But when Serenity opened her eyes, she wasn't angry anymore. She was calm.
"You're right," she told the shadows.
"I am angry. I am jealous. I do want to hurt people sometimes. But those feelings don't control me." The shadow sisters froze.
"I choose what to do with my thoughts. Not you. Not anyone else." Silver light wrapped around her like armor.
The shadows began to fade.
"This isn't over," Sable growled before vanishing into smoke. Serenity fell to her knees, breathing hard. The night was quiet again.
"Well done," Asha's voice came from the cave opening.
"You passed the first test."
"The first?" Serenity looked up.
"How many are there?"
"As many as it takes." Asha helped her stand.
"Come inside. You need rest before we begin your real training." Back in the cave, the fire crackled warmly. Kael, Riven, and Veyric stared at Serenity like they'd never seen her before.
"How did you do that?" Riven asked.
"Those shadows were made of pure hate."
"I accepted them," Serenity said simply.
"Asha was right. They were parts of me I didn't want to admit existed."
"Parts every person has," Asha added, stirring a pot over the fire.
"The difference is whether you control them or they control you." Elder Thalia looked worried.
"This changes the forecast. If Serenity can handle shadow magic—"
"Forget prophecies," Asha snapped.
"They're just chains wrapped in pretty words."
"But the ancient texts say—"
"The ancient books were written by people who wanted to control the future. Just like you." Thalia's blue eyes flashed.
"I've dedicated my life to helping—"
"You've dedicated your life to playing god. There's a difference." Tension filled the cave like smoke.
Serenity could feel everyone's feelings pressing against her mind.
Kael's confusion.
Riven's worry.
Veyric's estimate.
Thalia's hurt pride.
"Stop," she said quietly. Everyone kept fighting.
"Stop!" Silver light pulsed from her skin. The cave fell silent.
"Asha," Serenity's voice was steady. "You said you knew my parents. Tell me the truth. All of it." The witch stirred her pot slowly. The fire cast moving shadows on her face.
"Your father was Aldric Vale. Last of the Nightborn Wolves. Your mother was Lyralei Moonwhisper. A fae princess from the Winter Court." Gasps echoed around the cave. Even the fire seemed to burn quieter.
"Fae?" Veyric leaned forward.
"That's impossible. Fae haven't been seen for ages."
"Because they've been hidden. Just like I have."
"Why were they hiding?" Serenity asked.
"Because people fear what they don't understand. And your parents... they understood too much." Asha ladled soup into wooden bowls. Her hands shook slightly.
"They found that all the supernatural races come from the same source. We're not different species. We're one people who split apart long ago."
"That's ridiculous," Kael said.
"Wolves and vampires have been enemies forever."
"Have you ever wondered why your blood calls to hers?" Asha pointed at Serenity.
"Why a vampire prince feels drawn to a wolf girl? Why a killer can't kill his target?" No one answered.
"Because deep down, your souls remember. You remember being one people. One family."
"If that's true," Riven said slowly, "then why do we fight?"
"Because someone gains from the fighting. Someone who wants to keep us split and weak."
"The Syndicate," Serenity breathed.
"The Syndicate is just the latest name. They've lived for thousands of years under different faces. Always working to keep magical people fighting each other instead of uniting."
"And my parents knew this?"
"They proved it. They found papers. Ancient bloodline records. Proof that wolves, vampires, fae, and witches all share shared ancestors."
"What happened to the proof?" Asha's face darkened.
"It died with them. Along with your baby brother." Serenity's heart stopped.
"I had a brother?" "A twin brother. Born ten minutes after you and Sable."
"Triplets," Veyric whispered.
"Where is he?" Serenity's voice cracked.
"Dead. Killed the same night as your parents. I tried to save all of you, but..." Asha's voice broke.
"I could only carry two kids. I picked the girls." Tears rolled down Serenity's face. A brother she never knew. A family destroyed before she could remember them.
"I'm sorry," Asha whispered.
"I've carried that guilt for twenty-one years." "You saved my life," Serenity said softly.
"Thank you."
"I also separated you from Sable. I thought it would be safer if you grew up apart. I was wrong."
"Why?" "Because twins share a soul bond. Breaking that link... it damaged both of you. Made Sable angry and jealous. Made you desperate to be loved."
"Can the bond be healed?"
"Maybe. But first, you need to learn to heal yourself." Asha stood and walked to the back of the cave. She returned with a small wooden box.
"This belonged to your mother. She wanted you to have it when you were ready." Serenity's hands trembled as she opened the box. Inside was a metal pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
The moment she touched it, visions filled her mind. A woman with silver eyes and black hair, singing a song.
A man with golden eyes and a loving smile, teaching a small boy to shift into wolf form. A baby crying as fire consumed everything...
"The memories," Serenity gasped.
"Your mother put them in the pendant before she died. Every important moment of your first few months of life." More images flashed.
Her parents working late into the night, copying ancient papers. Strange men in dark clothes watching from the forest. Her father screaming a warning.
Her mother's scream...
"They knew they were going to die," Serenity realized.
"They stayed anyway. Because they thought the truth was more important than their lives."
"Were they right?"
"That's for you to decide. But first, you need to live long enough to make that choice." Asha returned to the fire.
"Your training starts tomorrow. I'm going to teach you everything I know about magic, fighting, and politics. By the time I'm done, no one will be able to use you again."
"What about them?" Serenity looked at her friends.
"They can stay if they want. But they'll follow your rules now, not their own goals." Kael shifted uncomfortably.
"I still need help with my curse"
"Your curse will break when you learn to put someone else's needs before your own," Asha said frankly.
"Maybe then you'll be worthy of her." Riven started to argue, but Asha cut him off.
"And you need to decide whether you're an assassin or a guardian. You can't be both."
"What about me?" Veyric asked.
"You need to stop trying to replace a dead woman with her kid. Lyralei is gone. Serenity is her own person." The vampire prince's jaw tensed, but he nodded.
"Now," Asha clapped her hands.
"Everyone sleep. Tomorrow we start changing the world." As the others settled down around the fire, Asha pulled Serenity away.
"There's one more thing you need to know."
"What?"
"I'm not just your mentor." Asha's eyes gleamed in the firelight.
"I'm your aunt. Your mother's sister." Serenity stared.
"My aunt?" "I've been watching over you your whole life. From a distance, but always watching."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I was afraid. Afraid of failing you like I failed your parents." Asha's voice shook.
"But after tonight, I know you're strong enough. Strong enough to hear the real truth."
"What real truth?"
"The man who killed your family. The one who ordered their deaths." Asha's face hardened.
"He's still living. And he's been hunting you ever since."
"Who is he?" Before Asha could answer, a twig snapped outside the cave. Then another.
"Someone's coming," Riven hissed, grabbing his weapons. Footsteps crunched in the snow. Getting closer. A man's voice called out from the darkness.
"Asha Linvale. I know you're in there." The witch went pale.
"No. It can't be."
"Who is it?" Serenity demanded. "The man who destroyed our family." Asha's voice was barely a whisper.
"The one who's been pulling everyone's strings from the beginning."
"Come out, sister," the voice called again.
"It's time we finished what we started." Asha's face crumbled.
"He's my brother. And he's here to kill us all."