Chapter 5 – Tides of Destiny

The cool night air wrapped around Seraphina like a phantom's embrace, carrying with it the faint scent of autumn and the distant echoes of laughter from the Valcrest Estate's grand ballroom. The gala's shimmering lights cast long shadows across the stone balcony where she stood, her fingers gripping the cold railing as she tried to steady herself.

Her mind was a tempest.

Kael's words still clung to her like an unshakable curse. *Do you believe in fate, Seraphina?* There had been something in his voice—a quiet intensity, a knowing that unsettled her to her very core.

And then there was Lysian. His touch, his plea. *Stay away from him.* His voice had been urgent, tinged with something dangerously close to desperation.

Seraphina exhaled sharply, trying to push away the conflicting emotions warring inside her. But it was no use. Something about both men called to her, as if they were threads woven into the very fabric of her soul.

She closed her eyes, and the visions came again.

A temple bathed in silver moonlight.

A man's voice, deep and sorrowful. *Aelthara… please.*

A battle beneath a sky burning with violet fire.

A love torn apart by betrayal and blood.

Seraphina's eyes snapped open. Her hands were trembling.

*What the hell is happening to me?*

A rustle of fabric broke through her thoughts.

She turned swiftly—only to find Kael Draven standing a few steps away, his silhouette stark against the glow of the estate.

He had changed from his earlier attire, now clad in dark formal wear that emphasized his broad shoulders and commanding presence. His golden eyes, sharp as molten amber, studied her with unreadable intensity.

"You seem troubled," he murmured. "Should I be worried?"

Seraphina let out a breathless laugh. "Should you? That depends."

Kael tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze. "On?"

"On whether you're the cause of it."

A slow smile curved his lips, but there was something almost sad in his expression. He stepped closer, and she fought the instinct to retreat.

"I'd like to think I only provoke thought," he said lightly. "Not trouble."

Seraphina scoffed. "You provoke plenty, Kael Draven."

His eyes darkened, the teasing glint fading. "And you, Seraphina Vale, provoke things you don't even understand yet."

Her heart skipped a beat at the way he said her name—like it meant something more than just a name.

"Is that so?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.

Kael leaned in slightly, his presence overwhelming, his voice low and deliberate. "You feel it, don't you? That pull between us."

Seraphina stiffened. "I—"

"You don't have to say it," he interrupted softly. "I can see it in your eyes."

Damn him.

Damn the way he looked at her, like he *knew* her in a way no one else ever had.

A flicker of something stirred in her chest—a memory just out of reach. She could almost hear a voice, whispering a name she had long forgotten.

*Aelthara.*

She sucked in a sharp breath, but Kael was already stepping back.

"For now, I'll let you ponder it," he said smoothly. "But know this, Seraphina: some things are inevitable. No matter how much you fight them."

With that, he turned and walked back inside, disappearing into the crowd of elegantly dressed guests.

Seraphina remained frozen, her pulse hammering in her ears.

*What the hell was that?*

She barely had time to collect herself before another voice—one she recognized instantly—broke through the night.

"I see he's gotten to you," Lysian said, stepping onto the balcony.

Unlike Kael's smoldering intensity, Lysian's presence was cool, collected. But beneath that exterior, there was something else—a tension, barely restrained.

Seraphina turned to face him. "Gotten to me?" she repeated.

Lysian's silver eyes flickered with something unreadable. "I warned you about him."

"I don't need warnings," she said, lifting her chin. "I can handle myself."

A muscle in Lysian's jaw tightened. "I don't doubt that. But Kael… he has a way of twisting things. Of making you see him the way *he* wants to be seen."

Seraphina frowned. "You sound like you've known him forever."

His expression darkened. "Long enough."

Silence stretched between them. The sound of the gala below felt distant, almost unreal.

Seraphina studied him. "There's something you're not telling me."

Lysian hesitated. For a moment, she thought he might say something, but then he shook his head. "Not here."

She exhaled in frustration. "Then when?"

Lysian stepped closer, and for the first time that night, his mask slipped. There was something raw in his gaze—something almost pleading.

"When you're ready," he said softly.

Seraphina stared at him, unsure of what to say.

And then, as if the universe itself sought to intervene, a sudden, chilling *pulse* rippled through the air.

Seraphina gasped as the sensation coiled around her chest—a sharp, electric pull that sent shivers down her spine.

She wasn't the only one who felt it.

Lysian went rigid, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward the ballroom.

Seraphina followed his gaze—just as the chandelier above flickered ominously, casting eerie shadows across the grand hall.

Then, without warning, the air *shattered.*

A vortex of dark energy erupted near the stage, swirling violently as the music screeched to a halt. Gasps and cries filled the room as guests scrambled away from the pulsing darkness that had no right to exist in this world.

Seraphina's blood ran cold.

*What in the name of the gods…?*

Lysian cursed under his breath, his hand instinctively reaching for her wrist. "Stay close to me."

But Seraphina wasn't listening.

Because at the very heart of the vortex, standing amidst the spiraling chaos, was Kael.

His coat billowed behind him, his golden eyes burning with a fierce, ancient fire. His expression was unreadable—part fury, part something else. Something far more dangerous.

And then he spoke.

A single word, spoken with the weight of eternity.

"Enough."

The air *trembled.*

A shockwave of power burst outward, colliding with the vortex and sending ripples of unseen energy through the room. The force was *overwhelming*, pressing against Seraphina's very soul.

But instead of fear, something *else* filled her.

Recognition.

*I've seen this before…*

The vision struck her like a lightning bolt.

A battlefield.

A sky of fire and ruin.

A man, standing against the darkness, his wings of shadow and flame stretching wide.

Kael.

The truth crashed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs.

She *knew* him.

Not just from this life, but from *another.*

Her heart pounded as the vortex finally *shattered*, dissolving into nothingness.

Kael exhaled heavily, turning his gaze to her.

And in that moment, she *knew*.

Whatever this was…

It was only the beginning.