Kael stared at the woman before him. The weight of a hundred battles did not sit as heavily on his shoulders as the sight of her eyes—those unnatural violet eyes, a hue found only in the deepest of magical bloodlines.
Seriyah stepped forward. "Who is she?"
The woman tilted her head slightly. "You never told her?"
Kael's voice was rough, wary. "She was called Velthra. Once. Now, I don't know."
Velthra smiled like a dagger. "That name died with me. You can call me what they whisper in the shadows now—The Violet Flame."
Kael felt Seriyah's tension radiating through the space between them. His hand gently brushed hers, a silent reassurance.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice quiet.
"I want you to remember, Kael," Velthra said, stepping closer, her cloak brushing the marble. "I want you to remember the oath you swore the night we burned the Garden of Stars. I want you to remember the cost of that magic."
Kael's face was unreadable. "That was before I chose this path."
"Before you chose her," Velthra said, eyes flicking to Seriyah. "Before you built your kingdom out of guilt."
Seriyah drew her blade half an inch. "You're playing a dangerous game."
"I invented the game," Velthra replied coolly. "And I didn't come to fight. Not yet."
She turned to Kael. "I came to warn you. The ones hunting Liam? They've found something. A seal. If it breaks—"
"Then the story ends too soon," Kael finished grimly.
Velthra nodded. "You'll need me, Kael. Whether she likes it or not."
Before Seriyah could respond, Velthra vanished into flame and smoke, her laughter echoing like a riddle.
Kael stood silently for a long moment.
"Who the hell is she?" Seriyah finally said.
Kael exhaled. "A mistake. And maybe... the answer."
He turned to look at the stars above, his mind flicking between the past and the present, his heart caught between two powerful women—and a war that had not yet begun.
To be continued...