The throne room had never been so quiet.
Queen Avaline stood alone beneath the stained-glass ceiling, her silk gown whispering against the stone. The guards had been dismissed. The torches dimmed.
Only one voice echoed now—
He's close, isn't he?" she whispered to the silence.
A low laugh stirred the shadows.
"You always knew when I was near."
From the far wall, the flame of a candle bent unnaturally. And from it, Viper stepped—not entirely flesh, not entirely smoke. He wore no crown, yet he moved as if every stone in the kingdom bowed beneath him.
You shouldn't be here," she said, though her voice shook.
"And yet you keep calling me."
🕯️ Flashback – Eighteen Years Ago
Avaline in her youth, pale and trembling, stands before a mirror, clutching a baby—newborn Vivi.
Behind her: Viper, bound in chains of light, smiling like a god of ruin.
"She's mine by blood, Avaline."
"No," she had said. "You gave up your place in the realm when you chose darkness."
"And you kept your place by giving me what I asked for."
"A daughter. One that would carry the seal."
She had agreed. Out of fear. Out of duty. Out of desperation to save the throne.
Now
"The seal weakens," Viper said, circling the Queen now, gaze sharp as a blade.
"And the girl dreams of her name. Virelya."
Avaline closed her eyes.
"She's still mine."
No," he whispered in her ear. "She was never yours. You raised her for me. And soon, you'll bring her back."
Avaline turned, tears in her eyes.
"I won't. She's not ready."
"She was born ready."
He handed her something a ring, black as coal, coiled like a serpent.
When she returns to the Palace put this on her finger.
What will it do?"
"Unlock her. Open the final door. The seal ends. I rise."
Viper's body flickered, turning into flame once more. He vanished.
Queen Avaline stood there, alone again.
In her hand, the cursed ring pulsed with quiet hunger.
And above her, in the stained glass, the image of an angel cracked…
and shattered.