LOGINThe palace gardens were quiet, save for the gentle rustling of the wind through the trees. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting soft shadows on the stone paths. Sienna walked alone, her gown trailing behind her, the weight of the crown still heavy upon her mind. Her thoughts were clouded, swirling around the events of the coronation, but there was one thing she couldn’t stop thinking about.Ryder. The image of his eyes, fierce and haunted, had stayed with her all night, burning through her resolve. She had felt his presence in the hall, felt the electric tension between them. But what did it mean? What had brought him here, to this place, to witness the coronation of the woman he had once called his queen?“Your Majesty?”The voice, low and steady, pulled Sienna from her thoughts. She turned quickly, her heart racing, her breath caught in her throat. Standing in the shadows of a nearby tree, barely visible under the moonlight, was her most trusted advisor, Sir Valen.His exp
The grand hall was alive with an almost unbearable tension. Towering columns of polished marble stood like silent sentinels, their surfaces gleaming under the flickering light of a thousand candles. The intricate murals on the walls, depicting the Kingdom’s past glories, seemed to loom over Sienna as she stood at the foot of the dais. Every eye in the room was trained on her, and she could feel their weight pressing down on her chest.Her pulse quickened as the whispers of the Council, the rustle of noble robes, filled the air. The moment had arrived. She had prepared for this day all her life, yet nothing could have prepared her for the reality of standing here, at the threshold of her destiny. The heavy crown rested in the hands of the high priest, its cold, gleaming surface reflecting the candlelight as if mocking her.Sienna had never asked for this. She had never desired the throne, nor the weight of the crown. Her heart longed for something simpler, something real, something tha
Sienna stood in the dimly lit chamber, her fingers trembling as they brushed against the smooth surface of the mirror. The reflection staring back at her wasn’t her own, at least not completely. It was distorted, warped by the magic that seemed to thrum beneath her skin, making her feel like she was trapped between two worlds. One foot in reality, the other slipping into the chaos she couldn't yet fully understand.Her pulse quickened as a voice, cold and mocking, slithered into her thoughts. "You think you’re the first to wield such power? To be chosen by the Queen? You are nothing but a puppet.”Sienna’s eyes snapped to the mirror, the reflection of her own face flickering like a candle flame caught in the wind. The edges of the glass rippled, as though the surface were alive, breathing.Who is that? Her heart pounded as she waited for the response.A figure began to materialize in the glass, its features sharp, almost ethereal. The woman had long, midnight-black hair that cascaded
Sienna’s heart thudded against her chest as her vision slowly returned. She felt herself lying on the cold stone floor, her limbs heavy and unresponsive. It took a moment before she managed to force her eyelids open, the dim light of her chamber casting everything in a ghostly hue. She blinked several times, trying to focus. Everything felt... wrong.But she wasn’t alone.A shadow loomed over her, blocking the weak light from the room. She tried to lift her head, but her body refused to obey. Her senses, still disoriented, slowly began to sharpen, and she realized the figure standing over her was not Ryder. The cold presence sent a shiver down her spine."You're awake," the voice said, smooth and composed.Sienna froze, instinctively recoiling at the sound. It was a voice she didn’t recognize but also couldn’t forget.No, not now, she thought.She swallowed, her voice weak but defiant. "Who are you?"The figure’s face remained hidden in the shadows, but the cold, calculating aura was
The moonlight filtered through the narrow cracks in the stone wall, casting long shadows on the floor of Sienna's chamber. She sat at her desk, the weight of Elara's words still pressing on her chest like an iron shackle. "You’re the key," the woman had said. The only one who could stop the Council’s plans. But was that true? Or was Elara simply manipulating her as the Council had always done?Her fingers trembled as they brushed over the scroll in front of her. It was a map, or at least part of one, half-filled with cryptic runes she couldn’t decipher. It was all that remained of the ancient texts she had inherited from her mother. The runes, the secrets hidden beneath her collar, and the lingering sensation of something greater. Something dark. The First Queen’s influence was still there, whispering just out of reach.Sienna closed her eyes and let the sensation wash over her. A strange, burning energy swirled just beneath her skin, something raw and primal. It pulsed with an intens
The door clicked shut behind Sienna, and the heavy silence of her quarters pressed in on her like a physical weight. She stepped inside, the familiar scent of incense and wood filling her senses. It was supposed to be a place of refuge, a sanctuary from the chaos, but tonight, it felt more like a prison.Cael’s presence loomed just outside her door, his unyielding gaze like a shadow she couldn’t escape. She could feel his eyes boring into her even from the other side of the thick wooden door. The echo of his words still rang in her ears.“The Council is watching.”She couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at her. It wasn’t just Cael’s unsettling calm that bothered her, it was the weight of the truth behind his words. The Council’s eyes were on her now. They were always watching, always waiting for her to slip up.But what did that really mean? What was she supposed to do now? The walls of her own mind felt like they were closing in, trapping her in a world that didn’t feel like her own an







