Setting: Velaris Palace, Hidden Sanctum, Midnight Streets
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[Scene 1 – The Ring Revealed]
The dawn broke like a blade through silk, and Velaris awoke under clouds that threatened rain.
Inside her private chamber, Lyra stood before the mirror.
On her finger shimmered Kaelrin's ring — silver and sapphire, elegant and calm, the emblem of House Thorne's rightful heir.
She stared at it for a long while. Then slipped on a velvet glove to hide it.
She wasn't ready to tell anyone.
Not yet.
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[Scene 2 – The Queen's Gambit Begins]
Within the High Tower, the Queen stood at the heart of a summoning circle.
Runes glowed. Blood dripped into a crystal basin.
Beside her stood Alina — quiet, pale, but eyes glittering like broken glass.
> "The girl has made her choice," the Queen said.
> "Yes," Alina answered softly. "She chose Kaelrin."
> "Then so be it. Let the game change."
The Queen dipped her hand into the basin. With one command, she whispered:
> "Send him… the vision."
Miles away, Kaelrin woke in his bed — choking.
A burning image seared into his mind.
A crown aflame.
Lyra's body in a pool of blood.
Cassian laughing.
He screamed.
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[Scene 3 – Kaelrin's Descent]
He ran to Lyra's quarters — barefoot, breathless.
Banged on her door. She opened, shocked.
> "What's wrong—?"
> "You were dead," he panted. "I saw you. It felt real."
She took his hand. He was shaking.
> "It was just a dream."
> "No… it was her."
Lyra's breath caught.
> "The Queen."
He nodded.
> "She's begun."
Lyra locked the door behind him and said, "Then so must we."
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[Scene 4 – Cassian's Warning]
In the lower city, Cassian moved through the alleys with his old blade hidden under his cloak. He hadn't slept.
A boy — barely ten — ran up to him.
> "Message for you, m'lord. From the red lady."
Cassian tensed. He took the letter.
> "Meet me at the Sanctum. Midnight. Alone."
He burned the note and walked away.
But a figure watched from the rooftop — Alina.
> "He took the bait," she whispered. "Begin phase two."
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[Scene 5 – The Hidden Sanctum]
At midnight, Cassian entered the old library beneath the palace. Torches lit as he passed. Dust rose. Magic hung in the air.
And there — cloaked in black — stood Lyra.
Or someone who looked like her.
> "You came," she whispered.
> "Why here?"
> "Because here… you'll hear what no court dares speak."
She removed her hood.
But it wasn't Lyra.
It was a mimic spell — cast by the Queen.
Before Cassian could react, the doors slammed shut and a blast of red light surged into his chest.
He collapsed, screaming.
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[Scene 6 – The Real Lyra Acts]
Back in her chambers, Lyra stood over a map of Velaris, Kaelrin beside her. The ring glinted now, visible.
> "We need to move first. If we wait, she'll turn the court."
> "We expose her?" Kaelrin asked.
> "We entrap her."
She tapped a sigil on the map.
> "The Moonlight Masquerade. Everyone will be there."
Kaelrin's eyes lit. "Including her."
> "Including everyone she's corrupted."
A pause.
> "And Cassian?" he asked softly.
> "If he's still loyal… he'll survive."
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[Scene 7 – In the Rain]
The chapter ends with Cassian being dragged through a hallway, unconscious, bleeding from the mouth.
Alina walks beside him, rain soaking through her cloak.
But her eyes flick toward the moon.
She clutches a small pendant beneath her collar — a gift from Lyra long ago.
Her lips part in a whisper:
> "Forgive me."
Then she vanishes into the storm, leaving the blood trail behind her.
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To Be Continued…
In Chapter 20: "The Moonlight Masquerade"
A grand ball full of betrayal
Kaelrin and Lyra dance under pressure
Cassian's fate is revealed
Alina's true allegiance begins to show
And someone will die before the final waltz ends