After the ceremony, I couldn't bring myself to leave my room.
The taste of failure lingered bitterly on my tongue, a weight pressing down on my chest. The sun had long since set behind the hills, and darkness slowly consumed the palace walls. I was just about to lie down when something strange caught my eye.
Through the window, a streak of light cut across the sky — sharp, sudden, and far too deliberate to be a mere trick of the moon. It lasted only a few seconds, but long enough for me to see the direction it went. Straight toward the forest.
It felt as if it was calling to me.
For a moment, I just stood there, listening to the rapid beat of my heart. I knew it was foolish, but something deep inside whispered that I had to follow it. I looked down at myself — only a thin nightgown clung to my body. With a quiet sigh, I grabbed the nearest cloak and a pair of shoes, and before reason could stop me, I was already slipping into the darkened corridors.
The palace looked utterly different at night. The grandeur of the day was replaced by silence and shadow. Only a few candles burned in the sconces, their flickering light casting long, shifting shapes on the stone floor. My footsteps echoed softly until, suddenly, a strong hand seized my wrist and pulled me into a narrow passage.
"Let go of me!" I gasped, but another hand covered my mouth.
I kicked and struggled, but the grip was too firm. Then a familiar voice whispered close to my ear.
"Hey… calm down. It's me."
Ash.
The sound of his voice made my pulse slow. He let go, his eyes glinting in the half-light.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice still shaking.
"I followed you." His tone was calm — too calm.
"You… followed me?" I repeated, stunned. Of all people, I hadn't expected that from him.
"I saw the light. It went the same way you did. Something's not right out there. If you're going, I'm coming too."
I hesitated. My mind screamed to turn back, but my heart… it didn't agree.
"Fine," I said quietly. "Come with me."
We walked side by side through the palace gates and out into the cool night air. For a while, neither of us spoke. Then, his voice broke the silence.
"How did the ceremony go?"
The question hit me like a knife to the gut.
"Failure," I muttered. One word, heavy and hollow.
"It wasn't your fault," he said softly. "You know that, right?"
"Maybe," I whispered. "But it doesn't change anything."
The path grew muddier as we entered the forest. The trees loomed high above, their branches like black veins against the sky. A thin fog rolled between the trunks, swallowing the light. Only the faint sounds of nocturnal creatures echoed around us. Then, fireflies appeared — hundreds of them, swirling lazily in the air. Their glow bathed the path in soft gold.
I glanced at Ash and, for the first time, saw something I hadn't before — a smile. Subtle, fleeting, but real. It softened his sharp features, and for a brief second, the tension that always surrounded him seemed to fade. I almost forgot to breathe.
The fog thickened. The world around us blurred into mist and shadow.
"Stay close," he said quietly, and took my hand.
His skin was warm against mine, his grip steady yet careful. My heart stumbled. I had never been this close to anyone before — never wanted to be. But in that moment, the fear ebbed away.
Then I heard it — a sound, faint but unmistakable.
A melody.
"Do you hear that?" I asked.
"Hear what?" he replied, puzzled.
But I was already moving toward it, pulled as if by invisible strings. The song grew louder, clearer — haunting and beautiful. My steps quickened. I still felt his hand in mine… until suddenly, I didn't.
I stopped. Turned around. He was gone.
The fog had swallowed him whole. Panic clawed at my chest, but I couldn't stop now. The light was ahead, brighter than ever.
After what felt like ten endless minutes, I stepped into a clearing. The melody reached its crescendo — and then, just as suddenly, it stopped. The silence that followed was almost unbearable.
From within the mist, a figure emerged. A woman.
Her hair was black as night, flowing all the way to the ground. A crown rested upon her head, glimmering faintly in the dim light. Her gown shimmered with threads of gold, regal and ancient. But it was her wings that froze me — vast and luminous, radiating both grace and power.
Her eyes met mine, and I felt the air still. When she spoke, her voice was both a whisper and a storm.
"The crown is not lost," she said. "It has merely fallen into the wrong hands."
"Please," I breathed, barely able to find my voice. "Tell me where I can find it."
Her gaze deepened, and for a heartbeat, I thought she might vanish without a word. Then she spoke again, her tone echoing in the silence.
"The Forgotten Castle."
And just like that, she was gone.
The fog lifted. The light faded. I was alone again — trembling, breathless, and yet… hopeful.
Because now, at last, I had a clue.
And somehow, I knew — this was only the beginning.