Morning broke with a sky bruised in lavender and charcoal. Mira sat on her bed, the thin mattress creaking beneath her weight. Her fingers brushed over the locket still hanging from her neck. Sleep had not visited her, not after the encounter in the mist. She could still see their eyes—Varek's gold like burning judgment, Kaelen's silver dancing with mockery, Lucien's midnight contempt, and Darian's blood-red stare that seemed to slice her open without ever touching her.
Her aunt, as usual, barely acknowledged her presence during breakfast. Her uncle gave her a suspicious glance but said nothing. Mira knew they were hiding something. They always had. But she never had proof—until today.
A knock came at the door. Her uncle opened it and stiffened. "For Mira," he grunted, handing her a worn envelope with no return address.
She tore it open, and her breath hitched. The parchment was yellowed, ink smudged by age. It was her mother's handwriting.
"My sweet Mira,
If you are reading this, then fate has begun its dark circle again. You were never meant for a normal life. The fire wasn't an accident. It was retribution for a war your blood once waged—and lost.
The men you'll meet soon are not men. They are shadows of vengeance, once protectors of a kingdom that now sleeps beneath blood. You are the key to waking it.
Do not trust anyone—not even those who offer their hands in love. Especially not them.
Forgive me.
—Your mother."
Mira stared at the letter, her pulse racing. "Kingdom beneath blood? What the hell does that mean?"
Her aunt stormed in, snatching the letter from her hand. "Where did you get this?!"
Mira stood her ground. "You knew something. You both did. Why didn't you ever tell me about them? About my parents?"
Her uncle's face paled. "Because knowing the truth would've killed you. Still might."
The front door slammed open with an unnatural wind. Standing in the doorway were all four of them.
Varek's voice was low, deadly. "She knows."
Kaelen gave a lazy smile. "The letter's reached her. Perfect."
Lucien didn't wait. He stepped forward, grabbing Mira by the wrist. "You're coming with us. Now."
Her aunt cried out, "No, please—she's just a girl!"
Darian's laugh was cruel. "She was never just anything. She's a legacy waiting to bleed."
Mira struggled. "Let go of me! I didn't ask for any of this!"
Lucien's eyes flared. "None of us did, little traitor. But now you pay the debt your family left behind."
As the door shut behind her, Mira realized something: this wasn't just about hate or revenge.
It was about destiny.
And she was already neck-deep in it.