'm not here to repeat your mistakes—I'm here to end them."
Anaria's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something unreadable—sadness? pride?—flashing across her face before vanishing.
"Then show me," she said.
Suddenly, the torches roared to life, and the illusion twisted again—this time into a battlefield. Ghostly warriors surrounded us, frozen mid-charge. The sky above cracked with violet lightning.
She drew her blade."If you want your power—your truth—you'll have to take it from me."
And then she lunged.
Anaria's blade whistled through the air, faster than thought. I barely had time to dodge as it sliced through the illusionary battlefield with a crackle of energy, lighting the space around us in ghostly fire.
She wasn't holding back.
I stumbled backward, instinct guiding me as I summoned what little magic I could feel pulsing at my core. A shimmer of blue light flickered around my hands—but it was raw, unshaped. My blade hadn't appeared yet. I was fighting a legend with nothing but my will.
"You think courage will be enough?" Anaria spat, swinging again. Her strikes were beautiful and brutal, like she'd fought a thousand battles in one breath. "I burned kingdoms to the ground trying to control what was inside me. You think you'll do better?"
I blocked her strike with a sudden burst of force magic, the shockwave sending both of us skidding backward across the stone floor. My breath came in gasps, but I forced myself to stand.
"I'm not here to burn kingdoms," I said, teeth clenched. "I'm here to rebuild what you destroyed."
She charged again, this time faster. I ducked under her slash and rolled across the floor, finally feeling a sharp pull in my chest. A heat—no, a presence—responding to the fight.The blade. It was near. It was listening.
Anaria's voice thundered through the space."Then prove yourself! Wield what I once did! Face the fire without turning to ash!"
I screamed as her blade came down—then raised my hand in pure reflex.
The world exploded in light.
A spectral version of the ancient blade appeared in my grip, forged from memory and defiance. The magic surged through me like lightning down a metal spine.
Steel met steel.
Sparks flew.
The battlefield warped again—visions flashing around us with every blow.I saw her past—her fall, her betrayal, her grief.I saw my future—uncertain, blurred, but powerful. Free.
We clashed again. Blow for blow. Her form was perfection, but I had something she no longer did:
Hope.
On a final strike, I parried her downward and stepped inside her guard. The ghostly edge of my blade pressed to her chest—but I hesitated.
She looked at me with something new in her expression.
Relief.
"You chose mercy," she said quietly, her image beginning to flicker like a dying flame. "That's what I lost. That's what makes you stronger."
The battlefield faded. The stone chamber reappeared.
The spectral blade in my hand solidified—real, ancient, and mine.
And I was no longer alone.
Kai's voice echoed from behind, distant but breaking through."Anna! Are you alright? What happened?"
I turned slowly, breathless, the blade glowing faintly in my hand.
"I faced her," I said softly. "And I won."