Back at the palace,
two months had passed since the grand celebration held for the birth of the royal twins.
The kingdom remained lively even after the celebration ended.
Nobles still visited with expensive gifts, musicians performed almost every evening, and servants rushed endlessly through the palace halls trying to maintain perfection for the royal family.
To everyone outside, the palace looked peaceful.
Perfect.
But hidden beneath that perfection were secrets no one dared speak of.
That morning, Queen Elara decided to take a stroll around the palace grounds.
Two maids followed closely behind her, each carefully carrying one of the royal children wrapped in soft silk blankets. One carried Princess Astra while the other carried Prince Kael.
Queen Elara looked calmer than usual as she walked through the palace gardens. The morning breeze moved gently through the flowers while sunlight reflected beautifully against the palace walls.
Her eyes softened slightly whenever she looked at her children.
Eventually, her steps led her toward the maid quarters.
The area was quieter compared to the rest of the palace. Servants quickly lowered their heads respectfully as the queen passed by.
Elara was about to turn around and leave when suddenly—
A painful cry echoed through the hallway.
A baby's cry.
Sharp.
Loud.
Distressed.
The queen immediately stopped walking.
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she turned to look at the twins.
Neither of them were crying.
Astra remained asleep peacefully while Kael stared around curiously.
The cry sounded again.
This time louder.
Queen Elara listened carefully before realizing where it came from.
The chief maid's room.
Her expression slowly darkened with suspicion.
Without another word, she walked toward the room.
The maids behind her exchanged nervous glances before quickly following after her.
ROSELYN
I froze the moment the door opened.
The queen stood there.
Queen Elara herself.
My chest tightened instantly as fear crawled through me.
I had only been trying to bathe the child properly, but I accidentally scrubbed too hard against her skin, causing her to burst into tears. I never expected the queen to hear her crying.
Now she stood inside my room, her piercing gaze slowly moving over everything.
From the small tub beside me…
To the towel in my hands…
And finally—
To the child wrapped carefully in my arms.
The room suddenly felt suffocating.
"Where did you get this child?" the queen asked coldly as she walked toward me.
I lowered my head immediately.
When she finally stopped in front of me, I could feel the pressure in her stare.
"She… she was found, Your Majesty," I replied carefully. "She was brought here to be raised as a maid."
Silence.
The queen stared at me for a long moment.
Then her eyes slowly shifted toward the child again.
Something in her expression changed slightly.
Her gaze softened.
Only a little.
The baby slowly blinked her hazel eyes open while staring quietly at the queen.
For some reason, Queen Elara remained silent longer than expected.
Almost as though something about the child bothered her.
But eventually, she stepped back.
She gave me one final suspicious glance before turning around and leaving the room.
Only after the door closed did I finally release the breath I was holding.
I looked down at the child resting quietly in my arms.
A small smile appeared on my lips.
"I never gave you a name," I whispered softly.
I thought for a moment.
"Sera… or Sage…"
The child blinked slowly.
"Sage," I decided quietly. "It suits you."
____________________________
In a nearby town,
another woman suffered in silence.
It had been two months since her daughter disappeared.
Two months since her child was taken away from her.
Seraphine had searched endlessly.
Every nearby village.
Every road.
Every marketplace.
But no matter where she looked, she found nothing.
No clues.
No answers.
Nothing.
Now she sat silently near the window of her small home, staring blankly ahead.
Her grandmother stood nearby watching her carefully.
The old woman sighed softly before walking over to sit beside her granddaughter.
She understood Seraphine's pain.
But more than that—
She could feel something dangerous approaching.
Something unnatural.
And it terrified her.
_____________________________
Far away from the Kingdom,
panic spread through another land.
"Your Highness, the crystal is missing!"
A young woman bowed deeply while trembling violently.
Queen Thora immediately stood from her throne.
"What?!" she snapped in disbelief.
The entire hall fell silent.
"How is that possible?!" she continued angrily while pacing around. "Ever since the Guardian disappeared, the crystal has remained sealed! It was protected by six immortals themselves!"
The messenger lowered her head further.
"I-I don't know, Your Majesty," she stammered fearfully. "But there are rumors… rumors about a new seer."
Queen Thora froze instantly.
"A seer?" she repeated quietly.
Her expression slowly darkened.
That word alone carried danger.
Because seers were capable of changing fate itself.
