Chapter 6: The Rival
Mia and Kaian walked towards the Grand Hall, the sun setting behind them. Leo, Kaian's brother, was waiting for them, leaning against a marble column with a charming smile. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he looked at Mia.
"Brother," Leo said, straightening up. "You've been hiding her." Kaian stiffened, but Mia met Leo's gaze without flinching. "Not hiding," she said. "Just avoiding snakes."
Leo laughed, his voice rich and chilling. "Fiery. I like that. You'll burn beautifully—if Kaian doesn't smother you first." Kaian stepped forward, but Leo raised a hand. "Relax. I'm only here to get acquainted."
Leo moved closer to Mia, his movements graceful and intimate. Kaian growled, warning him to back off. "Touch her again, and I'll rip your hand from your arm." The air in the hall grew colder, and Mia felt Kaian's magic stirring.
Leo stepped back, unfazed. "Ah, there it is. That edge. You always did lose control so easily." He said that Mia was weak and mortal, and that she would break Kaian. Kaian's hands trembled with restraint, but Mia touched his arm gently, grounding him.
"I'm not your weakness," she whispered. "I'm your anchor." Kaian's storm calmed, and he stood still, his chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
As they walked away, Kaian told Mia about his past with Leo. They had a complicated history, and Leo had always believed that strength meant cruelty. Kaian led with love, not fear, and that was why Leo was afraid of him.
Mia reached for Kaian's hand, threading her fingers through his. "We stand together," she said. Kaian looked at her, his eyes filled with determination. "I won't let him take you," he said. "Not with charm, not with lies—and not with blood."
But Mia had a secret. She hadn't told Kaian about the night Leo had found her in the gardens, whispering things he shouldn't have known about her past and her mother. A mark had appeared on her back, and she hadn't told anyone about it.
Meanwhile, Leo met with a cloaked figure in a hidden chamber. They discussed Mia and the seal that was working. When the time came, she would open the gate, and Kaian would watch his precious human tear his world apart.
Mia couldn't sleep. She sat by the window, wrapped in a velvet robe that Kaian had given her. The robe smelled comforting, like cedar and stormwind. But her thoughts were racing. She was thinking about the mark on her back, Leo's words, and the gate.
The mark pulsed softly beneath her skin, like it was alive. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she thought about it. Just then, Kaian knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer. He looked tired, his eyes rimmed with shadow.
"Mia," he said quietly. "If there's something you're not telling me, now is the time." Mia froze, unsure of what to say. Kaian knew that Leo wasn't working alone, and he thought she might know something.
But Mia didn't want to tell him about the mark or the garden. She was scared, and she didn't know what to do. "I'm just scared," she said, evading the question. "Leo wants you broken."
Kaian studied her, his gaze softening. "I'll protect you," he murmured. "Even from myself." But before he could say more, a guard burst into the room.
"Your Majesty," the guard panted. "The Seers have called an emergency conclave. They say a gate has shifted, and a seal has been touched." Mia felt her blood turn to ice. Kaian stood up slowly, his eyes locked on hers.
"Where?" he asked the guard. "The Temple of Ashes," the guard replied. "And they say the energy bore a human signature." Mia's breath caught, and Kaian turned to her. She didn't move or speak, but just looked into his eyes, waiting for the storm to unfold.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Temple of Ashes, ancient magic was stirring. A cloaked figure approached the central altar, and blue fire licked at the stones. Another figure joined them, cloaked in white, bearing the scent of moonlight and ash.
They discussed the bond between Mia and Kaian, and how it was holding. But Leo's voice was cold, and he said that Mia was never meant to belong to Kaian. "The gods gave her to me," he added.
Together, they turned to the altar, where a black crystal pulsed in time with Mia's heartbeat. "She is the key," the figure whispered. "And soon... the gate will open."