The morning sun filtered through the stained-glass windows of the palace, casting golden and crimson hues on the marble floor. It should have been a symbol of peace, but the energy in the air was thick—heavy with grief, vengeance, and sothing darker still.
The throne room was silent except for the low hum of power coming from the three children seated on the steps below the thrones. Azrael Jr., Caelan, and Rina sat close together, their expressions unreadable, as if they had aged years overnight.
At the far end, Cain and Selene stood beside Eira and Eren, watching them.
Selene glanced at Cain. "They don't sleep. They hardly eat."
"They're preparing," Cain said softly. "Like soldiers."
"They're children."
Cain didn't answer, because he knew Selene already understood.
The doors opened with a boom as Leo and Zara walked in, followed by their surviving generals and advisors. So looked frightened—others curious. But none dared speak first.
Cain turned to the group. "The council begins now."
Azrael Jr. stood up, his voice clear and cold. "We've identified the black arrows that killed our grandparents. They were laced with void essence. A magic long believed extinct."
Gasps rippled across the room.
"Void magic?" one elder repeated. "But that's forbidden... erased from the realm during the Nightfall War."
"And yet soone wields it," Caelan added. "Which ans soone broke the seals."
"Who?" Eira asked. Her hand twitched toward the dagger on her thigh.
"Not who," Rina whispered, stepping forward. "What."
Her voice trembled as her eyes lit up like wildfire. "We saw it. In the mountains. A shadow with no form. It spoke to us. It wanted to feed on our pain."
Zara paled. "You didn't tell us this."
"We weren't sure if it was real," Azrael Jr. admitted. "But the more we train... the more we feel it watching."
Cain's jaw tightened. "Then we're not just fighting n. We're fighting darkness itself."
"Which ans we can't win with swords alone," Eren said. "We need ancient magic. The kind buried with our ancestors."
Selene turned to the elders. "Open the Vault."
Cries of protest erupted imdiately. One advisor shouted, "That magic is forbidden—sealed for a reason!"
"And now our king and queen are dead," Cain snapped, his voice like thunder. "So is your fear more valuable than their blood?"
The room fell silent.
Slowly, one elder nodded. "Then we go... to the Valley of Souls."
A grim murmur passed. That valley had not been walked in three centuries. It was said to be where spirits whispered secrets—and where none returned unchanged.
Azrael Jr. looked at his parents. "We want to go."
"No," Selene said instantly. "You've done enough—"
"They will co whether we're ready or not," Rina said quietly. "Let us be ready."
Leo kneeled beside his daughter. "You're so brave, Rina. But promise ... if things get worse—"
"I'll co ho," she nodded. "If ho still stands."
Later that night, as the castle slept uneasily, the three children sat atop the highest tower. The moon watched them.
"They think we're too young," Caelan said.
"We are," Azrael Jr. replied.
"But we're also powerful," Rina added, fire flickering in her fingers. "And we're not alone."
From far below, a low howl echoed from the woods.
And the shadow stirred again.
On top of the tallest tower, the three children—Azrael Jr., Caelan, and Rina—sat in silence under the moonlight, watching the stars blink slowly across the night sky. The weight of war pressed down like a second sky, but sohow, Rina managed to pierce it with a sudden snort of laughter.
"Do you rember when Caelan tried to summon a fla orb and ended up setting his own pants on fire?" she giggled, nudging him with her elbow.
Caelan rolled his eyes. "I was nine."
"You were twelve," Azrael Jr. corrected flatly, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "And he scread like a duck being strangled."
Rina burst into full-blown laughter, throwing her head back. "I swear, if I die tomorrow, I want my last mory to be that."
Caelan groaned. "Why are you like this?"
"Because soone needs to stop you both from brooding to death before the war even starts." She gave a wink, then crossed her legs. "Besides, humor is a weapon. People never expect the clown to be the executioner."
Azrael Jr. leaned back, arms crossed. "Sotis I forget how dangerous you are."
"That's the point," she said, her voice shifting—softer, deeper, scarier. "Let them think I'm just a girl with bad jokes. That's when I strike hardest."
A brief pause followed. Then Caelan sighed, shaking his head. "What happened to us?"
"We grew up," Rina answered. "Too fast. But we still have each other."
They sat in silence again, this ti without the weight—just the bond they shared, forged in fire and blood, but held together with loyalty and love.
Behind them, footsteps approached. Cain and Selene had climbed the tower, cloaked in shadow. Selene carried a blanket. Cain, a flask of sweetroot tea.
"You kids are plotting the end of the world up here?" Cain asked with a smirk.
"Just reminiscing about Caelan's fiery butt," Rina replied with a grin.
Selene raised a brow. "Do I want to know?"
"No," all three answered in unison.
Cain chuckled and handed the tea to Azrael Jr., who accepted it silently. Selene spread the blanket and wrapped it around Rina's shoulders, brushing a curl from her forehead.
"You make us proud," Selene whispered. "But you're still our babies."
"We'll protect you as long as we breathe," Cain added. "Even when you think you don't need it."
Rina's expression softened, then grew mischievous. "Does this protection include late-night dessert deliveries?"
Selene playfully rolled her eyes. "Only if you promise not to set the pantry on fire again."
"That was Caelan," Rina said innocently.
Cain gave a low laugh. "And that is why no one believes you."
They stayed there until the stars began to fade into early dawn light. Rina rested her head against Caelan's shoulder. Azrael Jr. closed his eyes but didn't sleep. Selene and Cain sat behind them, watching the horizon.
A mont of peace in the middle of chaos.
But far away, in the mountain's cursed shadows, sothing stirred.
A whisper on the wind.
"Let them laugh. Let them love. When I return... they'll scream."
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