The crypt's massive iron doors weren't locked — not magically, at least — but they hadn't been opened in years. When Lily pushed them open, the hinges shrieked like dying birds. Cold wind slammed against her face as the scent of damp earth and forgotten incense hit her.
She stumbled out into the night, barefoot, dressed in decaying royal robes with jewels sewn into the fabric. A walking relic.
Gravestones stretched before her like sentinels of the past. Marble angels, twisted trees, and stone urns covered the cemetery hills. In the distance, she saw faint light — flickering neon blues and enchanted lanterns floating mid-air.
She followed them.
Her legs were weak, but her instincts remained razor-sharp. In her old world, she could navigate a city by reading signal strength. Here, she read patterns — where the enchanted street lights grew thicker, where the rumble of carriages or electric engines hummed. The kingdom of Elaria had changed since Seraphina's day. It was sleeker, brighter, more dangerous.
A mix of gothic and futuristic.
Massive metal towers loomed beside stone spires. Hovering platforms glided above the cobbled streets. Magic-inscribed drones hovered like fireflies. Everyone wore tech-laced fabrics, runic ear pieces, or glowing contact lenses.
She was underdressed. Or rather, overdressed. In tattered princess garb.
And starving.
"Okay," Lily muttered, ducking into an alley behind a neon-lit bakery. "Step one: don't get arrested."
She scavenged for an hour. A half-eaten mana bun from a trash bin. Water from a public fountain enchanted with cleanliness runes. She barely choked it down.
When the sun began to rise, she slipped into an abandoned clocktower tucked between two apartment slabs. It had no door, just a half-collapsed stairwell, and a roof that still held.
She collapsed onto the dusty floor.
Her mind swirled.
Not just with hunger or fatigue, but the haunting memories of a girl who wasn't her. Seraphina. Her pain. Her betrayal. Her death.
And Anera.
She'd seen Anera in the city posters. Glowing, smiling, regal. The people called her The Diamond Crown.
"They really bought it," Lily whispered.
She wasn't sure if Seraphina's soul had truly left or if it was buried deep within her. But her memories were real.
And Lily wasn't going to let those go to waste.
She had to adapt. Blend in. Start over from ground zero.
Tomorrow, she'd explore the slums. Find out how people registered identity. Look for tech she could understand — something old, something broken, something hackable.
She wrapped herself in her ruined cloak and stared out at the city.
Elaria was beautiful.
And corrupted.
"I'll learn your rules," Lily whispered. "Then I'll rewrite them."
Sleep took her then. Not peacefully, but like a wave crashing over broken code.
Tomorrow, the kingdom would meet a stranger in its veins. And she would not be ignored.