Cassian's POV
Dark magic shot toward Seraphina like a black arrow.
"No!" I threw myself in front of her.
The spell hit me square in the chest. Pain exploded through my body—cold, burning, awful. I crashed to the floor, gasping.
"Cassian!" Seraphina dropped beside me.
Morgana laughed. "Still playing the hero, I see. How... predictable."
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't work. The spell was spreading through me like ice in my veins. This was different from the stone curse. This was something worse.
"What did you do to him?" Seraphina demanded, her voice shaking with fury, not fear.
"Just a little paralysis spell," Morgana said casually. "He'll live. For now." She walked closer, studying Seraphina like she was examining an interesting bug. "You're not what I expected."
"Stay away from her," I growled, forcing myself to my knees despite the pain.
Morgana ignored me. "Tell me, girl. How did you survive touching the stone prince?"
"I don't know," Seraphina said. She was scared—I could see it in her eyes—but she didn't back down. "It just happened."
"Things don't 'just happen' with curses, child. There's always a reason. Always a price." Morgana circled her slowly. "Let me guess. You felt warmth? A connection? Like your blood recognized something in him?"
Seraphina's silence was answer enough.
Morgana's eyes widened with genuine surprise. "Impossible. The bloodline was wiped out decades ago. The Healers of the First Gods—all dead. Every last one."
"What are you talking about?" Elias asked from where he stood near the door, hand on his sword.
"She's a Healer," Morgana said, still staring at Seraphina. "Or descended from them, at least. That's why she can touch the curse without dying. Healer blood can purify dark magic." She laughed, delighted. "Oh, this is perfect. This is absolutely perfect."
"Why is that perfect?" Seraphina asked suspiciously.
Morgana's smile turned cruel. "Because Healer blood doesn't just purify curses, darling. It can also be used to make them permanent. Unbreakable. And I've been searching for a Healer for six years."
My blood ran cold. "You're not touching her."
"I don't need to touch her," Morgana said. "I just need her blood. A few drops would do nicely." She raised her hand again, dark magic swirling. "This won't hurt much. Probably."
"Run, Sera!" I shouted, trying to stand. But the paralysis spell held me down.
Morgana's magic shot forward—but this time, something incredible happened.
Golden light exploded from Seraphina's hands.
The dark magic hit the light and simply... vanished. Dissolved like smoke.
Everyone froze.
Seraphina stared at her glowing hands, shocked. "What... what did I just do?"
Morgana's face twisted with rage. "You awakened. Already?" She snarled. "That shouldn't be possible! Healer powers take years of training to manifest!"
"Apparently not," Seraphina said, and despite her fear, there was strength in her voice now. "Leave. Now. Before I do something we'll both regret."
For the first time, Morgana looked uncertain. She studied Seraphina with new eyes—calculating, worried.
"This isn't over," Morgana said finally. "That blood is mine. The curse is mine. And you, little Healer, just made yourself the most valuable person in this kingdom." She glanced at me. "Enjoy your exile, Cassian. The Northern Tower has such... interesting residents. I'm sure they'll love fresh company."
She disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
The moment she was gone, the paralysis spell broke. I collapsed forward, sucking in air.
"Cassian!" Seraphina's glowing hands touched my arm, and warmth flooded through me. The lingering pain from Morgana's spell melted away instantly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I gasped. "But you... your hands..."
We both looked down. Her hands were still glowing with soft golden light, like she held tiny suns.
"I don't understand," she whispered. "I didn't mean to do that. I just... I just wanted to protect you, and then—"
"Your power manifested," Elias said, moving closer carefully. "Healer magic responds to emotion. Fear. Love. The desperate need to save someone." He looked at me meaningfully. "She awakened her power because she cared about protecting you."
Something warm spread through my chest that had nothing to do with magic.
Seraphina pulled her hands away quickly, the glow fading. "I'm not a Healer. I'm just... me. A disowned servant."
"You're more than that," I said quietly. "You always have been. You just didn't know it yet."
She met my eyes, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. Just her and me and this impossible connection neither of us understood.
Elias cleared his throat. "We have bigger problems. Morgana knows about Sera now. She'll tell Theron—if she hasn't already. They'll both be after her blood."
The reality crashed back down. Seraphina wasn't just in danger anymore. She was a target.
