The grand hall of the castle overflowed with nobles and delegates. The emergency assembly had been called to calm the council after the Khorvash's escape. My mother presided at the center table, Selene sat beside me with a guarded expression, and Kaelis stood by the door, every muscle tense—as if expecting disaster.
I tried to stay composed, but inside, everything was chaos. My skin burned, my veins throbbed like embers, and my heart beat to two clashing rhythms.
—Daughter, —my mother murmured, leaning toward me— behave. Any sign of instability now will be used against you.
I nodded silently. But the voice inside me was no longer whispering—it was laughing, deep and resonant.
"Look at them… they all fear you. Show them what you are, and they will kneel."
I drew a shaky breath, trying to bury that echo, when one of the nobles suddenly stood up.—I demand answers! —he roared. —The creature unleashed upon the capital is the work of this hybrid! She's a danger to us all!
A wave of agreement rippled through the hall. Another noble added,—If she cannot control herself, she must be confined.
The words cut deep. My hands began to tremble. Selene grabbed my wrist tightly, her touch grounding me.—Don't listen to them, —she whispered. —Breathe with me.
But the voice inside thundered louder.
"Confined. Chained. Just like I was. Just like you. Show them who rules."
Then the ground beneath my feet cracked open with a deafening snap. Silence fell. The torches along the walls flickered out all at once, plunging the hall into shadow. My darkness burst free, twisting upward like living tendrils that crawled across the pillars and ceiling.
The nobles screamed and stumbled back. Guards drew their swords, but the blades turned black, coated in shadow until they melted into uselessness.
Selene stepped in front of me, a trembling light blooming in her hands.—Nyx! Look at me! You're here, with me!
Kaelis vaulted onto the table, her sword gleaming faintly against the darkness.—Enough! Don't let it consume you!
I stood in the center of the chaos, gasping, feeling something tear open inside my chest. My vision blurred, my eyes burned—one violet, one crimson… and a third, black as the void, flared to life on my forehead like a mark.
The voice within spoke through me this time, not in thought, but aloud—using my own lips:—I am not their prisoner.
A shockwave of darkness erupted from me, hurling several nobles to the floor. The marble split beneath our feet like glass.
Selene threw her arms around me, pressing her face into my neck.—Come back… please, come back to me.
Her warmth pierced through the haze—a fragile anchor in the abyss. My shadows trembled, faltered… then slowly receded, melting into nothing.
When I opened my eyes, the hall was in ruins. Pale nobles, trembling guards, my mother standing rigid and silent. Kaelis still held her sword aloft, but she didn't move.
I stood there, shaking, breath ragged. Deep down, I knew what had happened.
A line had been crossed.
It was no longer a secret.They had all seen it.