[Emperor Cassius’s POV — Imperial Palace—Midnight]
I held her in my arms, and for the first ti in centuries, the weight of helplessness crushed . Her body was so light, so fragile, so achingly... pale. Her chest rose and fell in the faintest of motions, almost imperceptible. Every second felt like an eternity, and every beat of my heart hamred in terror.
No. Not again. Not her. Not my Lavinia.
"She... she’s breathing," I whispered, barely daring to speak the words, as if saying them too loudly might shatter the fragile thread keeping her here.
Around , chaos reigned. Maids scurried, physicians muttered incantations and asured herbs, and Ravick—my ever-unflinching knight—stood frozen, his face pale, his hands shaking.
Even Marshi, ever so proud and composed, slumped at her side, his tail drooping, eyes wide with fear.
I pressed a trembling kiss to her forehead. "Lavi... my heart... you can’t leave . Not again. Please..." My voice broke. "You are not allowed to leave ... not this ti."
Every shadow in the room, every flicker of lamplight, seed to mock . I had survived wars, assassins, betrayals, and even the collapse of kingdoms—but this... this fear, this helplessness, was unbearable. It was worse than any blade at my throat, worse than any enemy’s siege.
It was the thought of losing her.
I tightened my hold slightly, careful not to hurt her delicate form, yet desperate to anchor myself to her, to keep her here. "I... I failed you before," I admitted in a voice so low it was almost a groan. "I left... I chose poorly... but I will not fail you again. Not in this life. Never again."
Solena flitted nervously from pillow to pillow, chirping softly, as if urging her to wake. My chest ached at the sight of her fear—mirroring my own. Even the air in the room seed too heavy, too tense, too cruel.
I glanced at Ravick, then Marshi, then the Osric, my mind racing. They were all capable, all powerful—but none of them could reach into her heart and pull back what Fate had tried to steal.
Only I... I could. Only a father’s love could anchor her here.
I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Lavi... my daughter... my light... co back to . Please. Let see your eyes, let hear your laugh, and let hold your hand again. Scold and be angry with , but do not lie there, pale."
Every heartbeat, every silent second, stretched into an eternity. My hands trembled, and my chest burned with panic and guilt. And yet—I refused to move, refused to let her go—even if it killed to stay.
Not this ti. Not again.
Because this ti... I would fight. Against Fate itself if I had to.
"Your Majesty..."
I looked up sharply. The palace physician stood before , pale, trembling, a sheen of sweat on his brow. His voice wavered.
"Speak," I commanded, every syllable sharp, brittle.
He swallowed hard, gulping as if the words were poison. "Your Majesty... Princess... she has fainted from shock."
I clenched my fists. "Don’t tell all that... just tell —when will she wake up?"
The physician’s lips parted, then closed again, fear rooting his words. "We... we cannot say, Your Majesty."
I furrowed my brow, disbelief turning to fury. "What?"
He gulped again, voice nearly breaking. "It... it seems, Princess... has fallen into a deep sleep. We do not know when—or if—she will awaken."
The room seed to tilt, the air thickening like molten iron in my lungs. Before he could speak further, I lunged. My hands gripped him by the neck, hoisting him off the ground. My voice roared, tearing through the chamber like a storm:
"HOW DARE YOU!! SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!! MY BLOOD!! SHE JUST FAINTED IN FRONT OF AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SAY SHE MIGHT NOT WAKE UP?!"
The physician dangled uselessly in my grasp, coughing, struggling to breathe, wide-eyed terror reflecting in his face.
"Your Majesty...!" Ravick’s voice rang out, sharp yet restrained. He stepped forward cautiously. "You must... calm yourself. Hear him out fully."
I ground my teeth, letting the physician fall to the ground with a heavy thud. He gasped for air, trembling like a leaf.
Then Osric stepped forward, his voice low but urgent: "What do you an... she has gone to sleep?"
The physician’s eyes darted toward the priest, who stepped forward, bowing deeply. His voice was calm but carried the weight of fear.
