Chapter 90: The Grove of Secrets

The forest at night was different.

It wasn't just the absence of sunlight or the quietness that pressed like velvet against the skin—it was alive in a different way. A pulse beneath the moss, a whisper in the wind, a sense that the trees themselves were watching.

Serena stood at the edge of the Obsidian Grove, her breath curling in the cool air as the moonlight bled through thick, black-leaved branches above. Every instinct in her told her to run.

But she didn't.

Behind her, hidden by enchantments Theron had cast, Elias waited—his bow strung, senses sharp. Theron was somewhere higher up in the trees, watching through shadows, connected to her by a thread of their shared magic and a pact they never spoke aloud.

She stepped into the clearing alone, just as the message demanded.

The grove was eerily quiet. No birds, no rustle of foxes or rabbits. Just the slow drip of dew from obsidian branches and the scent of old, ancient magic thick in the air.

Then came the voice.

“I expected you'd come alone. And yet…”

A man stepped from the mist.

He was tall—over six feet—with eyes like polished jet and hair as pale as moonlight. His robes shimmered in colors that didn’t belong to this world. When he smiled, it was too smooth, too perfect.

“Serena of the Bloodmarked Line. We finally meet.”

She stood her ground. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

He tilted his head, amused. “Names have power. Call me Kael.”

The name struck something deep inside her—a cold flash, like ice through her veins. Not fear exactly. Recognition.

“You’re the one who’s been sending the ravens.”

“I’m the one who’s been trying to awaken you,” Kael said, stepping closer. “Your power has been dormant too long. Shielded by the likes of that light-born fool and that shadow-mad prince.”

“Don’t talk about Elias and Theron like that,” she snapped.

“Touchy,” Kael murmured, circling her now. “You know, your mother once stood in this grove. Right where you are.”

Her breath caught. “You knew her?”

“I bound her.”

Serena froze.

Kael smiled wider. “You think you’ve uncovered all the secrets of your bloodline? You’ve only scratched the surface. What do you really know of the curse that turned your mother into a phantom? What do you know of the prophecy tattooed into your bones?”

“I know enough to know I won’t become what she was,” she said tightly.

“But it’s already begun,” Kael whispered, voice like silk. “The mark on your back—the one you hide? It’s not a brand of power. It’s a tether. A seed.”

Her heartbeat roared in her ears.

He stepped forward again, and she held her ground. “I came to hear your message. Say it, and I’ll decide what to do.”

Kael’s expression darkened.

“Very well,” he said, voice cold now. “There is a throne beneath the mountain. Hidden since the First War. It belongs to your line—one only you can awaken. But the price is blood. Yours, or someone else's.”

He paused, eyes flicking upward. “You’ve brought watchers. Clever. But foolish.”

The shadows stirred.

A sharp whistling sound—an arrow slicing the air—then Elias dropped from the trees in front of Serena, bow still raised.

“Step back from her,” he growled.

Kael didn’t flinch. “So predictable. The white knight.”

Moments later, a ripple of shadow warped beside Serena as Theron emerged from the veil of magic, his eyes glowing gold.

“Say one more word and I’ll silence you,” Theron said coldly.

Kael sighed, almost bored. “She’ll have to choose one day, you know. Between light and dark. Between duty and desire. And neither of you will be enough.”

Serena stepped forward, her voice like steel. “I won’t choose because I’m forced to. I’ll choose when I decide. And it won’t be because some ancient puppet master threatens my blood.”

Kael’s smile faltered.

Good.

Serena raised her hand—and magic flared from her palm. Not the golden shimmer of healing, not the icy blue of her usual casting. But something deeper. Darker. A violet flame etched with silver runes that danced across her skin.

Kael's eyes narrowed. “You shouldn’t be able to—”

“I’m tired of shouldn’ts,” she snapped. “Tell your masters—whatever throne they think I’ll kneel before, they can burn it down and bury the ashes.”

The fire surged—and Kael vanished in a flash of wind and shadow.

The grove stilled.

Serena swayed, dizzy from the power surging in her limbs. Elias caught her before she fell, arms steady and warm.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded weakly. “I’m getting stronger.”

“That scared the hell out of me,” Elias admitted. “But… gods, it was beautiful.”

Theron stood off to the side, arms crossed. “You’re evolving faster than we expected. That kind of magic—it’s not normal.”

“I don’t feel normal anymore,” she said quietly. “I feel like something’s waking up inside me. Something I can’t control.”

Theron stepped forward, cupping her cheek. “Then we help you own it before it owns you.”

Elias shifted beside her. “You don’t have to carry all of this alone.”

She looked between them—two different kinds of loyalty. One like sunlight, always holding her up. The other like fire, challenging and wild, but always constant.

“I think,” she whispered, “I’m falling in love with both of you.”

The silence that followed was heavy—but not awkward. Not painful. Just true.

Theron exhaled. “I already knew.”

Elias smiled faintly. “So did I.”

Neither stepped back.

Serena looked down at her glowing hand. “We have to find the throne beneath the mountain.”

“And we will,” Elias said.

Theron nodded. “But first… we survive the next war.”

Serena raised her gaze to the trees.

Somewhere deep in the earth, a throne waited. And perhaps—so did the rest of her destiny.

But tonight… she let herself fall into their arms. Just for a moment.

Tomorrow, the world could burn.

Tonight, she would breathe.