Savior

I woke up with heavy breathing, my heart pounding as if it were trying to tear itself from my chest. My breath came in short, panicked gasps, and for a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. The room around me—the deep velvet curtains, the carved wooden furnishings, and the marble floors—felt both familiar and foreign. It took a few moments before it clicked: I was back in my bedroom at the Monte Riego mansion.

How did I get here?

My fingers gripped the silken sheets beneath me, trembling. Slowly, I became aware of something clutched tightly in my hand. My palm felt cold, and when I opened it, there it was: the obsidian key. The very same one from the final challenge inside the Obsidian Tower. Its smooth surface gleamed faintly in the dim light filtering through the curtains, but it weighed heavy in my hand, like it was holding secrets I wasn't ready to uncover.

But… how had it ended? How was I back here?

I struggled to piece together fragmented memories. Flashes of the maze came to me in jagged bursts—Kieran guiding me through the winding mirrors, the moment we reached the chest. The key. Then, nothing. Just an empty void where the conclusion of the challenge should have been. My head throbbed as I tried to remember how I had ended up back here, in my bed, but it was as if my mind had blocked it out.

The tension in my body told me I had been fighting—or running. I sat up slowly, my nightgown clinging to me, damp with cold sweat. I looked down at myself. My pendant—the one that had belonged to my grandmother—lay cool against my chest. Yet, for some reason, it felt heavier than it should have, like it carried the weight of everything that had just happened. Something wasn't right.

The room darkened suddenly, shadows creeping across the walls as if they had a mind of their own. The air grew cold, unnaturally so, and a chill slithered down my spine. My hand reached for the bedside lamp, but before my fingers could find the switch, the light flickered and died.

Then, I saw them.

Figures. Pale, ghostly figures, slipping out from the shadows as if they were made of them. Their eyes gleamed an unnatural crimson, their faces hollow and gaunt. They moved with a terrifying grace, soundless and swift, their bodies casting no reflection in the mirror opposite the bed.

My throat tightened. The air around me felt thick, suffocating. This couldn't be real—it had to be a dream. But every sense screamed otherwise. The cold that pricked my skin, the oppressive dread that weighed down my chest, the way my pulse pounded painfully in my veins—it was too vivid, too real to be just a nightmare.

The figures moved closer, their faces twisted with hunger, their gleaming fangs too sharp, too unnatural. I stumbled back, my body sluggish, like I was moving through water. My feet tangled in the sheets as I tried to scramble away.

One of them lunged.

I screamed, throwing up my arms in a desperate attempt to defend myself, but it was useless. The creature was on me in an instant, its icy hands gripping my shoulders with terrifying strength, pinning me to the bed. I gasped as I felt a sharp, cold pain at my neck, like the tip of a blade grazing my skin.

"No, no, no!" I whimpered, my voice choked with terror.

I clawed at the creature, desperate to push it away, but it was too strong. I felt its cold breath on my skin, and then, the edges of its fangs grazing my neck. Panic surged through me as the pendant around my neck began to glow, faintly at first, then brighter, casting a soft, golden light across the room.

The creature hissed, recoiling as the light grew stronger. I gasped in relief, but the victory was short-lived. With a vicious snarl, it grabbed the pendant, tearing it from my neck with a yank so powerful it sent me reeling.

"No!" I screamed, my heart lurching as the pendant hit the floor.

I watched in horror as the delicate silver chain blackened and crumbled into ash before my eyes. It wasn't just a necklace—it was my connection to my grandmother, to my family's legacy. And now, it was gone.

The figures closed in, circling the bed, their eyes locked on me. I felt helpless, weak. I was too human. They would tear me apart, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

But then, something shifted inside me. The pain in my chest lessened, replaced by a warmth that spread through my body. A tightness released around my heart as a surge of energy filled me. A voice—soft, ancient, and familiar—whispered in my mind, as though carried on the wind.

"You are a Monte Riego. You come from a line of warriors. Fight, child."

