The chamber smelled of herbs and smoke. Bowls of crushed roots and burnt tonics littered the floor, the air thick with a suffocating weight of hopelessness. Aldric lay pale on the bed, each breath shallow, drawn with effort.
Around him, silence reigned until Selene's voice broke it — sharp and trembling.
"Are we just going to sit here and watch His Majesty waste away?" she cried, standing suddenly. Her swollen eyes darted toward the gathered lords. "You have searched, you have questioned, and still you brought nothing! Nothing! A king of Velmora dying like a common thief poisoned in the market?"
One of the older lords, gray and weary, lowered his gaze. "We have done all we can, Your Majesty. The palace is sealed tighter than a fortress. Not a rat leaves nor enters without our knowing."
Selene scoffed bitterly. "Then it must be within! A hand inside these walls, bold enough to strike him under our noses! And yet—" her voice cracked, "—you parade about with excuses."
"Enough," Queen Ava murmured, her hand resting firmly on Aldric's. Her face was carved from sorrow, but her tone was steady. "This is not the time for accusations. The king needs peace."
Selene's lips trembled. "Peace? Mother, how do you speak of peace when His Majesty may not live till morning?" Her voice rose again, echoing off the chamber walls.
Virelda stirred at last, lifting her head from where she had been quietly weeping. Her words came soft, but they carried a knife's edge.
"Perhaps… she is right. There is rot here. Someone within these walls has done this. And if we do not find who, all our weeping is worth nothing."
A murmur rippled among the lords. Some shifted uneasily, others stared at the ground.
One younger lord bristled, his fists clenched. "We have questioned every servant, every guard, every maid. None admitted guilt. Unless you suggest one of us—" He stopped short, his gaze flicking across the chamber.
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. Selene's breathing quickened, her eyes flashing with suspicion. Virelda looked away, her hands tightening in her lap.
Then Ava's voice cut through again, quiet but commanding. "Enough of this madness. You will not tear this family apart while he still breathes. If betrayal hides among us, time will drag it to light. Until then, guard your tongues."
Her composure broke then — her voice catching as she leaned closer to her son, whispering prayers too soft for the others to hear.
The lords stepped back, subdued, though their eyes flickered with unspoken questions. Selene paced at the edge of the bed, restless, while Virelda sat motionless, her grief folded inward.
And still, through it all, Aldric's breath grew weaker, the sound of it like thread unraveling in the stillness.
-
Aurora's chambers was dark, lit only by the pale silver of the moon through the latticed window. She had not moved since slipping back inside. Her palms pressed against her knees, breath sharp, heart aching.
A knock came. She stiffened.
Her voice came low and harsh through the door.
"Did I not say I was not to be disturbed?"
For a moment there was silence. Then a voice she recognized, softer than she expected.
It's Kael. Your Majesty."
Her eyes widened. Slowly, she rose and unlatched the door.
He stepped in, head bowed low, the torchlight from the corridor casting long shadows across his armor.
"My lady," he said quietly, the tremor in his voice betraying the steel of his training. "Forgive my boldness, but I beg you… save His Majesty." He lifted his eyes, steady and searching. "I know not what you are… but I know you are no ordinary woman."
Aurora's breath caught. Tears welled, sliding hot down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Her voice was raw when she answered.
"I would give anything—anything within me—to make sure he lives."
For a heartbeat, Kael simply looked at her, struck by the weight of her words. Then, with a solemn nod, he bowed again.
"Then I will leave you to it. Whatever you must do."
She stepped back as he left, the door closing behind him with a hollow thud. Alone once more, she slid the latch, her body sinking against the wood until she fell to the floor.
Her hands shook as she thought of her dream book. For long it had spoken to her in whispers, symbols, and visions—but never directly. She had never dared… until now.
She pressed her hands against her chest, her tears dropping onto them.
"This time… I need answers," she whispered.
Drawing in a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes. The words of the spell spilled from her lips, strange and rhythmic.
The air thickened. Her body grew heavy. The edges of the chamber blurred, dissolving into shadow.
And then she fell— not backward, not forward, but inward — into a trance where the book awaited her.
The trance was weightless, like drifting through a sea of shadows. Aurora stood in a space without walls, without floor — only the faint shimmer of symbols burning in golden light all around her. In the center floated the book, vast now, its pages turning by themselves, glowing with an ancient pulse.
She stepped closer. The book spoke, not in a voice, but in a resonance that filled her chest, echoing in her blood.
"Archon…..You seek what others fear to ask."
Aurora's lips trembled. "Please. He is dying. Help me save him."
The book turned its pages slowly, the words glowing brighter.
"You are pure of heart. This is why I will listen. But know—help bears its price."
Her pulse raced. "I will pay it."
The golden words shifted, curling into sentences that burned into her mind.
"One day, danger will close upon you. And when it does, you will not be able to wield your power to save yourself."
Aurora froze, breath catching, but only for a heartbeat. "I do not care. If that is the price, then I accept."
The symbols flared, brighter than fire.
"Then go. The king will be healed."
The book snapped shut. The vision collapsed around her like shattered glass.
Aurora gasped, eyes snapping open. She was back on the floor of her chamber, heart hammering, her cheeks wet with tears. She shot to her feet, flung the door open, and ran. Her skirts trailed behind her as her maids scrambled to follow, breathless and bewildered, as she bolted through the torchlit corridors.
-
The king's chamber was alive with tension. Selene stood with her arms crossed, muttering bitterly.
