The chamber smelled of salt and despair. Lumina lay curled on the massive bed, her body slick with sweat that soaked through the thin nightgown and clung to every curve. She rolled restlessly from side to side, sheets twisting around her legs like restraints.

Hot tears streamed down her face, mixing with the perspiration, leaving salty tracks that stung her skin.

Each sob tore from her chest in ragged, silent gasps she had learned long ago to cry without sound in this hostile place.

Her fists clutched the pillow, knuckles white, as waves of betrayal crashed over her. The pain was visceral, a deep, gnawing ache in her chest that made breathing feel like swallowing shards of glass.

Exhaustion finally dragged her under. Sleep did not bring rest. Pain welcomed her like an old, cruel friend, pulling her into a nightmare realm of jagged black stone and endless shadow.

She stood barefoot on the ground, sharp edges slicing into her soles.

Blood welled warm between her toes. From the cracks, creatures emerged writhing, scaled things with too many jaws and glowing crimson eyes.

"Father!" she cried out, voice breaking with desperation. "Father, please! Save me...it hurts!"

A low, mocking chuckle rolled through the darkness. The creatures paused, slithering back into the fissures as a figure stepped forward from the gloom.

Her father appeared, cloaked in a dream-forged garment of living midnight.

Lumina stretched her bloodied arms toward him, tears carving clean paths through the grime on her cheeks. "Father... save me. Please. Make them stop. I am your daughter...I need you."

For a heartbeat, he seemed to consider her plea. Then the vision twisted violently.

Her mother appeared beside him radiant, with flowing pale hair and a gentle smile meant only for Lumina. She reached out.

A blade flashed from the shadows. The slash was swift and merciless. Steel bit deep into her mother’s neck with a sickening, wet crunch.

"No! Mother!" Lumina collapsed to her knees, screaming until her throat tore.

Her father bent with eerie calm, grasped the severed head by its long hair, and began to play.

He tossed it lightly from hand to hand like a child’s ball, the runes on his cloak glowing brighter with each casual catch.

The head’s lifeless eyes stared blankly at Lumina, mouth parted in eternal surprise.

"Father... stop," Lumina begged, crawling forward on shredded knees, hands outstretched in supplication. "Please, don’t. She loved you. I love you. Save me...help me!"

Shadows coiled around her wrists and ankles like iron vines, slamming her flat against the ground. She arched in agony, fresh blood soaking the stone beneath her.

He laughed then an evil, booming sound that vibrated through her bones and multiplied until the darkness itself joined in. The laughter echoed endlessly, growing louder, more grotesque.

"You are almost nineteen, daughter," he said, voice silky with malice as he continued tossing the head.

"We can’t wait much longer to execute you. The celestial line demands purity through sacrifice. Your blood will anoint the altar, just as your mother’s did. Did you truly believe love would spare you? How weak."

She sobbed uncontrollably, body jerking under the lashes. The pain blurred everything physical, emotional, and ancestral.

"Ashen!" The name ripped from her throat like a desperate prayer. "Ashen, please! Help me! I need you!"

The nightmare shattered like glass.

Lumina bolted upright in bed, gasping for air, body drenched in fresh sweat.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, threatening to burst. She reached blindly for the chair and grabbed Ashen’s robe, the soft, familiar fabric that still carried his scent of smoke and cedar.

She pulled it around her trembling shoulders, the oversized garment swallowing her small frame like a protective cloak she no longer deserved.

Without the blindfold, her silver eyes gleamed with pain in the dim light. She stumbled from the room on shaky legs, bare feet slapping against cold stone corridors.

A soft murmur of voices and a low, intimate laugh drifted from a half-open door ahead. Something cold twisted in her gut. She crept closer, pressing against the wall, and peered inside.

The sight froze her blood.

Ashen stood in the center of the chamber, his strong arms wrapped around Breilla. Her body pressed flush against his, curves molding to him with easy familiarity. His hands roamed her back with the same tender care he had once shown Lumina, lips brushing her temple as he murmured something that made Breilla laugh softly, a warm, private sound. The moment was loving, intimate, stolen. Lumina’s hands trembled violently against the doorframe.

She tried to convince herself it was a trick of shadow or a lingering nightmare. But no those were his broad shoulders, the exact tilt of his head when he offered comfort, the same gentle touch that had once made her feel safe.

Her heart turned to lead, sinking painfully in her chest. She swallowed hard, throat tight as iron bands.

