The chamber still smelled faintly of smoke. Lianna sat on the edge of her bed, fingers trembling as they hovered over the mark on her wrist. It no longer burned, but the memory of the Forgotten King's voice lingered like frost against her skin.
Bride.
She squeezed her eyes shut. No matter how many times she tried to push the word away, it returned—coiling in her chest, as though the syllables themselves were chains.
The door slammed. Kael strode back in, his blade still unsheathed, shadows curling around him like restless serpents. His eyes flicked over her, as if searching for cracks, for signs she might break apart at any second.
"You should not have been left alone," he muttered, the growl low in his throat. "His presence lingers. Even when he withdraws, his hunger claws at the edges of the veil."
Lianna looked up at him. "Do you ever stop thinking of me as a… vessel? A target? A prophecy?"
Kael froze. For the briefest moment, his mask cracked. Then, without answering, he sheathed his blade and turned toward the window.
Frustration rose hot in her chest. "I'm not a weapon you guard, Kael. I'm a person."
Before he could reply, another voice drifted in from the balcony.
"She's right, you know."
Lianna startled, but Auren leaned casually against the railing outside, moonlight catching in his silver hair. He looked impossibly calm, as though the shadow king hadn't just tried to steal her away.
Kael's glare was immediate. "You again."
"Me again," Auren said lightly, stepping inside. "But unlike you, I don't cage her with silence."
He crossed the room and crouched before Lianna, taking her trembling hands gently in his. "Tell me, Lianna… do you want to fight this? Or do you want to understand what's happening to you?"
Her throat tightened. "I don't know."
"That's because no one has told you the truth," Auren murmured. His voice dropped lower, as if Kael weren't even there. "Your family's bloodline isn't cursed. It's chosen. That mark on your wrist isn't just a chain—it's a key. To great power, and maybe… to freedom."
Lianna's eyes widened. She searched his gaze for deceit, but all she saw was warmth. It was terrifying how much she wanted to believe him.
Kael's voice cut through the moment like steel. "Enough." He stepped forward, pulling Lianna's hands from Auren's grasp. "Don't poison her with half-truths. You want her for yourself. I can see it."
Auren straightened, amusement flickering in his eyes. "And you don't? Don't pretend you don't guard her like a treasure you're afraid to lose."
The two men stood inches apart, their animosity like a storm crackling in the air. Lianna pushed to her feet, voice sharp. "Stop it! You both talk about me like I'm something to claim. But neither of you know what it feels like to be branded, to have a stranger whisper that you're his bride!"
Her shout echoed in the chamber. Both men fell silent.
Before either could respond, a heavy knock rattled the door. A guard's voice boomed from outside. "Lady Lianna! The Council requests your presence. At once!"
Her stomach dropped. She glanced at Kael and Auren, who both stiffened in unison.
"The Council?" she whispered.
Kael's face darkened. "It's begun. Word has spread."
When Lianna stepped into the corridor minutes later, escorted by guards, she felt eyes on her from every corner. Courtiers whispered behind gloved hands. Servants ducked their heads, but their gazes lingered too long.
The whispers followed her down every hallway, crawling under her skin.
The bride has awakened.
The mark burns again.
Will she bind the King—or unleash him?
By the time she entered the grand Council chamber, her knees felt weak. The circular hall was packed with robed elders, their voices overlapping like waves of judgment. At the far end sat the High Seer, her eyes veiled in silver cloth.
"Step forward, Lianna of the Mark," the Seer intoned.
Lianna's breath caught as she obeyed, every eye piercing her.
The Seer's voice rose. "The Forgotten King stirs, and the mark of the bride burns once more. Tell this Council: will you embrace your destiny—or defy it, risking the wrath of shadow?"
The chamber held its breath. Every whisper, every rumor, every eye pinned her in place.
Lianna's heart thundered. She opened her mouth to answer—
The Council chamber's silence pressed on Lianna like a weight. Dozens of eyes bore into her, searching for an answer she didn't have.