My eyes widened in confusion and terror. The figures pressed in closer, fangs gleaming as they reached for me. But something had changed. There was an energy flowing through me that I had never known before. My vision blurred, and then I saw them—my ancestors, standing before me. Proud, strong. Their presence was comforting, their faces filled with expectation.

The voice echoed again in my mind, louder now. "You have the strength of our blood. Fight!"

Before I even knew what I was doing, my body responded. I rose to my feet, trembling but determined. I struck out at one of the creatures, my hand connecting with its cold body with surprising force. It staggered back, hissing. My heart raced, my mind spinning with the impossible weight of what was happening.

But it wasn't enough. My newfound strength was fading, the energy draining too fast. There were too many of them, and they were closing in. I swung again, but the next creature caught my wrist easily, twisting it painfully until I cried out.

I was losing.

"Seraphine!"

A voice cut through the chaos, strong and commanding. Kieran.

Through the haze, I saw him. Kieran was there, his figure cutting through the shadows like a blade as he tore the creatures away from me. His movements were swift, brutal. His eyes glowed with a fierce light, and the creatures recoiled from him, their snarls turning to hisses as they backed away.

Kieran's voice was steady, an anchor in the storm. "Sera, listen to me. It's not real. None of this is real."

I stared at him, struggling to process what he was saying. "What do you mean? They're—"

"It's the final test," Kieran interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. "The tower. It's still the competition. You're inside a projection, a dream. But you've already won."

My mind raced. The competition… the final test… The creatures weren't real? But the pain, the fear—it had felt so real.

Kieran stepped closer, his gaze softening as he looked at me. "You fought, Sera. You faced your fears. You passed."

The figures began to fade, dissolving into mist, leaving the room silent. The suffocating darkness lifted, and the warmth of the morning sun seeped back into the room. I collapsed to my knees, trembling, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

"Kieran…" My voice was shaky, barely more than a whisper. "What was that?"

Kieran knelt beside me, his hand resting gently on my arm. "The tower tests more than just strength and intellect. It tests your ability to face your darkest fears. What you saw—it wasn't real, but it was a reflection of what you fear most."

My heart pounded, the weight of his words settling over me. I had faced illusions of vampires—creatures I hadn't even known existed—but they had felt so real, their touch too vivid to be just figments of my imagination.

"You've already won, Sera," Kieran said softly. "You faced your fears and came out stronger."

Before I could say anything more, the door creaked open. Madame Calloway stepped into the room, her sharp eyes surveying the scene. "Seraphine," she said in her commanding voice. "Congratulations. You've passed the final challenge."

I stared at her, my mind still reeling. "That… was the final test?"

Madame Calloway nodded. "The tower uses illusions to test both the mind and the body. You've proven yourself worthy."

Her gaze shifted to the obsidian key still clutched in my hand. "The key is yours. And with it, the next stage of your journey begins."

I glanced down at the key, its weight feeling heavier in my palm than before. I had won the competition, but it felt like something far bigger was just beginning.

Madame Calloway's voice cut through my thoughts. "The official announcement of the winner will be made tomorrow in the Grand Oval. Rest tonight, Seraphine. You've earned it."

As she turned to leave, Kieran helped me stand, his touch gentle but steady. My heart was still racing, my mind swirling with the knowledge that the competition wasn't the end—just the beginning. And the way Kieran had been there for me… it stirred something inside me that I didn't fully understand yet.

As Kieran's hand lingered on my arm, I looked up at him, feeling the unspoken connection between us. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, the world around us faded. There was something there—something neither of us was ready to admit. Not yet.

"Get some rest," he said quietly, his voice soft but with an intensity that sent shivers through me. "Tomorrow's a big day."

I nodded, still holding the key, as he gave me a final, lingering look before stepping back and leaving the room. My heart continued to race long after he was gone, my thoughts caught between the test I had passed, the mysteries that lay ahead, and the strange, undeniable connection growing between Kieran and me.