No scream came, the sound lodged deep inside, choking her. Tears poured silently down her cheeks, hot and endless.

How could you do this to me? After everything we shared... She turned away without a sound, back pressed to the wall as she retreated on unsteady legs. Each step felt like walking through broken glass, her hands shaking so badly she could barely keep them at her sides.

Jealousy burned through her like wildfire. She had always been fiercely possessive of what was hers.

Ashen had been her anchor, her one light in this realm of shadows. Now someone else touched him, coveted him, stole the warmth that belonged to her.

Her head spun with rage and crushing despair. Her father’s dream-words echoed relentlessly.

"We can’t wait to execute you." And her aunt’s warnings rang louder, cruel and prophetic: "Don’t be surprised that a man who once loved you would switch at once when someone else takes their head..."

"Drakonis doesn’t think about love when it’s time for sacrifice," the voice in her mind repeated. "For that, they will kill like no tomorrow... the same blood runs in them. It has been going on for generations."

The words looped, each repetition a fresh stab to her soul. Love had killed her mother. It would destroy her too if she stayed. Hands still trembling, she didn’t hesitate. She moved straight to Stella’s room, the only sanctuary left.

She pushed the door open quietly and touched Stella’s shoulder. Stella jolted awake with a sharp gasp, eyes widening in fright at the sight of her lady drenched in sweat, blindfold gone, exposed pain, and fierce resolve.

"My... my lady," Stella whispered, sitting up quickly.

Lumina’s voice cracked. "Let’s go to the Celestial realm."

Stella’s eyes widened in shock. "What... why? Why now?"

"St... Stella..." Lumina broke then, shoulders shaking as fresh sobs tore free.

Stella didn’t wait for more. She pulled her lady into a tight, protective embrace, feeling the violent tremors, the damp heat of sweat and tears soaking through her own nightgown.

"He... he..." Lumina couldn’t finish, but Stella understood every unspoken word. The pain radiated from her like an open wound.

"Please," Lumina whispered against her shoulder, voice small and broken. "Let’s leave."

Stella nodded fiercely, wiping her own tears. "Yes, my lady. Let’s leave."

They moved quickly and silently. Lumina kept Ashen’s robe wrapped tight around her, a bitter reminder she couldn’t yet discard.

They slipped through shadowed corridors and out into the night, hearts pounding. The path to the outer barricade of the Drakonis territory was treacherous narrow mountain trails edged by sheer cliffs, ancient forests where mist clung like ghostly fingers, and crumbling ruins that whispered forgotten curses.

Every snapped twig or rustle of leaves made Stella flinch, her hand clutching Lumina’s arm in a death grip. Her breath came in short, terrified bursts.

"My lady... what if they catch us? These woods feel wrong. I hear things moving in the dark. Please, I am scared."

Lumina walked without hesitation, her steps steady and resolute despite the tears that had dried on her cheeks.

She felt eyes on her watching, judging from the shadows but when she turned sharply, nothing was there. Only wind and silence.

The territory grew darker, the air thicker with ancient, oppressive magic that pressed against the skin like invisible hands.

Stella’s fear was palpable; she trembled violently, whispering frantic prayers under her breath. Lumina felt none of it. Her pain had burned away fear, leaving only cold purpose.

At the final barricade a towering arch of black stone carved with glowing dragon runes, no guards present because few ever survived the journey this far Stella stopped, breathing hard. She embraced Lumina from behind, arms tight around her waist as if afraid she might vanish.

"You can see now," Stella whispered, voice thick with a mix of awe and hurt.

Lumina let out a small, weary smile but said nothing.

Stella pulled back slightly. "I’m mad at you for hiding it from me. Did he tell you not to let me know?"

Another small smile curved Lumina’s lips. "I was stupid to have listened to him. I was stupid to let another Drakonis get into my head. I shouldn’t have let that happen. I’m only here for revenge, and I need to be fast with it. Father must be planning something dangerous, and I need to know what it is."

Stella hesitated, fear flickering in her eyes. "What about the Drakonis king? Won’t he come after us?"

Lumina reached into the deep folds of Ashen’s robe and pulled out the Heart of Drakonis, a pulsing crimson crystal that glowed faintly in her palm like a captured heartbeat. "He dare not. For now, I have him under control. I just need to take over the Celestial realm. This is why I came to Drakonis in the first place."