SELENA'S POV
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The moment I stepped beyond the Sanctum, the air shifted.
Not with whispers or spells — but with reverence.
The path ahead was lined with stone and shadow, but figures stood along the edges, kneeling as I passed. Creatures of darkness and night — vampires, shades, beasts draped in illusion — all bowed their heads low.
Not one met my eyes.
Except one child. A pale girl with ink-black veins curling around her arms. She stared — not in defiance, but in awe.
Her mother quickly pulled her back, bowing deeper than before.
> They feared me.
They honored me.
They knew what I was now.
Zack walked beside me, still weak, but upright. They had clothed us in robes of dark crimson and midnight silver. Not chains. Not cells. Not silence. But recognition.
At the end of the path stood a grand obsidian arch. Etched into it were the names of the Queens who had ruled before. Their legacies burned into stone.
There was room for one more.
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Inside the Hall of Oaths, a great fire burned in a brazier the size of a carriage. The flames were white. Pure. Dangerous.
Ravyn stood at the base of the dais. The trio flanked him — Guardian, Assassin, Witch. But this time, they stood with their heads bowed.
Behind them, a crowd filled the chamber. The entire realm had come to see me.
> "Selena of the Lost Blood," Ravyn said, his voice loud and clear.
"Daughter of the Forbidden Line. Slayer of her past. Heir to the throne forged in shadow. Will you rise?"
I stepped forward.
I didn't flinch. Not this time.
> "I will."
The flames surged — as if they recognized truth.
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Later, I was led to the Queen's Quarters. Carved into the mountain, it was a blend of ancient elegance and dark magic. Mirrors lined the walls, showing not reflections — but possibilities.
A tall woman greeted me there. Bone jewelry, gray eyes, and hair woven with silver threads.
> "I am Maritha, Keeper of the Veil," she said, bowing. "It is tradition that the Queen chooses three maids. One for wisdom. One for battle. One for loyalty."
She gestured behind her. Three girls stepped forward, kneeling.
The first wore a crown of books and scars on her palms. "I have read every shadowed scroll."
The second had a blade strapped to her back and a gaze that never wavered.
The third had no weapon — only a mark on her wrist matching mine. A soulmark.
I stared at them — not just as servants. But as pieces of my reign.
I turned to Maritha.
> "They're not maids," I said. "They're my council."
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That night, I stood on the balcony, overlooking the dark city carved into the bones of the mountain. Lights flickered like stars below. A kingdom breathing.
Zack joined me. His arm brushed mine.
> "They believe in you," he whispered.
> "They need me," I replied.
He turned to me, quiet.
> "And what do you need?"
I didn't answer.
Because deep down, I already knew.
> The truth.
The one hidden from me since birth.
The reason I was taken. Lied to. Changed.
And I would find it.
Even if I had to burn kingdoms to reach it.
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They thought crowning her would tame her.
But queens don't kneel — they conquer.
— Mysterious_frnd