"Then we stick to the plan," I said, standing up. "Tomorrow at dawn, we go to the Northern Tower. Find those books. Learn how to control Sera's power before anyone else can use it against us."
"And Morgana?" Seraphina asked.
"Morgana's patient. She's had my curse going for six years—she won't rush now. But Theron..." I glanced at the window. The sun was touching the horizon. "Theron is desperate. He'll move fast."
"How long until sunset?" Elias asked.
"Minutes," I said. Already I could feel it—the familiar dread that came with approaching transformation. "You should both leave."
"No." Seraphina's voice was firm. "Last night, I helped. My touch made it hurt less. Let me try again."
"You just discovered you have magic," I argued. "You don't know how to control it. What if something goes wrong?"
"What if something goes right?" she countered. "What if I can do more than just ease the pain? What if I can actually help break the curse?"
I wanted to argue. Wanted to protect her from the risk. But looking at her determined face, I realized something important.
She wasn't a helpless girl anymore. Maybe she never had been.
"Fine," I said. "But the moment something feels wrong, you pull away. Promise?"
"Promise."
The sun dipped below the mountains.
The curse hit me like a hammer. I gasped, stumbling. Seraphina caught my arm, her touch already glowing with that golden warmth.
"I've got you," she whispered.
The stone started crawling up my legs. But this time, with her touching me, it felt different. Slower. Like her warmth was fighting against the cold.
"It's working," Elias breathed. "The transformation is slower than usual."
My knees hit the floor. Stone was at my waist now, spreading upward. The pain built with each inch.
Seraphina knelt beside me, both hands on my shoulders now. The golden glow intensified.
"Stay with me, Cassian," she said softly. "Don't let it take you. Fight it."
I tried. Gods, I tried. But the curse was too strong. It reached my chest, my neck—
And then something amazing happened.
The stone stopped.
Just... stopped.
Halfway up my body, the grey stone froze in place. Not spreading. Not retreating. Just... stopped.
"What's happening?" I managed to ask.
Seraphina's eyes were wide, her hands blazing with light. "I don't know. I'm trying to push the curse back, but it's so strong—"
"Keep trying," Elias urged. "Whatever you're doing, it's working!"
Sweat beaded on Seraphina's forehead. I could feel the battle happening—her warmth fighting against the curse's cold. Two forces struggling for control of my body.
For a minute, maybe two, the stone stayed frozen.
Then Seraphina gasped. "I can't... it's too much... I'm sorry—"
The stone surged forward, covering the rest of me in seconds.
The last thing I saw before my vision turned grey was Seraphina's devastated face.
The last thing I felt was her warm hand still pressed against my stone chest.
And the last thing I heard was her voice, determined and fierce:
"I'll figure this out, Cassian. I promise. I'll find a way to break this curse."
Trapped in stone, I wanted to tell her she already had. She'd stopped the transformation for two whole minutes—something that had never happened before. She'd proven her power was real.
But I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Could only feel her warmth radiating through the stone, keeping the worst of the agony at bay.
Hours passed. I felt her hand move from my chest to my face, gentle and careful.
"Tomorrow we go to the Northern Tower," she whispered. "And I'm going to learn everything I can about breaking curses. Because you're not staying trapped like this forever. I won't let you."
The determination in her voice made something crack inside me. Not the stone. Something deeper. Some wall I'd built around my heart after six years of isolation.
This girl had known me for one day. One day. And she was already fighting for me harder than anyone had in years.
I would have smiled if I could.
Then I felt her head rest against my stone shoulder. Heard her breathing slow.
She was falling asleep. Right there. Beside a stone monster.
But I wasn't a monster to her. Somehow, impossibly, I was something worth saving.
Dawn came slowly.
The stone began to crack and fall away. Feeling returned to my fingers, my arms, my legs.
When I could finally move again, I turned—
And found Seraphina curled up on the floor beside me, still asleep, her hand resting on my arm.
She hadn't left. All night, she'd stayed.
Something fierce and protective surged through me. This brave, impossible girl who'd stumbled into my cursed life was mine to protect now.
I brushed a strand of hair from her face gently, careful not to wake her.
"I'll keep you safe," I whispered. "No matter what it costs."
The door burst open.
Royal guards flooded in, weapons drawn.
"By order of King Theron," their captain announced, "Prince Cassian and the servant Sera are under arrest for conspiracy against the Crown. You're both to be executed at dawn."