Seraphine dreamed.
She was standing in her childhood bedroom, the one she had left behind when she became queen. The air smelled of lavender and old parchment. Moonlight filtered through sheer curtains, casting soft shadows across the stone walls.
A book lay open on the desk beside her.
The Womb Codex.
She hadn't brought it with her.
So why was it here?
"Because this is my world now," Aeloria whispered.
Seraphine turned sharply.
There she was.
Standing at the foot of the bed, dressed in a white nightgown stained with something dark.
Her eyes were wide, knowing.
Smiling.
"You don't get to rest anymore," Aeloria said sweetly.
"We have work to do."
***
The room twisted.
Walls stretched like taffy, melting into long corridors lined with mirrors. Each reflection showed a different version of Seraphine: younger, older, broken, burning, screaming.
In one mirror, she was still a girl reading by candlelight.
In another, she was dying—her chest torn open, her womb empty.
And in the center mirror, Aeloria stood beside her.
No longer a child.
Now, a woman.
Tall. Pale. Crowned in thorns.
"I'm not just your daughter," she said softly.
"I am your end."
Seraphine backed away.
"I won't let you take me."
Aeloria smiled.
"Too late."
***
Kael stood watch outside Seraphine's tent, his sword resting loosely in its sheath.
Inside, Nyxara sat beside the queen, holding her hand.
"She's caught again," Nyxara murmured. "The Dream War has begun."
Kael frowned. "What does that mean?"
Nyxara didn't look up.
"It means Aeloria is trying to take over her mind."
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
"Then we wake her."
Nyxara shook her head. "It's not that simple. If we pull her out too soon, it could damage her psyche permanently."
Kael exhaled sharply.
"So we just sit here and hope she survives?"
Nyxara met his gaze.
"Yes."
***
Back in the dream, Seraphine ran.
Down endless corridors of mirrors, each one reflecting a new horror.
Aeloria followed her, skipping barefoot, humming a lullaby that changed lyrics every time it repeated.
"Sleep, my mother, sleep so deep,
I'll grow while you lie still and keep
Your silence tight, your love untrue,
Until I feast and rise anew…"
Seraphine stumbled into a throne room lined with bones.
At its center sat a chair made of ribcages.
Aeloria stood before it.
"Sit down," she said gently.
"Let me be born."
Seraphine shook her head. "No."
Aeloria tilted her head. "Why not? You wanted a daughter."
"I wanted a child ," Seraphine corrected. "Not a monster."
Aeloria's smile didn't falter.
"Monsters are just daughters who were loved too late."
Seraphine flinched.
Aeloria stepped closer.
"You gave me life."
"Now give me everything else."
"No," Seraphine whispered.
Aeloria's expression darkened.
"Then I'll take it."
***
Pain exploded behind Seraphine's eyes.
She screamed, collapsing to her knees as memories tore free from her mind—ripped apart, twisted, reshaped.
She saw herself standing over a battlefield, blood-soaked and laughing.
She saw herself lying dead, her body hollowed out.
She saw herself kneeling before the Cradle of Thorns, surrendering willingly.
Each vision felt real.
More real than reality.
Aeloria's voice echoed around her.
"You cannot win."
"I live inside you."
"I know all your secrets."
Seraphine gritted her teeth.
"You don't know everything."
She reached deep into herself—not for strength, but for memory.
For the one thing Aeloria couldn't touch.
Love.
Not for power.
Not for vengeance.
But for the daughter she had lost.
The one who could have been.
The one who had laughed in sunlight.
The one who had called her Mother without malice.
That memory burned brighter than anything Aeloria could throw at her.
And for the first time…
Aeloria hesitated.
***
Outside, Nyxara gasped.
Seraphine's body had gone rigid, her fingers twitching, her breath shallow.
Then—
Her eyes flew open.
Wide.
Unblinking.
Glowing faintly red.
Kael stepped forward cautiously.
"Seraphine?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she turned her head slowly toward him.
And smiled.
Not with warmth.
Not with recognition.
With hunger.
"She's busy," Aeloria whispered through her lips.
"Would you like to play instead?"
Kael didn't hesitate.
He drew his sword.
"I'll fight you until she comes back."
Aeloria's smile widened.
"Good."
"I was hoping you'd say that."
***
Later that night, Seraphine stirred again.
This time, it was truly her.
She sat up slowly, trembling, sweat soaking through her gown.
Nyxara pressed a cup of warm tea to her lips.
"Drink," she ordered gently.
Seraphine obeyed.
When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse.
"She tried to take me."
Nyxara nodded. "She will try again."
Seraphine looked toward Kael, who stood silently by the entrance.
His sword was still drawn.
She swallowed hard.
"She almost succeeded."
Kael lowered his weapon slightly.
"But you came back."
Seraphine closed her eyes.
"For now."
***
That night, as Seraphine drifted into uneasy sleep, Aeloria whispered one final time.
"You can't win forever, Mother."
"One day, you'll stop fighting."
"And then…"
"I'll be born."
Seraphine curled inward, clutching her belly tightly.
She didn't respond.
Because she knew the truth.
This wasn't just a war for her body.
It was a war for her soul.
And Aeloria had already taken pieces of it.