As Madame Calloway left, the room grew quiet again. The weight of the competition and the final test lingered heavily in the air, but all I could think about was Kieran. He stood a few steps away, his eyes still watching me, that familiar unreadable expression masking whatever thoughts lay beneath.

I glanced down at the obsidian key in my hand, its weight pulling at me, reminding me of everything that had just happened. The fear, the strange visions of vampires, my ancestors urging me to fight—it all felt so real. But now, in the stillness of my room, those images seemed distant, like a dream I was trying to wake up from.

Kieran hadn't moved. His presence, as always, was both grounding and unsettling. He was distant, as if a part of him was always holding back, but tonight, he had been there for me—just like in the maze, guiding me, protecting me. But why? We weren't close, not before all of this. I had seen him as cold, calculating, distant from everyone else. Yet here he was, standing by me in a way that made no sense.

I found myself speaking before I even realized it. "Kieran… how can someone like you—someone so cold—make someone else feel warmth?"

The words slipped out, and I regretted them immediately. It wasn't something I meant to say, at least not out loud, but now that they were hanging in the air, I couldn't take them back.

His eyes flickered, just for a second, something passing through them that I couldn't quite catch. But his expression didn't change much. He remained still, composed, as if he were choosing his words carefully.

"You think I'm cold?" he asked, his voice soft, but with that familiar edge, as if challenging me to explain myself.

I hesitated, feeling a flush creep into my cheeks. "It's just… that's how you come across. But tonight, back in the tower... you were different. You were there when I needed someone."

Kieran's lips twitched into the faintest of smiles, one that was more thoughtful than anything else. "Maybe I'm not what you think I am, Seraphine."

The way he said my name sent a strange shiver down my spine, and I could only blink at him, unsure of how to respond. There was something about him—something I couldn't place. I thought I had figured him out, but now, I wasn't so sure.

I wanted to ask him more, to understand why he had helped me, why he had suddenly become a presence I could rely on. But his eyes were distant again, as if some part of him had already retreated into that mysterious shell he kept around himself.

"I didn't think you needed someone to save you," Kieran said quietly, his gaze locking with mine. "You fought. You survived. I was just there to remind you of that."

A flicker of warmth spread through me at his words, though I couldn't tell if it was from the compliment or from something else entirely. I swallowed hard, still grappling with the fact that he had seen me at my most vulnerable, and yet... he didn't treat me like I was fragile.

"I don't know what to think anymore," I admitted softly, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with me. "I feel like the more I thought I knew you, suddenly I don't, especially after what happened that night at school, you're like a puzzle that constantly changes."

Kieran's eyes darkened slightly, his expression growing more guarded. "People don't change, Seraphine. They just reveal parts of themselves when they have to."

His words hung in the air, heavy and cryptic. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but something about the way he said it told me that I wasn't going to get a straight answer. Not yet, at least.

"I should rest," I said finally, though my mind was still racing with questions.

Kieran nodded, stepping back toward the door. But before he left, he paused, his eyes catching mine one last time. "Tomorrow… the Grand Oval. The announcement."

His voice was calm, but there was something in his gaze, a quiet intensity that I couldn't shake. He was always so composed, so controlled, but tonight, for just a moment, I had seen something deeper—something he was trying to keep hidden.

"You'll be there, right?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod. "I'll be watching."

With that, he turned and left the room, the door clicking softly behind him. I stared at the closed door for a long time, my heart still racing from the conversation. Kieran was a mystery, a puzzle I wasn't sure how to solve. But there was something undeniable between us now, something that hadn't been there before.

As I lay back in bed, pulling the silken sheets over me, my thoughts kept drifting back to Kieran. His words, his presence, the way he had been there for me without explanation. He was distant, yes, but there was a warmth to him—a warmth he didn't even seem to realize he had.

How could someone like him—someone who seemed so cold and untouchable—make me feel safe? Make me feel warmth? 

I didn't have the answer, but I know that whatever this is speaks of only one thing for me — danger.