The shadows swam, colours blurry and strange. It felt like waking underwater, everything muffled and slow. Then, a voice, like a thousand whispers hushed into one, slithered into her mind.
"Wake up, Natalia," it spoke, not with words, but with a feeling, deep and cold against her skin. "Wake up...to your true potential."
Potential? Fear pricked at her, but a counterpoint flickered, an ember of warmth grounding her to this fragile reality.
Lionel’s crimson eyes, like mirrors to her own, came into focus. Relief washed over her, warm and familiar. "Hey, little sis," he said, his voice gruff but gentle. "You're safe."
"Brother… Where's Blue?" Her voice, raspy and dry, croaked the name.
Lionel didn't answer right away. His frown deepened, and something in his eyes glinted, like a flame struggling against the wind. "She's… not well,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Just focus on yourself, okay?"
She wanted to argue, to ask what that meant, but a strange weariness kept her silent. She leaned her head against his chest, seeking comfort in the steady beat of his heart. She missed him dearly. He'd been the solace in this frozen exile, a sacrifice Inferno made to appease the embers of a war long past. A war fueled by greed and ending in ashes.
But just as her eyes drifted closed, another feeling crept in, cold and slithering. It coiled around her heart, tight and heavy, like a serpent made of whispers and shadows.
"Wake up, Natalia," it hissed, a silent threat lurking in the corners of her mind.
Fear gnawed at her, but another presence, warm and steady, anchored her. Eydis, her friend, amber eyes reflecting a concern that was as rare as it was comforting. Taking a deep breath, Natalia pushed against the fear, leaning into Eydis's presence. The serpent recoiled, its touch fading like smoke in the wind. But she knew it was still there, watching, waiting.
Natalia wouldn't break. She wouldn't become just another pawn, another sacrifice. She had her brother, her friends, and within her, a strength she never knew she possessed.
The voice may have spoken of power, but her power would be her own. The serpent may lurk in the shadows, but it wouldn't consume her. Her name was Natalia, and she would rise, not just for herself, but for those she loved.
**
The infirmary reeked of sweat and pain. Azurean mages, drained of mana by Melissa's chaotic outburst, lay scattered like discarded dolls. Astra, worry etched into her amethyst eyes, paced outside a closed door. Through the thin wood, she could hear Melissa's muffled screams, raw and desperate as if possessed.
Astra's mind raced. When had Melissa accessed such raw power? And how did Natalia, despite being caught in the surge, remain relatively unharmed? There was an unsettling depth to these two women, a mystery that gnawed at her.
A wave of lavender and sandalwood drifted past, followed by the grounding warmth of Eydis' presence. Astra didn't need to turn. "Still no awakening?" her lover's voice murmured, a melody amidst the symphony of suffering.
Astra sighed, leaning into the comforting embrace. "No, but alive at least. Screaming like a banshee, though."
"Do you think… what I think?" Eydis murmured, her grip tightening.
Astra nodded, the gravity of the situation settling in. They retreated to their room, where Indigo and Damian awaited with similar expressions of unease.
"Seems the divine hand has accelerated its plan," Indigo rasped, worry etched on his face.
Damien nodded solemnly. "Prince Adrian… he's changed too."
"Corrupted?" Eydis asked, the steely glint in the prince's eyes replaying in her mind.
"Unsure," conceded Indigo. "From my understanding, the divine link is singular. Others receive mere echoes, unless...” His voice dropped to a whisper. "Unless Ares is gone."
Eydis' breath hitched. "So when God needs his new pawn..." she started, then a chilling thought struck her. "Princess Athena… when will she fall?"
Damien's face hardened, the tension in the room thick enough to cut. "I will protect her."
"How?" Eydis countered, frustration lacing her voice. "Your essence and hers are incompatible."
"Athena is strong," insisted Damien, his voice low and resolute. "She can withstand the corruption." He added, barely a whisper, "The Divine preys on fear, on weakness."
"Humanity's fears are fickle, Damien," Eydis argued, her voice tight with urgency. "Whatever you plan, we need to act now. Or more..." she trailed off, her thoughts flitting to Natalia. Would she too be consumed by the darkness that gripped Melissa? Who else were targets? When was the last time she saw Adam and Elias?
Sensing her distress, Astra wrapped her arms around Eydis, her touch a grounding anchor in the storm. "How did Melissa steal mana? Did the Divine finally unlock the key, the next stage of our evolution?"
"Perhaps," rasped Indigo, his voice heavy with concern. "He's closer than ever to his goal."
Silence descended, thick and suffocating, punctuated only by the mournful wind's song outside. The snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in a cold, white canvas. But beneath the pristine surface, a war was brewing, and the stakes had never been higher.
**
A bloodcurdling scream, raw and desperate, split the night. Adam convulsed, body arched in an agonising curve, trapped in a vice-like grip of golden light. Tears welled in Elias's eyes, his pleas catching in his throat as he watched his friend's suffering, his own golden bonds rendering him helpless.
"Stop it, Your Highness! Please!" Elias choked out, voice thick with desperation. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"
Adrian released his hold, but not out of mercy. Adam crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, his chest heaving with a mixture of pain and fear. Elias's heart lurched as he saw the raw terror etched on Adam's face.
“He can’t get to you, Elias,” Adrian said, his voice hollow and cold, devoid of warmth despite the tears welling in his eyes.
“He who?” Elias echoed, confusion twisting his gut.
Adrian’s laughter, chilling and manic, never reached his eyes. “You have a flaw, Elias,” he hissed, golden eyes narrowing like a raptor’s. “But He… He can’t exploit it through you.” His face contorted in a snarl, his voice turning harsh as metal scraping against stone. “So tell me, what must I shatter to reach it?”
Panic flickered in Elias’s emerald eyes as they darted towards Adam. It was a fatal mistake. Adrian’s laughter spiked, a cruel symphony celebrating his victory. A golden spear materialised, aimed at the heart of Elias’s world.
A fresh scream, laced with Adam's terror, cut through the air. Adrian's grin widened, a grotesque mask of glee fueled by Elias's despair. "There," he chuckled, the sound devoid of warmth.
"There's your crack."
“Let… him… go!” Elias roared, a mix of grief and fury raw in his voice. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision. His emerald eyes, usually vibrant with life, now held only the agony of watching Adam writhe in pain. "I'll do anything," he choked, the price suddenly insignificant compared to his friend's suffering.
“Oh, you don’t have to do anything, dear Elias,” Adrian purred, his head tilting sideways, golden eyes shifting to an unsettling amber. “He will.” His spear gleamed, finding its mark once more.
Again and again, Adam crumpled under the onslaught of golden light, each blow echoing in Elias’s soul. With a primal yell, the golden cuffs around his wrists crackled, the metal groaning under the strain of his fury. Veins bulged on his jaw as the world shrunk to a single point: Adam, lying still in the dust.
Then, an eerie silence descended. But it wasn’t empty. A chorus of whispers slithered into his mind, each one icy and seductive.
“Wake up, Elias,” they hissed.
“Wake up to your potential.”
He felt it, a dormant ember within, stoked by their words. Emerald eyes, usually vibrant with life, flickered with a strange green fire, illuminating the dust-filled room in an eerie glow. A choked gasp escaped his lips, morphing into a primal scream as power, raw and untamed, surged through him.
Power! It coursed through his veins, an intoxicating melody drowning out the whispers, momentarily. But the thrill was fleeting, replaced by a gnawing hunger. This power, exhilarating as it was, felt incomplete, insufficient. An insatiable craving bloomed within him.
"More," he rasped, voice hoarse, echoing in the silence. "I need more!"
