*******Harper
The figure at the foot of my bed didn't move. For a few seconds, Kael only stared at me, surprise flickering across his sharp features. His eyes softened quickly, almost too quickly, as though he was slipping a mask back into place.
"I was just checking on you," he said, his tone even, calm, almost rehearsed.
Relief loosened the knot in my chest, though a sliver of unease remained. I sighed and let my body sink back into the mattress, pulling the blankets to my chin. "You scared me," I muttered, exhaustion weighing on my voice.
Kael stepped closer, his silhouette framed by the pale moonlight. "Tell me," he asked quietly, "what did you see in your vision?"
My eyes shot open at his words. My breath caught. How does he know?
Kael asked the question with such certainty, as if he already knew.
My thoughts tangled like thorns. A part of me wanted to trust him, because he had saved me again and again. But another part of me, a louder part, whispered that something was off. That there were pieces of Kael I hadn't yet seen, corners of him hidden from me.
I forced my lips to curve into a calm smile. "It was nothing," I said evenly, though my heart beat faster. "Just a nightmare. I saw my family from my past life."
Kael's eyes lingered on mine, searching, as though peeling back layers I didn't want him to see. Then he finally nodded. His voice was quieter this time, distant. "Go back to sleep."
Without another word, he turned and left. His footsteps faded into the dark hallway, leaving behind a cold silence that clung to the air like frost. I couldn't help noticing—he'd felt a little… colder. Detached. But I told myself not to overthink. I was already drowning in questions.
Still, the unease wouldn't leave me.
And then—
The air shifted. The fine hairs on my arms stood on end. I wasn't alone.
I moved swiftly, fingers wrapping around the dagger placed at the bedside. The blade caught the faint glow of moonlight as I rose from the bed, my voice sharp. "Show yourself."
A shadow stirred near the far corner of the room. Slowly, Ellis stepped into view, her eyes gleaming unnaturally, her hands folded neatly before her as if she had all the time in the world.
"You sensed me," she said with a chuckle, utterly unafraid of the dagger I held. "Good. That means you're not entirely hopeless. But tell me, can you sense a demon's presence as easily as you sense a witch's?"
Her words sent a chill rushing through me. My grip on the dagger tightened. "A witch?" I whispered, shocked. "You're a witch?"
Ellis tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. "What do you think?"
I swallowed hard. "Does Kael know?"
Instead of answering directly, Ellis smirked. "Will you tell him?"
Her question caught me off guard. For a moment, I considered it—should I? If Kael knew one of his attendants was a witch, he might see her as a threat. Or worse, maybe he already knew.
"No," I said finally, lowering my dagger but not my guard. "I won't tell him. But why are you here, Ellis? Why stay in a place where you know demons and witches can never coexist?"
Her expression shifted, becoming almost wistful. "Because I'm waiting."
My brow furrowed. "Waiting? For what?"
"For you," she answered simply, as if that explained everything.
"We just met though".
"Really? Are you sure we haven't met before?". Ellis said.
Confusion tightened my chest. Before I could ask more, she suddenly changed the subject. Her dark eyes locked onto mine. "Tell me—what did you see in your vision just now?"
Anger flared. "Why should I tell you anything? You're a stranger to me."
Ellis only smiled knowingly. "You will tell me. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon. Remember one thing though, your vision has nothing to do with CODE. It is very real."
With that, she turned and vanished as suddenly as she had appeared, her presence dissolving into the shadows like smoke on the wind.
How does she know about CODE
I sank back onto the bed, dagger still clutched in my hand. My breath came uneven, my heart restless.
The vision replayed in my mind, no matter how hard I tried to bury it.
Kael, his eyes cold and merciless.
A bloody knife clutched in his hand.
Bodies strewn across the ground, lifeless, their voices silenced though I could still hear their pleading cries echo in my ears.
And Kael had stood over them, unmoved. Unstirred.
I pressed a trembling hand to my forehead. "What should I do?" I whispered into the empty room.
The silence gave no answer. Only the memory of that vision lingered—dark and accusing.
---
Author's POV
Meanwhile, in Vaelthor's chambers, the air carried a heavy stillness.
Natalie sat rigid on the edge of the bed, her fingers knotting together as she spoke the words she had withheld for so long. "We… have a son."
Vaelthor froze, his crimson eyes widening in shock. Natalie's voice trembled, though she forced herself to continue.
"It was because of… that day." Her gaze lowered, shame flickering across her features. "I didn't want demons to come after him, so I gave him to my sister. She raised him in the witch realm, and he's safe there. He's old enough now, and he's learning spells from my mother."
For the first time in centuries, Vaelthor lost composure. His usually unshakable presence faltered, and he stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His breathing grew uneven, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
Without a word, he stormed out of the room. The door slammed behind him with enough force to make the walls shudder.
Natalie sat in silence, exhaustion lining her face. A tired sigh escaped her lips as she whispered to herself, "So it begins."
---
*********Harper
The room felt colder now, emptier. My dagger was still in my hand, though my body screamed for rest. I curled into myself, the vision gnawing at me like a curse I couldn't shake.
Kael's face, drenched in blood.
The lifeless bodies at his feet.
The silence after their pleading voices were cut short.
I closed my eyes, but the images burned behind my eyelids.
"What should I do?" I murmured again, my voice breaking into the night.
And still—no answer came. Only the darkness.