From Nernia's POV
The halls of the palace felt unfamiliar now. Everything did — the voices, the gowns, even the scent of sea-salt that used to be her anchor. Now it only stirred something hidden deep inside her — something she couldn't quite name.
It had been three weeks since she returned to her duties as the chosen heir of the Sea Kingdom. Her days were filled with lessons, meetings, celebrations she barely smiled through. And her nights… they were restless. Filled with fragments. Murmurs of a storm she never remembered weathering.
A touch against her wrist.
A flash of silver eyes looking broken.
Lips brushing hers.
A voice.
She paused in the middle of the corridor, her breath catching in her throat.
That voice.
"So what if I make you mine?"
Her lips parted as the whisper echoed in her ears like an old melody. She didn't know where it came from, but it struck like lightning — deep, raw, and terrifyingly real.
Kaelen.
She turned.
He stood across the corridor, as if the gods had answered some unspoken call. He had been watching her — not with longing this time, but with guilt carved into every sharp edge of his face.
Their eyes met, and her voice was barely a breath. "You said that."
Kaelen stiffened.
Nernia took a step toward him, searching his face. "You said those exact words… didn't you?"
He didn't speak. But she saw it — the flinch, the fracture behind his cool mask.
The silence wrapped around them, heavy with things unsaid. Nernia pressed a hand to her temple. "Why can't I remember everything? Why is it just flashes?"
Kaelen's voice was low, hoarse. "Because the gods are cruel."
She took another step. "You kissed me."
He looked away. "I shouldn't have."
"You told me you didn't love me."
"I had to."
"Because of the prophecy?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Kaelen's eyes flickered back to her, and for once, he didn't hide. "Because if I let myself love you… I would never be able to let you go. And that would destroy you."
Her chest tightened. The hallway blurred.
But the pieces were coming together now — like broken glass forming a reflection.
"I don't care about the prophecy anymore," she whispered. "Because I remember how it felt… when you looked at me like I was the only thing in your world."
Kaelen took one uncertain step forward.
And Nernia didn't move. She didn't speak. She just watched him — her heartbeat echoing louder than the crashing sea outside.
For now, that one sentence had cracked the dam wide open.
And both of them knew: the memories were coming back.