"Your Majesty... Princess fainted from utter shock... and seems to have locked herself in a dark space... inside her own mind. She is not ready... to co out."
Ravick’s fists clenched, his voice like steel: "What kind of... absurd explanation is this—?"
The priest raised a hand, cutting him off with quiet authority. "Your Majesty, since Princess is a quarter-elf... she possesses powers that have never fully manifested. It appears... that power has awakened, stirred by her realization of her true self, and she has locked herself away within it."
I froze, the weight of his words sinking in. My daughter... my precious child... a quarter-elf... and now, her power had awakened and locked her in.
Osric swallowed, voice barely steady. "Then... what... what must we do? How do we bring her back?"
The priest’s eyes were grave. "You must seek guidance from the elves, my lord. Only they can guide her safely back to herself. But..."
I leaned forward, eyes narrowing, breath sharp. "But? But what?"
"Ti is of the essence, Your Majesty," he said gravely. "If her darkness is allowed to consu her, if she remains trapped... it may be impossible to bring her back."
My pulse raced. My vision narrowed to the single, impossible thought: My daughter, my Lavi... trapped. Alone. Afraid.
He continued, voice trembling, "Whatever shocked her... whatever drove her into herself... she must be coaxed back before it overwhelms her."
BRUST!!! SLAM!!!
Before the weight of dread could fully settle, Theon burst in, urgency in every step. "Your Majesty! I have sent an ergency ssenger bird to Nivale. They will arrive shortly!"
I turned to him, disbelief and relief warring in my chest. The careless, lazy assistant... acting swiftly when it mattered most. My heart clenched.
"Thank you, Theon," I breathed, my voice hoarse with emotion.
He paused, eyes locking on , steady and earnest. "Your Majesty... Princess is precious to . I will do everything in my power for her."
I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. My daughter... my life... my heart... was in danger. And for the first ti, I felt the full weight of my mortality.
I was a tyrant, a ruler feared across empires—but now... I was only a father.
And I would move heaven and earth to bring her back.
I looked at Marshi. He lay curled beside Lavinia, tail wrapped protectively around her fra, eyes half-closed but alert, every muscle tensed in silent vigilance. He wasn’t just keeping her warm—he was keeping her safe. Watching over her, as if he could shield her from the darkness she had locked herself inside. As if he could tell her, you are not alone... even there.
And I—her father—could do nothing but watch.
***
[Lavinia’s POV—Inside the Darkness]
Everything was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence, but a void so thick it pressed against my ears, my chest, and my very bones. It was endless, heavy, and absolute. I could feel it closing in from all sides, wrapping around like chains I had forged myself.
I floated in nothingness, untethered, unanchored. My heart thundered in my ears, every beat a painful reminder of the life I had lived... and the life I had been given again.
I wanted to scream, but the sound never left my lips. I wanted to run, but the darkness swallowed every step I tried to take. Every mory, every thought, every betrayal replayed itself like jagged shards of glass slicing my mind open.
So this is what I am... I whispered to the nothing, my voice fragile, quivering. A daughter abandoned. A girl discarded. Twice... cursed to rember pain.
I pressed my hands to my face, trying to push it all away, trying to escape the weight of it. But the mories were relentless.
Osric... Papa... everyone I had loved, everyone who had held —were they... real? Or was it guilt that bound them to ? Did their love exist for ... or for the mistakes they had made?
The thought twisted deep inside , and I felt myself spiral further. My power... my heritage as a quarter-elf... it stirred within . A warmth, a pulse, a surge that I had never felt before. I hadn’t known it was there. But now...it was awake.
And with it... ca the darkness.
It wrapped tighter, more insistent. A cocoon. A shield. A prison. I can hide here. I can keep the world out. I can keep them from seeing the brokenness inside .
I curled into myself, rocking slightly, hands clutching at my knees.
If they can’t reach ... they can’t hurt . If they can’t touch ... they can’t betray ... again.
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