"I…" Her voice faltered. She thought of the mark, of Kael's warnings, of Auren's whispered promise that it was a key, not a chain. She thought of the Forgotten King's voice echoing through her veins: You are my bride.
Her throat closed.
Kael stepped forward, shadows bristling at his heels. "She owes you no answer." His voice cracked like a whip. "She is under my protection. If you force her—"
"Protection?" one elder scoffed, leaning forward. "Or possession? The girl is marked. She is bound to the King. Your blade cannot sever that bond."
Auren's voice drifted through the tension like silk. "Perhaps she can decide for herself."
He moved closer to Lianna, his hand brushing hers—gentle, warm, reassuring. The contact steadied her heart for a beat, even as Kael's glare turned murderous.
"I…" Lianna tried again, breath shaky. "I don't know if I can embrace something I don't even understand. But I do know this—I won't let anyone make this choice for me. Not the King. Not the Council. Not even fate itself."
A ripple of shock passed through the chamber.
The High Seer's veiled head tilted, unreadable. "Defiance. Bold… or foolish. We shall see."
Before anyone could respond, the chamber doors slammed open with a violent bang.
A guard stumbled in, his face ashen. "Shadows! The market square—engulfed! People—screaming!"
Panic exploded among the Council. Elders shouted over one another, voices breaking with fear.
Kael was already moving. "Lianna, stay behind me."
But Lianna's chest burned. She remembered the tendrils dragging her toward the Forgotten King, the helpless terror of being claimed. She couldn't let it happen again—not to innocent people.
"No." She pushed past Kael, the mark on her wrist glowing brighter with every step. "If the shadows are here for me, then I'll face them."
"Lianna—" Kael's warning was sharp.
But she was already running, Auren matching her pace. His hand brushed her back, steadying, guiding. "You're stronger than you think. Don't forget that."
By the time they burst into the market square, chaos reigned. Buildings cracked as shadow beasts tore through stalls, their monstrous forms oozing darkness. Civilians scattered, some frozen in terror, others already swallowed by the creeping black.
Lianna's pulse raced. Her instinct was to run. But the mark blazed so brightly it hurt.
One of the beasts lunged at a child cornered against a wall.
"No!" The cry tore from Lianna's throat before she realized what she was doing. She thrust her arm forward—and light erupted from the mark, golden and searing.
The shadow beast shrieked, disintegrating under the force.
The square fell silent for a breath. Every eye turned to her. Lianna stood frozen, her arm outstretched, the mark blazing like fire.
Kael caught up, his expression unreadable, though his grip on his blade tightened. Auren only smiled softly, pride flickering in his silver eyes.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
The bride wields the King's power.
She is his, after all.
Will she save us—or doom us?
Lianna's heart hammered as the last of the beasts hissed and circled, drawn to her light. She could feel the Forgotten King's presence again, coiling inside her blood, whispering in her mind.
You are mine. My bride. My power is yours because you belong to me.
Her knees weakened. The power surging through her veins terrified her, yet some part of her wanted to give in to it—wanted to see how far it could go.
The beasts lunged all at once. Kael leapt forward, blade slicing in arcs of shadow. Auren caught Lianna's hand, grounding her, his voice steady: "Choose, Lianna. Fight with fear—or fight with fire."
Her mark blazed, answering for her. Golden light erupted again, meeting Kael's shadows in a storm of power that split the square. The beasts shrieked, vanishing into smoke.
When the dust cleared, the market was in ruins. Survivors stared at her, some with awe, some with terror.
Kael turned to her, his voice hard. "You've shown them too much. Now the King will only push harder to claim you."
Auren shook his head. "Or maybe she's shown them she isn't helpless anymore."
Lianna stood between them, trembling, the weight of a hundred stares pressing on her. Inside, the King's whisper echoed like a vow.
Her heart pounded. For the first time, she whispered her fear aloud:
You are my bride. And soon, you will come to me.
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What if resisting him only draws me closer instead?