Chapter 52

The night air clung heavy to Serenya’s skin as she rode through the valley with Kaelen at her side, the stars burning unnaturally bright above them. Since the revelations in the crypt beneath the Crestfall stronghold, her heart had not stopped racing. Bloodlines were more than whispers of ancestry now—they were the very weapons of war.

“Your hands are trembling,” Kaelen murmured as he reached to steady her reins. His voice was low, only for her. “I’ve seen you hold a blade with more steadiness than this.”

Serenya forced a laugh, though it came out sharp. “I’ve faced assassins and councils of liars, Kaelen, but nothing has unsettled me like what Maelis revealed. My blood is not just Vale—it carries the mark of the Starborn.”

Kaelen glanced at her, his eyes shadowed by something she couldn’t read. “It changes everything.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It explains everything. The whispers of light in the darkness, the strange power that thrummed when I touched the eclipse stone… all of it.” Her grip on the reins tightened. “But what good is a legacy that paints a target on my back?”

They rode in silence for a moment until the valley narrowed into a pass. The sky overhead blazed with constellations unfamiliar to Serenya. They shimmered like runes carved into the heavens themselves. She felt them hum within her veins.

“This place,” Kaelen said finally, guiding his horse to a halt. “Do you feel it?”

Serenya slid from her saddle, boots sinking into the dew-soaked grass. Her heart thudded. The stars above seemed to bend, their light funneling toward a ridge. She stepped closer, her breath catching.

There, carved into the stone face of the ridge, was a sigil—an eclipse encircled by stars.

The very mark she had seen on her wrist since childhood.

Her throat tightened. “It’s… real.”

Kaelen dismounted, his hand brushing the hilt of his sword as he scanned the shadows. “This place was hidden for a reason. If the Duke or Eloria discover it before we understand its meaning—”

“They won’t,” Serenya interrupted, though doubt shivered through her words. “This is mine to claim. Mine to uncover.”

She reached forward, palm trembling, and pressed her hand against the carved eclipse. Heat surged beneath her skin, racing through her veins like liquid fire. The sigil flared to life, starlight spilling outward.

For a heartbeat, she felt weightless—suspended between shadow and flame.

Then the stone ground open.

A passage revealed itself, leading into darkness laced with faint silver light.

Kaelen’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist. “Serenya, wait.”

Her eyes met his, wide and burning. “If my blood carries the Starborn legacy, then this is where it leads. We can’t turn back now.”

He hesitated, then nodded once. “Then I’ll follow you. Into shadow. Into starlight. Always.”

The words struck her deeper than any blade. She swallowed hard, then stepped forward into the ancient passage.

The air inside was cool, tinged with something metallic, almost electric. The walls were carved with constellations that shimmered faintly, lighting their way. Serenya brushed her fingers along the etched stars, and each one glowed brighter at her touch.

“They awaken for you,” Kaelen whispered in awe.

Her heart raced. “Maybe… or maybe they awaken for anyone with the blood of the Starborn.”

“Or perhaps only for the true heir,” Kaelen countered softly.

His words pressed against her heart. The true heir. Her entire life had been a mask, a lie she wore to survive. Now destiny itself seemed to demand she remove it.

The tunnel widened, opening into a chamber. At its center stood a pedestal of crystal, pulsing faintly with silver light. Resting upon it was a crown unlike any she had seen—woven of starlight and shadow, its arcs shaped like eclipsed moons.

Serenya’s breath caught.

“The Crown of the Starborn,” Kaelen murmured, his voice reverent.

But before Serenya could step closer, another voice slithered through the chamber.

“Well, isn’t this a lovely sight.”

Both spun toward the shadows. Eloria Thorne emerged from the dark, her lips curved in a cruel smile, a torchlight flickering in her hand. Behind her came two cloaked figures, blades glinting.

“Eloria,” Serenya hissed, her chest tightening.

“You thought you could slip away unnoticed?” Eloria’s eyes gleamed as she looked between Serenya and the glowing crown. “I followed the same trail of stars. You should thank me—I’ve saved you from the danger of believing you’re untouchable.”

Kaelen’s sword flashed from its sheath in an instant, but Eloria only laughed. “Oh, shadow knight, always so eager. But you can’t protect her from what she is. Blood tells its own story.”

Serenya’s voice shook, though she tried to hold firm. “What do you want, Eloria?”

Eloria stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the crown. “What I’ve always wanted. A kingdom worthy of me. And if the Starborn crown lies here… perhaps destiny favors me instead.”

She lunged toward the pedestal.

“Stop!” Serenya cried, instinct pulling her forward. She flung out her hand—and light erupted from her palm. Silver fire blazed across the chamber, throwing Eloria back with a cry of pain. The cloaked guards staggered, shielding their eyes.

Serenya froze, staring at her own hand. The light still shimmered across her skin, searing and alive.

Kaelen’s eyes widened. “Serenya… you’ve awakened it.”

Eloria snarled, rising shakily to her feet. Her lips curled in a twisted smile despite the burns. “So it’s true. You are the Starborn heiress. Then I’ll take your crown—and your blood.”

The chamber erupted into chaos.

Kaelen surged forward, blade clashing against Eloria’s guards. Sparks flew as steel rang. Serenya’s heart pounded. The crown pulsed brighter, as if calling her, but she couldn’t abandon Kaelen. She flung another wave of starlight, sending one guard crashing into the wall.

Eloria moved like a viper, dagger flashing, aiming straight for Serenya.

Serenya barely managed to parry with a shard of light. Their blades locked, eyes burning into each other’s.

“You’ll never rule,” Eloria spat. “You don’t have the heart to claim a throne.”

Serenya pushed back, voice steady though her arms trembled. “You’re wrong. My heart is exactly what this kingdom needs.”

With a surge of light, she knocked Eloria back. But before she could finish it, Kaelen cried out—one of the guards had slashed his side, crimson spilling across his tunic.

“Kaelen!” Serenya screamed, racing to his side.

Eloria, clutching her burned arm, staggered toward the passage. Her face twisted with fury. “This isn’t over, heiress. Shadows swallow starlight eventually.” She vanished into the darkness, her guards dragging her away.

The chamber fell silent except for Kaelen’s ragged breathing. Serenya knelt, pressing her hand against his wound, tears blurring her vision.

“You can’t leave me,” she whispered fiercely. “Not when I’ve only just found who I am—with you.”

Kaelen’s hand reached weakly for hers. His lips curved in a faint smile, even through the pain. “I told you… I’d follow you. Even into starlight.”

The crown’s glow intensified, bathing them both in silver light. Serenya felt power surge through her veins, as if the very stars bent low to answer her plea.

She pressed her hand tighter to his wound, willing the light into him. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the bleeding slowed. His breathing steadied.

Serenya gasped, trembling. “I healed you…”

Kaelen’s eyes fluttered open, dark and steady. “No, Serenya. You claimed your legacy.”

She turned, gaze lifting to the crown once more. Its light pulsed with expectation, as if waiting for her hand.

Her heart pounded. Destiny had been chasing her for so long—but tonight, in blood and starlight, she had finally caught it.

And now, she had to decide whether to place that crown upon her head…