_____________________________
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER
Fifteen years passed.
And still—
There was no sign of Seraphine's daughter.
Life became crueler with time.
Seraphine spent most mornings selling fruits in the market while spending most nights crying herself to sleep.
Four years ago, her grandmother passed away, leaving her completely alone.
But despite everything—
She never stopped hoping.
_________________________
THE PALACE...
The palace was busier than ever.
Servants rushed through the halls carrying decorations, dishes, and expensive clothing as preparations continued for the royal celebration.
Today marked the fifteenth birthday of the royal twins.
Princess Astra.
Prince Kael.
Meanwhile, hidden behind a mango tree near the courtyard, Sage crouched quietly while trying not to be noticed.
"All I ever do is wash dishes and clean the princess's clothes," she muttered quietly to herself. "I want to know what the outside world looks like…"
Her eyes drifted toward the giant palace gates far away.
"I don't want to stay here forever…"
"AAAH!"
Sage nearly jumped when a loud voice suddenly startled her.
"SAGE!"
Miss Roselyn stormed toward her angrily.
"You cannot keep hiding all the time!" she scolded loudly. "Get back to work before the king notices you slacking again!"
"I'm sorry, Miss Roselyn!" Sage apologized quickly while standing up. "I'll get back to work now!"
As Sage hurried away, she glanced back at Roselyn suspiciously.
Miss Roselyn always felt strange to her.
Sometimes, late at night, Sage swore she saw Roselyn's eyes glowing green in the darkness.
Other times she heard her whispering strange words under her breath.
Words Sage could never understand.
"Maybe she's secretly a witch…" Sage muttered quietly.
"SAGE!" Roselyn yelled again.
"Okay! Okay! I'm going!" Sage sighed dramatically before running off quickly.
___________________
KAEL
Kael quietly adjusted the sleeves of his royal clothing.
He never liked celebrations.
Too loud.
Too crowded.
Too fake.
But Astra loved them.
And for his sister, he was willing to endure it.
Today they officially turned fifteen years old.
The palace hall below was already filled with guests from different kingdoms.
Yet despite all the music and laughter—
Kael felt uneasy.
Like something terrible was slowly approaching.
_________________________
THE NEARBY TOWN...
An old man smiled quietly as he heard approaching footsteps.
He already knew who stood outside his door.
"Seraphine," he called softly.
The woman stepped inside slowly, her lips pressed tightly together as she fought back tears.
"Your daughter…" the old man began quietly. "Her location is known."
Seraphine froze.
Hope immediately flooded her eyes.
"Then tell me where she is!" she begged desperately, tears streaming down her face.
But the old man only shook his head.
"If fate wishes for you to meet," he said calmly, "then you will."
"Why?!" Seraphine cried painfully. "Please… just tell me where she is…"
The old man remained silent.
Then suddenly—
He snapped his fingers.
In the next second, Seraphine found herself outside the house.
She collapsed onto the ground immediately, crying uncontrollably.
A painful scream escaped her lips as tears poured endlessly down her face.
The weather suddenly changed violently.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Lightning flashed repeatedly across the sky while thunder roared loudly.
It was almost as though the world itself felt her pain.
Inside the house, the old man stood quietly by the window watching her.
Just like her grandmother once did.
And deep down—
He could already sense the danger approaching.
____________________________
THE PALACE HALL...
The celebration finally began.
The hall overflowed with guests and royalties from different kingdoms.
But not all of them were human.
Some possessed glowing eyes.
Some carried strange energy around them.
Only a few humans were actually among the crowd.
Servants rushed around handling their duties carefully.
Roselyn supervised the dishes while Sage had been assigned to help Princess Astra prepare for the occasion.
Everything seemed normal.
Until far away—
Something awakened.
Inside what looked like a massive abandoned castle, a giant altar glowed brightly.
It once shone blue.
Now—
It glowed red.
A crack slowly appeared across its surface.
Then another.
And another.
The cracks spread violently from the altar to the floor beneath it before traveling rapidly beyond the castle itself.
Across deserted lands.
Across forgotten ruins.
Toward what appeared to be an underground prison buried beneath an ancient destroyed palace.
Deep within that prison—
A pair of glowing red eyes suddenly flew open.
A loud growl echoed throughout the darkness.
Low.
Monstrous.
Ancient.
And somewhere far above—
Fate had already begun moving once again.