"She is not here. Hours have passed. Who else would benefit from His Majesty fall but the white-haired witch? Look at her absence—suspicious!"
A ripple of murmurs filled the chamber, courtiers whispering, maids shaking their heads, the weight of doubt growing heavy.
On the bed, Aldric lay as pale as ash, his breath shallow, body stiff. The black veins of poison spidered across his chest. The royal physician was already shaking his head, despair thick in his eyes.
And then — Aldric convulsed. His body arched, his lips parted, and with a violent heave he sat upright, vomiting a thick black substance onto the floor.
Gasps and shrieks rose from the gathered lords and ladies.
The chamber froze.
At that exact moment, the doors banged open. Aurora burst inside, hair wild, face flushed. Everyone turned, startled anew.
Her eyes darted to the bed — and the sight of Aldric, still retching but alive, shattered her. She fell to her knees where she stood, hands trembling, tears spilling fast down her cheeks.
The murmur changed — no longer suspicion, but shock. Hope. Surprise.
The royal physician rushed to Aldric, pressing trembling fingers to his wrist. His eyes widened. He checked again, then again. The black lines across the king's body had faded, disappearing as though erased by unseen hands.
The physician turned to the chamber, voice breaking with astonishment.
"His Majesty's pulse… it is steady. The poison is gone. The king is healing!"
A collective gasp broke, giving way to a roar of joy. Shouts and cries echoed through the chamber. Kael sighed in relief. Nobles clapped hands over their mouths, soldiers rejoiced that their king lived, and servants wept with relief.
Queen Ava embraced her son, while Selene and Virelda rejoiced as well.
Amid it all, Aurora knelt on the floor, her gaze locked only on Aldric, tears streaking her pale face.
-
In the quiet grove, the white witches gathered in their circle, the silver fire of their altar flickering with unease. Elisa lifted her gaze, her voice low.
"He lives. The ancient book has stirred… only it could have undone such poison."
Murmurs spread, a mix of awe and restlessness.
"Then she has touched it," one whispered.
"She is one of us, whether she admits it or not," another breathed.
Zyra's lips curved in a knowing smile.
"She must be brought to us. If the book favors her, then she is destined to rise beyond even our hands. We will not let her remain alone."
Meanwhile, in the cavern of the black witches, shadows writhed against the walls as their laughter died to silence. Their leader's face hardened, eyes glowing crimson.
"Impossible. No mortal healer could purge the killing poison."
One of them hissed, her voice shaking with anger.
"It is the book. She has called upon it."
A heavy silence fell. Their leader clenched her fist.
"Then Archon is more dangerous than we thought. If she can reach the book, she is a threat to everything we have sown."
Their faces went darker, edged with fury.
-
The palace bloomed with life again. Curtains once drawn heavy with dread now fluttered open, and laughter returned to the halls as though nothing had ever gone wrong. No one truly knew how the king had been saved that night—except Aurora, Kael, and Aldric himself. For Aldric knew, with a certainty deeper than breath, that only she could have pulled him back from the edge.
The matter was smothered in silence. The dead servant was blamed, her name dragged into the shadows as though she alone had orchestrated the poison. Whispers faded, court life resumed, and the council moved forward—yet every morsel placed before the king was inspected, his intake carefully guarded as though each bite might hold death.
But in the quiet corners of recovery, something far stronger stirred. Aldric had not yet found the chance to be alone with her, not with the physicians, lords, and queens surrounding his bed.
Yet, whenever Aurora entered his chamber to pay her visits, the world seemed to still. He would lift his weary head, and she would lower her gaze—but the glances they shared, brief and burning, said more than words ever could.
-
Whispers rippled through the corridors of Velmora. Some claimed the king's healing was the hand of the passed ancestors, others said the physician's herbs had finally worked their slow magic, while a few whispered in awe that perhaps the king himself possessed hidden powers.
Whatever the truth, Queen Ava, the lords, and the other queens chose to believe it was divine mercy.
Inside the royal chamber, Aldric sat upright, his color returning, as the royal physician inspected him for the last time. Ava, Selene, Virelda, and Aurora stood nearby, watching.
The physician smiled faintly. "His Majesty is recovering well. With rest, he may soon return to his daily duties."
Relief loosened the air, but Selene's voice cut through sharply.
"Strange, is it not? How the king healed the very moment some of us were… absent. Tell me, Aurora, were your needs so important that you vanished when His Majesty's life hung by a thread?"
Virelda smirked, a quiet nod of support.
Aurora's lips parted, but before she could answer, Aldric spoke—his voice calm but firm.
"No one will point fingers at anyone. I need peace, not accusations." His eyes lingered on Selene, silencing her, before turning gently toward his mother.
Ava inclined her head in quiet understanding. "We shall leave him to rest."
One by one, they left, the physician included, until only Kael remained at his post.
Minutes passed. Aldric waited, listening to the fading footsteps, until he was certain the corridors were empty. He gave Kael a single nod. Without a word, the knight slipped out.
Moments later, he returned—with Aurora. Bowing once, Kael withdrew again, leaving them alone.
For a long heartbeat, they simply looked at each other. Then Aurora rushed forward, falling into his arms where he lay on the bed. Her tears wet his shoulder as her voice broke.
"I thought I would lose you…"
Aldric drew her close, his embrace steady and warm. He pressed his cheek against her hair, murmuring softly, "I am here. And I owe it all to you. Thank you, Aurora."
She clung tighter, trembling with relief. And in the silence of the chamber, away from eyes and whispers, they held on to each other as if neither would ever let go.