The moon loomed over the castle like a watchful eye — silent, ancient, and unforgiving.
Inside the grand marble hall of the Nightblood Kingdom, shadows whispered as the royal cry rang out. The princess — heir to the eternal throne — had just been born.
But she wasn't crying.
She lay still, her tiny body unmoving. Cold.
Gasps filled the air. The queen wept. Even the king's hands trembled.
Then, just as despair settled over the court like a shroud, her eyes flew open — stormy blue-gray, too sharp for a newborn — and a high, piercing cry shattered the silence.
She came back to life.
And that was when the Seer stepped forward.
Her voice, aged and heavy with prophecy, echoed like a curse:
"The heir to the Nightblood throne shall perish on the dawn of her 25th year… unless the key is found."
The nobles murmured. The king's face darkened. The queen clutched her child tighter.
"Can anything be done to stop this curse?" King Valtar asked.
A pause. The Seer's milky eyes stared ahead.
"Yes. The key lies hidden... in the human world."
"The key? What kind of key?" the king demanded.
"When it is time, she will know." And with that, the hall fell into a silence deeper than the grave.
—
22 Years Later
Princess Isolde stood motionless before the royal court, her stormy blue-gray eyes blank, unreadable. The whispers never stopped — Cursed. Doomed. Mortal-bound.
Three years.
Three chances.
One fate.
King Valtar's command was final: she would leave the kingdom — disguised, protected, and sent into the mortal world to find the key that could save her life.
She would not go alone.
Kael, her sworn guardian and childhood companion, was already at her side. Loyal, quiet, and lethal when needed, he had vowed to protect her with his life. He always did.
They arrived at Blackmere University as strangers in a strange land. She, a transfer student with eyes that hinted at something ancient. He, the reserved "cousin" who rarely left her side.
But fate doesn't wait.
---
"I don't think this is necessary, my princess," Kael muttered under his breath as they crossed the quiet campus. "We should focus on the mission. Find the key."
"Key, key, key…" Isolde sighed, half amused, half exhausted. "That's all anyone talks about."
She turned to him with a teasing smile. "I know I need to find it, Kael, but how can I find something I've never seen? Or don't even understand?"
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
"Let's just enjoy this moment," she said, brushing a breeze-tousled curl from her face. "I promise, you won't regret it."
"But His Highness—" Kael began.
"Forget my father," she said sharply, then softened. "And stop calling me 'princess.' We're not in the kingdom anymore, remember?"
She patted his shoulder lightly. "Here, I'm just Isolde. And you're not just my knight — you're my best friend."
She walked ahead, her boots crunching against fallen leaves, unaware that fate had already begun to stir. Kael followed in silence, his eyes scanning the shadows.
Because the danger they left behind… was nothing compared to what waited ahead.