The forest was silent when they arrived, too silent.
Kael led Seraphina through a veil of silver mist, his eyes sharp, every motion calculated. The ground glowed faintly beneath their feet, etched with forgotten runes.
"This place," Seraphina whispered, "it doesn't feel like the others."
"It isn't," Kael replied, his gaze scanning the horizon. "This is the Celestial Garden, once the resting ground of the first dragons."
The garden wasn't made of flowers. It was made of light. Crystals jutted from the soil like frozen stars, humming softly with power. Strange plants with glowing leaves climbed the stone arches, and in the center stood a fountain that poured fire instead of water.
Seraphina moved closer, awe reflected in her eyes. "It's beautiful."
Kael nodded once, his expression unreadable. "Beautiful things are often dangerous."
She glanced at him, a small smile tugging her lips. "You're proof of that."
For the first time in hours, his expression softened, almost a smile. But before he could reply, a gust of wind swept through the garden, dimming the crystal lights.
Kael's hand went instinctively to his sword. "Stay behind me."
Seraphina obeyed without protest. The air had changed, it was colder, heavier. The sound of whispering filled the mist, faint at first, then rising like a chorus.
"Kael of the Fireborn," the voices hissed. "You run from the crown of your flame."
Shadows gathered at the edge of the garden, figures half-seen, half-smoke. They slithered between the crystal pillars, their eyes glowing faintly blue.
Seraphina stepped closer to Kael. "What are they?"
"Remnants," he said grimly. "Spirits bound to the Queen's will, her eyes in every realm."
The shadows began to close in.
Kael drew his sword, a blade of silver fire that hummed like thunder. "If she's watching," he muttered, "let her see this."
He swung the blade, and light ripped through the air. The nearest shadow screamed, dissolving into ash. Another lunged, but Kael moved faster, his movements fluid, controlled, the dance of a dragon warrior.
Seraphina pressed her hand over her mark, whispering words she didn't know she remembered. The symbol on her skin flared, brighter, fiercer.
A ring of light burst from her, throwing the shadows back. For a moment, silence reigned.
Then Kael turned, staring at her in disbelief. "What did you just do?"
"I… I don't know," Seraphina said, her voice trembling. "It just happened."
Kael's eyes flicked to her mark, the flames within it swirling faster than before. "It's changing."
The garden around them pulsed, the crystals humming louder, as if the earth itself had awakened. Kael sheathed his blade, his jaw tightening.
"We can't stay here long," he said. "The garden reacts to power. The Queen will sense it."
Seraphina nodded, but her gaze lingered on the fountain of fire. "Kael, look."
The flames in the fountain shifted, forming a symbol, a dragon encircling a star.
Kael froze. "That's the crest of House Drakar… my bloodline."
The flame twisted again, and another image appeared, a woman's silhouette with a glowing mark on her wrist.
Seraphina gasped softly. "That's..."
"You," Kael finished.
The flames guttered out, leaving only smoke and silence.
Kael's hand found hers. "The garden recognizes you."
"Why?" she whispered.
His gaze was dark. "Because whatever you are becoming… it began here."
The scent of burning roses lingered in the air long after the battle ended.
Seraphina knelt among the withered petals, clutching her wrist where the mark of flame still pulsed, slow, rhythmic, like a heartbeat not her own. Each pulse sent warmth through her veins, a tether pulling her closer to something she didn't understand… and couldn't resist.
Kael stood behind her, silent. The faint red glow of his eyes softened, though the air around him still shimmered with restrained power.
"You shouldn't have used your magic like that," he said finally. "The mark isn't ready. It reacts when you're frightened."
She turned, her face pale but fierce. "I wasn't frightened."
He arched a brow. "You almost burned half the garden."
"Then maybe it deserved to burn." Her voice trembled, not with fear, but defiance. "I'm tired of being hunted. I'm tired of pretending I'm just some… fragile human."
Kael's lips curved faintly. "You were never fragile, little flame."
Something unspoken passed between them, heat and silence, chaos and calm. She met his gaze and, for a moment, saw the storm behind it. Pain. Loneliness. The burden of a curse he could never escape.
"Why do you look at me like that?" she whispered.
"Like what?"
"Like you've known me before."
Kael didn't answer. His fingers flexed at his side, claws threatening to show. "Because I have," he murmured finally.
Seraphina froze. "What do you mean?"
Before he could answer, a low hum rippled through the garden, the sound of old magic stirring. The ground beneath them shivered, cracks forming around the crystal roots.
Kael stepped forward instantly, placing himself between her and the disturbance. "Stay behind me."
From the shadows, shapes began to form, winged figures cloaked in silver flame, their faces hidden. They moved with inhuman grace, voices hissing in unison:
"The Queen's scent lingers. The bond has been found."
Kael's wings snapped open, black fire spiraling from their tips. "Shadow sentinels," he muttered. "Her watchers."
Seraphina's pulse raced. "What do they want?"
Kael glanced back at her. "You."
The first sentinel lunged. Kael met it midair, claws slashing through its form, but instead of falling, it split into two. Each duplicate hissed, circling him like smoke.
"Run, Seraphina!"
