The camp was quiet now, the aftermath of battle hanging heavily in the air. Seraphina sat by Lucien's bedside in the small infirmary tent, her fingers gently brushing his pale cheek as he slept. The arrow wound was healing, but the betrayal had left a deeper scar.
Kaelen stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression grim. "Roderic's betrayal means Evelyne's influence runs far deeper than we thought. We can't trust anyone blindly."
Seraphina nodded slowly, her thoughts drifting back to the past—the night her parents died, the night that had marked the beginning of her lonely reign. She had been just a child when the palace was attacked, flames devouring the halls, screams echoing through the night. Her parents had sacrificed themselves to save her, but the mystery behind their deaths had never been solved.
Her fingers tightened around a silver pendant—a keepsake from her mother, engraved with an emblem she barely understood. A faint warmth pulsed from it, as if holding secrets waiting to be uncovered.
"I need to know the truth," Seraphina whispered. "About my family, about Evelyne, and about the powers that bind this kingdom."
Kaelen stepped forward, voice low and steady. "There's an old sage in the northern mountains. They say he holds knowledge of the royal bloodline and the ancient magic that governs the Divine Beast. If anyone can help, it's him."
Seraphina stood, resolve burning bright. "Then we leave at dawn. The past may hold the key to saving our future."
As the first light of morning touched the horizon, the Empress prepared to face not just the enemies around her, but the shadows within her own history.
The journey into the unknown had only just begun.
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