SERA'S POV
I'm standing in a palace made of light.
Everything gleams—walls of crystal, floors that look like captured starlight, pillars that reach up into infinity. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen.
No. Not ever seen. That I've ever remembered seeing.
"Sister!" A voice calls out, warm and happy. "There you are!"
I turn and see her—Luminara. But this Luminara is different. She's smiling at me with real joy, not fake sweetness. Her golden eyes shine with love.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," she says, linking her arm through mine. "The Council meeting starts soon. Are you nervous?"
I hear my own voice answer, though I'm not controlling it. "Terrified. What if they don't believe me? What if they think I'm lying?"
"You have proof," Luminara says firmly. "Evidence of what they've been doing. They can't ignore that."
We walk together through halls that seem to go on forever. Other divine beings pass us—some nod respectfully, others look away quickly.
"They're all afraid," I hear myself say. "Everyone knows something's wrong but no one will speak up."
"That's why you have to." Luminara squeezes my arm. "You're the only one brave enough."
My heart swells with love for her. My twin. My best friend. My—
The scene shifts violently.
Now I'm in a massive throne room. Three figures sit on thrones of pure light—the Divine Council. They're staring at me with cold, angry eyes.
"You accuse us of harvesting mortal souls?" one demands. "That's treason, Seraphina."
"I have proof!" I'm holding something—a glowing orb full of swirling images. "I've documented everything. The deaths. The soul extraction. The lies you've told to cover it up. Mortals are dying by the thousands and you're—"
"She's lying!"
I spin around. Luminara stands behind me, but her face is different now. Cold. Calculating.
"My sister has been unstable for months," Luminara says, her voice dripping with false concern. "She's been talking about overthrowing the Council. Taking power for herself. I tried to help her but—"
"That's not true!" I shout. "Luminara, what are you doing?"
She looks at me with those golden eyes—my eyes—and I see the truth there. The jealousy. The hatred. The ambition that's been festering for centuries.
"I'm sorry, sister," she whispers. "But you were always too soft. Too caring. You would have destroyed everything."
Then she drives a blade of pure light straight through my heart.
*The pain is— *
I wake up screaming.
My body jerks against the chains, pulling them tight. My chest feels like it's on fire where the blade went through—even though I know it's just a memory, just a dream, it hurts.
The door crashes open. Caspian runs in, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. His hair is wild, his eyes desperate.
"Sera!" He's beside me instantly, hands hovering like he wants to touch me but doesn't dare. "What happened? I heard you scream from three floors away."
I can't answer. Can't breathe. The memory is still playing in my head—Luminara's betrayal, the Council's lies, the blade punching through my ribs.
"The crystal," I gasp out. "Kieran's crystal. It showed me—it showed me everything."
Caspian goes pale. "You shouldn't have seen that yet. We were going to prepare you first. Ease you into it slowly."
"Where is he?" I demand. "Where's Kieran?"
"I sent him away after you passed out. You've been unconscious for hours." Caspian finally touches me—his hand on my shoulder, warm and steady. "What did you see?"
"She did it." My voice breaks. "Luminara. She betrayed me to the Council. I was trying to expose them for killing mortals and she—she lied. Said I was planning a coup. Then she stabbed me."
Caspian's jaw clenches. "I know."
"You know?" I stare at him. "How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning." He looks away, shame written across his face. "I found evidence in the divine communications. But my curse wouldn't let me tell you directly. It still won't."
"So you brought Kieran to show me instead." Understanding crashes over me. "That's why you've been researching. Looking for ways around your curse."
"Yes." He meets my eyes again. "I couldn't let you stay ignorant. Not when your own sister is trying to kill you for discovering the truth."
I slump back against the wall, exhausted. My wrists throb under their bandages. My head pounds. Everything hurts.
"The souls," I whisper. "The Council has been harvesting mortal souls to keep themselves immortal. That's what I discovered. That's why they wanted me gone."
"And Luminara knew," Caspian adds quietly. "She was in on it. When you threatened to expose them, she chose power over you."
The betrayal cuts deeper than any blade. My own sister. My twin. The person I loved most in the world.
She sold me out to save herself.
"I want to remember more," I say suddenly. "Everything. All of it. I don't care if it hurts."
"Sera, the crystal only had fragments. To recover everything, Kieran will have to perform a full memory restoration ritual. It's dangerous. The shock could kill you or—"
"I don't care!" I lean forward as far as my chains allow. "Don't you understand? I need to know who I was. What I was fighting for. I need—"
A sound cuts me off. A familiar sound that makes my blood run cold.
Footsteps. Multiple sets. Coming fast.
Caspian shoots to his feet, his hand going to his chest where the brand glows brighter.
"No," he breathes. "Not now. Not already."
"What? What's wrong?"
He turns to me, and I see real fear in his eyes for the first time.
"The Council knows," he says. "They know about Kieran's crystal. They know we're trying to restore your memories."
"How could they possibly—"
The answer hits me like a punch to the gut.
"Someone told them," I whisper.
Caspian nods grimly. "And now they're coming to make sure you never remember anything else."
The footsteps stop right outside my door.
Caspian moves to stand between me and whatever's coming, his body tense and ready to fight even though we both know he can't win against divine power.
The door opens slowly.
And standing there, backlit by golden light, is not Luminara.
It's a man I've never seen before—tall, ancient-looking, with eyes that swirl like galaxies. Power radiates from him in waves that make the air itself shudder.
"Hello, Seraphina," he says, his voice echoing like thunder. "I am Aldric, Head of the Divine Council. And I'm here to offer you a choice."
"What choice?" I force out.
His smile is cold and terrible.
"Submit to complete memory erasure and live as our obedient prisoner forever," he says. "Or refuse, and we execute you. Tonight. Right here in this cell."
He raises his hand, and divine fire springs to life in his palm.
"You have sixty seconds to decide."