But she didn't move. She closed her eyes, feeling the mark burn hotter. It hurt gods, it hurt, but beneath the pain, something else was calling.
A whisper. A voice. Ancient. Feminine.
"In the garden of shadows, fire takes root."
Her eyes snapped open, glowing gold. The flames in the garden reignited, not wild but focused, wrapping around her body like living armor.
Kael froze mid-battle, his eyes widening. "Seraphina..."
The sentinels screamed as her light burned through them. Every shadow, every ghostly form disintegrated in her radiance until the garden stood silent once again.
The last ember faded. Seraphina collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Kael was beside her in seconds, his hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't have been able to do that," he whispered.
She looked up weakly, eyes dimming. "Then why could I?"
Kael didn't answer. His gaze shifted to the faint outline of a symbol glowing in the ashes, a dragon's eye intertwined with a woman's flame.
"The old bond," he murmured. "It's awakening."
Seraphina swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "What old bond?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "The first queen of dragons… and her human lover."
She blinked. "You mean..."
Before she could finish, a voice echoed across the garden, carried by the wind.
"How poetic," it said. "History repeating itself."
Kael turned sharply. His wings flared in alarm.
From the smoke, a tall figure stepped forward ,armor gleaming with crimson light, eyes like twin suns.
Rynor.
Rynor's boots crunched against the scorched earth as he approached, the air bending with his power. His armor glimmered like liquid fire, his silver hair wild around his face. His smile, cruel, beautiful, was the kind that spoke of centuries of betrayal.
"Still protecting mortals, Kael?" he sneered, circling him. "Even after everything our kind sacrificed?"
Kael stepped forward, his wings folding protectively around Seraphina. "You don't belong here, Rynor."
"Oh, but I do." Rynor's gaze slid past him to Seraphina. His smile deepened. "Especially now that she's awakened it."
Seraphina's heart pounded. "What do you mean?"
"The bond," Rynor said softly, almost reverently. "The mark of fire that should have died with the First Queen." He tilted his head, studying her. "And yet… it beats inside you."
Kael growled low in his throat. "She is not the First Queen."
Rynor laughed, a sound like shattering glass. "No, but she carries her blood, doesn't she?" His eyes flashed. "Or did you think the Flame would choose a mortal without reason?"
Seraphina froze. "My blood?"
Kael's silence was answer enough. He didn't look at her, couldn't.
"Tell me it's not true," she whispered.
Kael turned finally, his golden eyes filled with a pain that made her chest ache. "I wanted to spare you that truth. The First Queen's power was sealed, scattered into the mortal realm. One fragment found its way into your line. That's why the mark chose you. That's why the Queen fears you."
Seraphina staggered back. "So all this… my family, my life… it's not mine?"
"It is," Kael said quickly. "But fate..."
"Fate," Rynor interrupted, "is a cruel, magnificent thing." He spread his arms, fire licking at his fingertips. "And it has brought me the key to my freedom."
Before Kael could react, Rynor thrust his hand forward. A whip of crimson flame shot across the garden, wrapping around Seraphina's wrist, the mark, and yanking her forward.
Kael roared, wings exploding wide, his power shaking the trees. He leapt between them, claws clashing against Rynor's flame, light meeting darkness in a blast that split the ground.
The shockwave sent Seraphina sprawling. The world spun. When she looked up, Kael and Rynor were locked in a blur of fire and fury, their roars echoing through the burning ruins.
"Stay away from her!" Kael's voice thundered.
Rynor only smiled through the smoke. "You can't protect her forever, brother."
The word froze Seraphina. "Brother?"
Kael faltered, just for a heartbeat.
Rynor struck. His blade of flame pierced Kael's shoulder, searing through armor and flesh. Kael dropped to one knee, smoke rising from the wound.
"Kael!" Seraphina screamed, rushing forward.
Rynor turned toward her, the fire in his hand shifting into a sphere of pure light. "Come quietly, little Queen. Or I burn him where he kneels."
Seraphina stopped, trembling. The mark on her wrist blazed so bright it seared her skin. "You'll regret touching him."
Rynor smirked. "Will I?"
She raised her hand, and the entire garden came alive.
Roots erupted from the ground, entwined with glowing crystal veins. The air rippled, bending to her command. Flames turned gold, wrapping around her body like threads of divine power. Her eyes gleamed, no longer human.
She stepped forward, her voice echoing with another's, deeper, older.
"I am the heir of the Flame. You cannot command what was born to rule."
Rynor staggered back as her light flared, tearing through his power. The orb shattered. His armor cracked.
Kael lifted his head weakly, eyes wide. "Seraphina…"
The light burst outward, engulfing the garden. When it faded, Rynor was gone, only ashes remained where he'd stood.
Seraphina fell to her knees, exhausted. Kael caught her just before she hit the ground. Her body trembled in his arms.
"You saved me," he murmured.
Her eyes fluttered open. "No," she whispered. "We saved each other."
He brushed a hand against her cheek, voice rough. "You have no idea what you've just awakened."
She gave a faint, trembling smile. "Then you'd better teach me."
Above them, thunder rolled, not from the sky, but from deep within the earth. The flames in the garden flickered, forming the shape of eyes, golden, ancient, watching.
The Queen had seen everything.