The next morning, the palace felt colder.
Lila was led through a corridor draped in silk and sunlight, her steps uncertain as her mind reeled from last night's revelation. She was bound to the four elemental kings. A curse threatened the life of a man she'd never met. And somehow, she was expected to save him.
No pressure.
Isolde guided her in silence, her expression unreadable. "You'll meet him now," she said finally. "Cassian Drakaris. He's the last of the Drakaris bloodline, sworn protectors of the royal family. Before the curse took hold, he was unmatched—warrior, strategist, and heir to the noble house of flame. Now... he drifts between the edges of light and shadow."
Lila clenched her fists. She wasn't ready. She had no spells, no training—just a strange magic inside her and the vague promise of spirits watching over her.
They stopped before a tall door of dark ironwood. Isolde didn't knock. She simply opened it.
The room beyond was dim and silent. Heavy curtains blocked the morning sun, casting shadows across the carved stone walls. A single figure sat by the hearth, wrapped in shadow. Cassian.
He didn't move when they entered, though Lila could sense the tension in his posture—the rigid line of his back, the way his hands gripped the chair's arms.
"Cassian," Isolde said gently, "this is Lila."
Cassian's head tilted slightly. "Elira?" he rasped, his voice low and rough like embers crackling in the dark.
Lila stepped forward. "No. My name is Lila."
A long pause. Then, bitterly: "They said Elira was dead. But now another wears her face."
"She's not Elira," Isolde said quietly. "She's something else. Someone sent by the spirits."
Cassian turned his head toward her voice. His eyes, clouded and pale gold, met Lila's. Sightless, yet piercing.
"You've come to pity me," he said, a sharp edge in his tone.
"No," Lila said firmly, surprising herself. "I've come to help you."
"You can't." His voice was final. "The curse is eating me from the inside. I can feel it in my bones. My sight is only the beginning. I will lose more. I already am."
"You won't," she said, stepping closer. "I don't fully understand it, but I've been chosen by the spirits of the elements. I'm supposed to help you."
Cassian laughed—harsh and hollow. "Then they've sent the wrong savior."
Lila knelt before him. "I don't know how to fix this yet. But I'm not leaving you to die."
His jaw clenched. "Why?"
"Because your life matters," she said. "And so does this kingdom. If you fall, everything does. And... because I've seen what the curse is doing. I've felt it." She met his gaze, though he couldn't see it. "And I won't stand by while it consumes you."
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then Cassian said, quietly, "You're different. Your voice… it doesn't sound like hers."
"I'm not her," Lila said. "But I can be someone who fights for you."
Cassian leaned back, as though exhausted by even that much conversation. "Then train fast, spirit girl. Time isn't on our side."
That evening, Lila sat in the palace garden, watching the wind stir the lavender blooms. She was exhausted, but not from the walk. From the weight of it all.
A soft presence stirred behind her.
"Doubt is normal," said a voice—gentle, feminine, with the ripple of water running through it.
Lila turned.
A woman stood at the edge of the fountain, hair cascading in waves of translucent blue. Her skin shimmered like moonlit water, and her eyes glowed with soft light. The Water Queen.
"You've met my brother," she said, stepping closer. "Now you meet me."
Lila stood, awe rendering her momentarily speechless. "You're one of the spirits. Another of the elemental kings?"
"Queen," the spirit said with a slight smile. "I've watched over the waters of this world for eons. And now, I watch over you."
Lila stared at her hands. "Why me?"
The Water Queen approached, placing cool fingers on Lila's forehead. "Because your soul is open. Because you feel more than you let show. Because your heart chose compassion when it could have chosen fear."
The fountain behind her began to glow. Lila felt a rush of something surge through her—a wave of calm and clarity.
"Your power is growing," the Queen murmured. "The curse on the heir is dark, twisted by old blood magic. You cannot break it through brute force. You must understand its source. Find its creator. Until then, protect his soul."
"I don't even know how to start," Lila said, frustrated.
"You start by staying," said the Queen. "By not giving up. The rest will come."
The spirit faded like mist in the breeze, and the warmth of the water lingered.
That night, Lila visited Cassian again.
He was seated by the fire, quiet as before. But his head tilted when she entered.
"I heard water," he murmured.
Lila blinked. "You… heard the spirit?"
"I don't know," he said. "But I felt something. Peace. Like rain falling."
Lila sat beside him. "They're watching over us. And they believe we can win."
Cassian said nothing, but his jaw relaxed slightly. A small gesture, but one that gave her hope.
The first piece of the puzzle had shifted. And Lila knew: this was only the beginning.
End of Chapter 3