The Saya

"Ava!"

Ariel lurched forward, drenched in sweat, her breath coming in sharp, panicked bursts.

She had seen Ava. Falling.

The dream clung to her like a second skin, refusing to fade. The memory was thick, suffocating.

She had reached for her. Screamed for her.

For Ava.

Her hands trembled as she gripped the silk sheets beneath her. Her chest felt tight. Wrong. Like something was missing. Like she had lost something she couldn't even name.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Ava…"

A knock at the door made her jump.

She swallowed the scream clawing up her throat.

The door creaked open.

A dwarf stepped inside.

Ezekiel.

His bushy brows furrowed the moment he saw her face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ariel wiped her damp forehead, exhaling. "Something like that."

Ezekiel didn't press. He simply walked in, balancing a tray full of food as if it were sacred. Setting it down, he placed his hands on his hips, studying her.

"You had a nightmare."

Ariel let out a dry laugh. "I'm living in one."

The dwarf snorted. "Aye, that you are."

He pulled up a chair, sitting like he had all the time in the world. His expression, however, was unreadable.

"Tell me about it."

She blinked. "…What?"

Ezekiel shrugged. "Your nightmare." He gestured at her vaguely. "Clearly, it rattled you."

Ariel hesitated.

No one had ever asked.

No one had ever wanted to know.

A lump formed in her throat. She looked away, gripping the sheets tighter.

Ezekiel watched her in silence.

Then, after a long pause, he spoke.

"You don't have to tell me." His voice was lower now, edged with something she couldn't place. "But you do have to eat." He pushed the tray toward her. "And after that, you need to get dressed."

Ariel finally met his gaze. "For what?"

The dwarf's expression darkened.

"For the Saya."

The word slithered into the air like a whisper. Ariel had never heard it before, yet something about it made her blood run cold.

Ezekiel leaned forward, his voice dropping to something almost dangerous.

"Today, you stand before the Council of Seven Elders.And the Saya will decide if you stay or leaving."

His next words came slow, deliberate.

"Eat first. If you're going to cry later… at least do it on a full stomach."

She gave him one long look.

There was definitely something he wasn't saying...

– – –

Ariel stood in the middle of the chamber, trapped between two forces.

Before her, the Seven Elders sat in high-backed stone chairs, arranged in a crescent like judges at a trial. Their faces were etched with time, wisdom, and quiet defiance.

They were here to pass judgment.

Behind her sat the Drowned King.

Luciel Drogon.

Not just seated.

He ruled that throne.

And what a throne it was.

Jagged edges curled like the spines of some ancient beast, and at its peak, a massive crest of twisted blackened gold stretched outward like skeletal wings.

He lounged, one arm draped lazily over the armrest, the other resting against his knee, as if this entire court was nothing more than an amusing inconvenience.

His silver hair cascaded over his shoulders, gleaming beneath the eerie torchlight, the faint streaks of crimson glinting.

His eyes burned.

And they were watching.

Watching her.

The air was thick—thick with judgment from the Seven, thick with Luciel's effortless dominance.

Ariel was the only one standing.

And she felt it.

She was caught between gods and monsters.

And she wasn't sure which was worse.

Luciel tilted his head slightly, fingers tapping just once against the armrest of his throne.

The room was carved from black stone, the air heavy with an unexplainable power.

The Seven Elders loomed before her like divine executioners.

And in front of them

on his throne of shadows and fire—

Luciel Drogon.

Ariel stood between them all.

Between the court that despised her and the devil she refused to acknowledge.

An elder in silver-threaded robes was the first to speak. "You are unfit to rule."

Ariel stilled.

A second elder, her voice like steel, followed. "You do not belong in this kingdom."

A third leaned forward, voice sharp as a dagger. "You are not our Queen."

She lifted her chin. "Then send me back."

The Elders tensed.

Behind her, Luciel chuckled.

One of the Elders turned to him, eyes burning with fury. "This is not a joke, Luciel Drogon."

Luciel tilted his head.

"Say my last name again."

The Elder hesitated.

Luciel leaned forward slightly, just enough for the torchlight to catch the glint of something lethal in his gaze.

"Go on." His voice was smooth, almost coaxing. "I insist."

The Elder pressed his lips together.

Luciel smiled. Slow. Amused. Cruel.

"Because… if you do… it will be the last name you ever speak."

Ariel's pulse thundered.

Luciel's flame-colored eyes flicked toward her.

Finally—

Ariel forced herself to meet his gaze.

Mistake.

He was beautiful in the way destruction was beautiful.

His sharp jawline. The cruel curve of his lips. Everything about him was designed to break something inside her.

And those eyes.

Not gold. Not blue. Not human.

They burned her.

He tilted his head slightly, lips parting, as if he could hear her thoughts.

Ariel gritted her teeth.

No.

She wouldn't be trapped by him.

She straightened, forcing her expression into something unreadable.

One of the elders cleared his throat, clearly avoiding Luciel's demeaning aura. Pretending, he didn't scare him.

"You are not fit to rule beside our king."

Ariel's pulse spiked. Good. Let them throw her out.

She nodded, almost too quickly. "I agree. You should send me back at once."

Silence.

Then, another elder spoke, his voice sharp. "You misunderstand, girl. You cannot go back."

Ariel's breath hitched.

The elder continued, "You've crossed the Forbidden Wall. There is no return from that. If you try—" He paused, his expression hard. "You will die."

The words crashed into her like a storm.

No.

It wasn't her choice to cross it.

This couldn't be happening.

Her hands curled into fists.

One of them leaned forward, voice softer but no less cruel. "That is… unless you prove yourself."

Ariel's stomach dropped.

The elder nodded. "A trial of strength. A trial of endurance. If she passes the first two, perhaps her fate will change."

Ariel swallowed.

This was it. Her only chance.

The room stilled.

A pause so thick it nearly crushed her.

Luciel's gaze locked onto hers.

Then, slowly, deliberately, he smiled.