The shattered walls of the cage fell away like ash on wind, dissolving into the air as Seraphina stood in the center of what once held her. The moonlight path now stretched ahead, beckoning her forward through the mountain's heart. With every step she took, the air grew warmer, thicker, and charged—like a storm waiting to break.
Her heart pounded with the weight of what she had just seen.
The full prophecy still echoed in her bones.
"A mate will wound..."
"Betrayed by love..."
She didn't know what was worse—the truth of her existence or the aching uncertainty about Vael. Was he the betrayal? Was he the wound? Or was he a piece of her destiny just as confused as she was?
The path led her to a chamber that pulsed like a heartbeat. Smooth walls of black stone rose high, veined with glowing crimson, and in its center stood a single figure.
Kael.
Her father.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then he stepped forward.
No crown sat on his head, no royal robes clung to his frame. Just simple armor and eyes that burned with centuries of sorrow and restrained hope.
"You made it," he said softly, voice cracking.
She didn't know what to say. Her fists clenched at her sides. "Why didn't you tell me who I was? What I was?"
Kael looked down. "Because I didn't think you'd live long enough to need the answer."
That broke something in her.
"Do you know what it's like to grow up not knowing why you're different? To feel like a mistake?"
"I do," he said, looking up again. "Because I made that mistake. Loving your mother was… selfish. But I'd make that mistake a thousand times again to see you stand here."
Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
Seraphina stepped closer. "Was it true? What I saw? The altar… the sacrifice?"
Kael nodded slowly. "You weren't supposed to live. They tried to stop it. I begged the old magic to save you. I paid the price."
"What price?"
Kael's voice was barely a whisper. "My soul is bound to yours. If you die… I die. That was the only way they'd let you live."
Seraphina's breath caught. A thousand emotions warred within her—rage, love, fear, grief.
"Then don't follow me," she said quietly. "Because where I'm going… no one is safe."
He smiled faintly. "I'm not here to protect you anymore. I'm here to stand beside you. If you'll let me."
Before she could answer, another figure emerged from the shadows.
Vael.
His cloak was torn. His eyes unreadable. But her mark burned at the sight of him.
Seraphina stiffened.
"You knew," she said. "Didn't you?"
Vael didn't answer right away. He stepped forward slowly, but stopped a few paces from her.
"I read the prophecy years ago. I was taught it in pieces. But I didn't know it was you. Not until I saw your mark that night during the blood moon
"And you said nothing."
"Because I was afraid," he said, finally meeting her eyes. "Afraid that if I told you, you'd pull away. That you'd see me as part of your fate… not your choice."
She didn't know whether to slap him or fall into his arms.
"You're my mate," she whispered. "Aren't you?"
"Yes."
"And you still didn't claim me."
"No," he admitted, pain flickering across his face. "Because the prophecy said I would wound you. That my love would break you. I couldn't bear that."
Seraphina's voice trembled. "You did it anyway."
Silence.
Kael quietly stepped back, letting them speak alone.
Vael lowered his head. "You were never a mistake, Sera. You're a miracle. But even miracles bleed."
She stared at him for a long time, then turned away.
"I don't need your protection," she said. "I need your truth."
"I'll give you both," he said. "If you'll let me."
She didn't answer. She simply walked past him, her footsteps echoing through the chamber.
At the far wall, a second doorway shimmered open, revealing a new path of silver light winding deeper into the mountain.
Kael's voice broke the quiet. "That path leads to the second trial. You don't have to face it alone."
Seraphina turned her head, her expression calm but fierce.
"I was born alone. Raised alone. Betrayed alone. I'll face this trial on my own terms."
And with that, she stepped through the light.
But as the door sealed behind her, neither Kael nor Vael moved.
Because they both knew—
The second trial wasn't just a test of strength.
It was a test of soul.
And Seraphina's had already been torn in half.
Let me know if you'd like anything added—like flashbacks, more dialogue between Kael and Vael, or an inner monologue from Seraphina after the door closes.