The world was still for once.
Well, as still as it could be when thousands of rebels were moving wagons, magical supplies, and liberated prisoners across realms.
The once forsaken royal castle had been stripped clean, every jewel, book, and artifact either claimed or cataloged. The remaining rebels stood guard like a proud, snarling beast, ensuring no remnants of monarchy would ever slither back in. Zaiya herself stood at the ruined gates, one foot on the queen's discarded throne, barking orders like a shadow drenched general of vengeance.
Back at Dragon Castle, life began to breathe easier.
The freed slaves had chosen rebellion over fear, and with heads high, they carried armfuls of food, armor, and purpose into the castle's growing courtyard.
Elisha's mages wove new stones into the castle walls with enchantments, each brick humming with protective spells and ancestral magic.
Gailia, radiant and commanding, ran a crew of twin dragons, overworked fae, and mildly drunk ex pirates, making sure everyone was fed, clothed, and accounted for.
Arwen and Kaleb coordinated supplies and rebel camp placement, working with Grath and Kaelin on border defense.
Rhiannan gave the order herself, leave a portion of the rebellion behind to guard the castle ruins. She trusted them, honored them. They kneeled before her like she was already crowned.
But despite the movement, the laughter, the hustle... something inside Rhiannan cracked.
She was overstimulated, overwhelmed and ready to fucking get explode. She needed some alone time before she detonated.
She needed the godsdamned silence.
So she slipped away in the early hours. Didn't say a word. Didn't wake her mates.
She stepped outside the massive east tower, stripped down to nothing but her fury and sorrow, and shifted.
Scales bloomed from pale skin, wings exploded from her back, and with a roar that shook the trees...
she took to the sky.
The cold wind whipped against her silver scales as she flew north. Past the castle. Past the mountain ridges. Past even the Watcher Trees that had always whispered when she flew near.
Finally...she spotted a lake.
Still. Silver. Moonlit. Absolutely perfect for goddess alone time.
She landed hard on the rocky edge, transformed back into her fae form, and stood there naked and trembling. The forest was quiet.
Until it wasn't.
A dozen magical creatures slowly crept from the shadows.
-A glowing blue fawn with antlers of crystal
-A pudgy raccoon with runes carved into his fur
-Tiny flying foxes that giggled and whispered in rhyme
-A chubby feathered cat with one eye and a crown made of mushrooms
-And Mo. Because of course Mo found her.
"You ran off without me again, Titties McStormcloud," he said as he waddled onto a rock beside her. "You know I get separation anxiety."
She choked out a laugh through a tear.
"I just... needed to breathe."
"You can do that without dragon screaming a tree in half," he muttered, fluffing his tiny chest out. "But go off, queen."
She fell to her knees.
Not in surrender.
But in exhaustion.
Every face she had blessed. Every scream she'd swallowed. Every death. Every smile. Every betrayal. Every prophecy. Every threat.
And Liam.
Her beautiful, broken vampire. Marked.
She didn't know how to fix it. She didn't know what the fuck came next. She didn't know if the world would ever give her a goddamn break.
So she wept. And the magical creatures curled up around her. A winged rabbit nuzzled into her thigh. The crowned cat began purring lullabies. The raccoon silently held her hand.
And the moon watched.
As she finally curled up against a mossy boulder to rest, Mo sat on her shoulder and whispered,
"You're still our goddess. Even if you fall apart a little."
And the forest sang her to sleep.
The moon cast silver ripples across the lake as Rhiannan slept. Her fingers twitched, her magic hummed beneath her skin, and her breath slowed to something deeper than rest.
She wasn't just dreaming.
She was being called.
The stars opened. The lake shimmered. And her body lifted from the mossy earth, suspended in glowing threads of light.
The forest vanished.
She floated in a swirling nebula of ancient energy, wrapped in warmth, strength, and sorrow.
And then, she appeared.
The Goddess. Nythera.
Hair like woven starlight. Eyes full of galaxies. Skin shifting with the colors of creation itself. Her voice echoed in Rhiannan's mind, not in words, but in power.
"My daughter."
Rhiannan choked on the emotion.
"Where have you been?" she demanded, voice sharp and broken. "I've been drowning and you just... watched?"
The goddess looked pained. "I could not interfere. I gave you power, but the choices must be yours. Even now."
"Then why the fuck are you here?"
A small smile ghosted across the divine being's lips.
"Because it's time. The Sentry Trials must begin. And only you can lead them."
Flames surrounded her. Not fire. Trial flame. Ethereal and gold. It burned illusions, pride, fear, and deceit.
"You will test their loyalty," the goddess said, stepping beside her. "Not through blood. Not through war. But through truth, pain, and love."
Three flames flickered before her,
🔥 Flame of Devotion
🔥 Flame of Sacrifice
🔥 Flame of Soul
Each flame would mark those who passed. Each trial would be brutal. Raw. Beautiful.
Trial One - Devotion
Candidates must walk through Rhiannan's memories, her true ones. The pain, the trauma, the abuse, the battles. No glamor. No edits. If they cannot stomach her reality, they cannot stand beside her divinity.
"Let them bleed with your past," the goddess whispered. "And only those who do not look away will continue."
Trial Two - Sacrifice
They must give up something deeply personal. A magical item. A vow. A piece of themselves. And not know if it will ever return.
"Power belongs to those who can lose everything and still rise."
Trial Three - Soul
Rhiannan herself must look into the souls of the remaining few. See their darkest thoughts. Their truest fears. Their hidden desires. She will choose the ones who match her fire, her fury, her truth.
"The Sentry must not be perfect," the goddess said. "They must be unbreakable."
Rhiannan nodded. She couldn't lie, she was excited as fuck about these sentry trials. She couldn't wait to see who won.
The vision changed suddenly.
She saw Liam... in chains.
Screaming.
The mark on his arm pulsed black.
The creature from the battle...tts essence still inside him. Not evil. Not yet. But twisted. Sleeping. Waiting.
"It is not the mark that curses him," the goddess whispered. "It is the fear. Find the origin of the mark and uncover what it is meant to protect. That is how you free him."
"Where do I start?" Rhiannan asked softly.
The goddess gave her one final vision, a memory not her own.
A dark crystal chamber, somewhere deep in the Undying Realms. A sister weeping in chains. The mark glowing on her neck. The same as Liam's.
Rhiannan gasped. Her sister and Liam were connected. Somehow.
"You are close," the goddess said. "The bone seer knew."
Then she was gone.
Rhiannan jolted awake
Breath ragged. Heart thundering.
Mo snored on her chest.
The creatures blinked sleepily at her, unaware of the weight now wrapped around her.
She sat up slowly, eyes burning golden brown with anticipation.
The Trials would begin.
Her Sentries would rise.
And she would save them all.
Even if it meant burning the world down.