The days that followed felt like a blur. Between lessons, secret training sessions, and quiet moments with Cassian, Seraphina began to feel more like herself—and someone entirely new.
She was no longer just the girl singing to stars. She was learning to be someone who could protect them.
---
That afternoon, she slipped away into the garden maze behind the palace. She needed air—space to breathe. The soft rustle of leaves, the golden sun warming her skin—it was the one place she still felt like a child.
But today, she wasn't alone.
She turned a corner—and froze.
A figure stood at the far end of the garden, half-hidden by shadows. Tall. Cloaked in dark green. A silver mask covered his face, carved with strange markings.
Seraphina stepped back. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted his head but said nothing.
"I asked you a question."
Still, no answer.
She reached for the small dagger hidden beneath her gown—a gift from Cassian—and held it out, though her hands trembled. "Say something. Now."
Finally, the figure spoke. His voice was soft and strange—neither young nor old.
> "The thread unravels faster than they planned. You must not trust the stars alone."
"What does that mean?"
But he was already moving—melting into the hedges like smoke.
Seraphina ran after him, pushing past branches and twisting paths—but when she turned the last corner, the garden was empty.
Cassian found her minutes later, breathless and shaken.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, hands gripping her shoulders.
"No. But… someone was here. He wore a silver mask."
Cassian's expression changed instantly. "What did he say?"
She repeated it, word for word.
He looked troubled. "That's one of the prophecies. From the Lost Book of Aether."
"How do you know?"
He hesitated. "Because I've read it."
---
That night, Seraphina didn't sleep.
She wandered into the music hall, sat at the grand piano, and let her fingers drift over the keys.
She began to hum—a melody she didn't recognize but somehow knew.
---
Song: "I Saw the Stranger"
I saw the stranger in the dark,
His eyes a secret flame.
He spoke in riddles wrapped in mist—
He never said his name.
But something in his shadowed gaze
Felt colder than the night.
Like he had seen a thousand fates,
And none of them felt right.
---
Behind her, Cassian watched in silence.
"You shouldn't be alone," he said gently.
Seraphina turned, startled. "I didn't hear you."
"I've gotten better at walking softly," he teased, then paused. "Are you afraid?"
"Yes," she whispered. "But not of the man. I'm afraid of not knowing who I really am."
Cassian stepped closer, his eyes serious. "You're Seraphina Elira Solenhart. You sing like the stars. You fight like someone who shouldn't need to. And you… you're braver than anyone I've ever known."
For a second, the room felt small. Quiet. Safe.
She looked up at him, and their eyes held longer than either expected.
Then a horn blasted in the distance—urgent.
Cassian straightened. "That came from the east wall."
Another sound followed—this time, a scream.
Seraphina's heart dropped. "They're here again, aren't they?"
He drew his sword. "Stay behind me."
But she didn't intend to stay behind for long.
---