The morning air in Vireth was crisp, laced with the scent of stone, smoke, and steel. Serenya stood in the inner courtyard of House Solmar, her fingers clenched around the hilt of a training sword. The weapon felt foreign in her hands—too heavy, too cold. She had never held anything deadlier than a kitchen knife before.
Across from her stood a man built like a fortress—Captain Rael Dorn, commander of the royal guard and one of Corvin's most trusted allies. He didn't look impressed.
"You're holding it like a broom," Rael said flatly. "That'll get you killed."
Serenya tightened her grip. "I wasn't raised to kill people."
He circled her slowly. "No. But now you'll be expected to survive people who were."
Then he struck.
A swift movement—his blade came down fast. She barely managed to block it, the impact jarring her arms.
Pain flared through her wrists. "You could've warned me!"
"I did. I told you they'll try to kill you," he said coolly. "This is mercy."
They went again. Blow after blow, correction after correction. Rael was unrelenting, his voice a growl, his movements precise. Serenya stumbled more times than she succeeded, but she kept standing, bruised but stubborn. By the end of the session, her arms ached, her hair clung to her damp neck, and her pride was in tatters.
Still, when Rael finally lowered his sword, a flicker of approval crossed his face.
"You lasted longer than I expected," he admitted. "That's something."
Serenya dropped her blade with a grunt and sat on the edge of the fountain. "That's… your version of encouragement?"
"Close enough," Rael said, handing her a flask of water. "You're not a warrior yet. But you don't give up. I've seen nobles cry after the first blow."
"I've cried," Serenya muttered. "I just didn't have time to do it here."
To her surprise, Rael chuckled.
Before she could catch her breath, Corvin appeared, his long cloak trailing behind him like shadow. His expression was unreadable.
"Enough for today," he said. "Come. It's time you learn the other kind of warfare."
—
Serenya followed him through a long corridor lined with books and glass cases filled with relics—crowns, swords, and old parchments sealed with wax.
He led her to a hidden chamber beneath the estate, where the walls pulsed faintly with golden runes. A circular sigil marked the center of the floor, its edges glowing softly.
"What is this?" Serenya asked.
"A memory vault," Corvin said. "Your bloodline left behind more than stories. They left magic—magic only you can unlock."
He handed her a small obsidian shard. "Place this on the seal. Let it read your blood."
Her hand trembled slightly as she obeyed.
The shard pulsed, then dissolved into ash.
The chamber flared to life.
Illusions erupted around her—images flickering like firelight. She saw a younger version of her mother, Queen Elyria, standing in this very room, speaking words of flame. She saw a great beast—part dragon, part shadow—rising over a burning city. She saw a crown breaking apart, its pieces scattered like embers.
And then she saw herself—older, cloaked in red, flames coiling around her hands as soldiers knelt before her.
Serenya staggered back, breath shallow.
"What… was that?"
"Visions," Corvin said. "Prophecies bound to your bloodline. Some of the future. Some of the past."
"I saw my mother."
Corvin nodded. "She was powerful. And so are you. But power like hers comes at a price."
Serenya looked down at her hands, half-expecting them to catch fire. "I don't feel powerful."
"You will," Corvin said quietly. "The Celestial Flame awakens slowly. But when it does, it will change everything."
A chill ran down her spine.
—
That night, Serenya stood at the balcony of her chamber, gazing out at the city below. Vireth shimmered under the moonlight—so beautiful and cruel. She could feel the eyes of the court on her already. Some waiting. Some watching. Some sharpening their knives.
She thought of her mother, of the flames in her vision, of the burning city.
Of the power rising in her veins.
"I don't know what I'm becoming," she whispered into the night.
But something inside her already did.