The note still lay in her palm, the words burned into her skin like a brand.
"You are not the only one who remembers."
Seraphina couldn't sleep that night. Not just because someone had broken into her room, but because someone else like her—a reborn soul—was out there. Watching her. Tracking her. Testing her.
And worst of all?
She didn't know if they were friend or foe.
---
By morning, her mind was sharper than ever.
She attended sword drills, lessons on diplomacy, and court etiquette without missing a beat. But her thoughts never strayed far from two things:
The hidden watcher.
And the traitors-to-be walking freely beside her.
Lady Kassandra laughed beside her in the embroidery hall. "You've been very quiet lately, Seraphina. Planning something?"
Seraphina gave her a gentle smile. "Yes. Your funeral dress."
Kassandra blinked, confused. Seraphina returned to stitching a red thread through black silk.
---
Later that evening, as the academy hosted the Welcome Gala for new noble students, Seraphina appeared in a gown of storm-grey silk and a silver hairpiece shaped like burning feathers.
Her presence turned heads.
But one pair of eyes didn't turn away.
He stood near the entrance—tall, robed, wearing the academy crest of a noble family she didn't recognize. But she knew his aura.
It was him.
The man in the shadows… had entered the academy.
She moved slowly through the crowd, eyes locked on him.
He moved first.
They met in the center of the marble floor, surrounded by nobles too distracted to notice the tension cutting through the air.
"Who are you really?" she asked beneath her breath.
He smiled faintly. "You'll find out soon enough."
"You entered the academy under a false name?"
"No," he said calmly. "I simply never had one."
Her blood chilled.
Then he leaned close, voice like velvet and steel.
> "You aren't the only one rewriting fate, Seraphina Ashvale. But don't worry... I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to see if you're strong enough to win."
He walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
For a moment, Seraphina just stood there, heart pounding. Then her lips curled.
So the gods had thrown another player into the game.
Fine.
Let the game begin.