Seraphina's POV
"He's alive."
Those were the first words I heard when I woke up in Vesper's hidden safe house, my body aching from our escape through the collapsed tunnels.
My sister sat beside my makeshift bed, her mask off, tears streaming down her face. "I went back during the night. Lucian survived the collapse. But Sera..." Her voice broke. "Evangeline has him. She took him to Inquisition headquarters."
I bolted upright despite the pain screaming through my muscles. "Then we have to rescue him! We can't just—"
"We can't." Vesper grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. "Inquisition headquarters is the most heavily guarded fortress in the Empire. We'd be captured or killed before we got through the front gate. And that's exactly what Evangeline wants—she's using Lucian as bait to draw you out."
"I don't care!" Tears burned my eyes. "He's my brother! He saved us! I can't just abandon him!"
"You won't." Vesper's expression hardened with determination. "But you also won't throw your life away on a suicide mission. Lucian told you to unlock the crown, remember? That's our weapon. Once you have it, once you can prove who you are, we can rally allies. We can challenge Evangeline legally and rescue Lucian at the same time."
I wanted to argue, to scream, to burn something. But she was right. Charging in blindly would just get us all killed.
"How long will it take?" I asked, my voice hollow. "To unlock the crown from my memories?"
"Weeks. Maybe months." Vesper looked away. "And that's if the process doesn't break your mind first."
My hands clenched into fists. Lucian didn't have weeks. Who knew what Evangeline was doing to him right now?
"There has to be another way," I said desperately. "Some way to get stronger faster. To control my magic so I can fight back."
Vesper studied me for a long moment. "There might be. But you're not going to like it."
"Tell me."
"Before Lucian was captured, he mentioned a safe house. A place where he keeps... certain assets." She pulled out the crystal Lucian had given me, the one containing information about the location. "People who work for him. People with skills who might be able to help train you."
Hope sparked in my chest. "Then let's go! Right now!"
"It's a three-day journey on foot. And Sera..." Vesper hesitated. "These people Lucian recruits—they're not normal. They're damaged, dangerous, and desperate. Some of them are criminals. Others are monsters created by the Empire. You need to be prepared for what you'll see."
"I don't care what they are," I said firmly. "If they can help me save Lucian, I'll work with anyone."
Three days later, exhausted and starving, we arrived at an abandoned manor hidden deep in the forest. It looked like it had been beautiful once, but now vines covered the walls and half the roof had collapsed.
"This is it?" I asked doubtfully.
"Appearances can be deceiving." Vesper knocked on the door in a specific pattern—three knocks, pause, two knocks, pause, one knock.
The door swung open silently.
A woman stood there—Martha, the kind housekeeper from Gravemire Estate! She looked shocked to see us.
"Vesper? What are you doing here? Where's Lord Gravemire?"
"Captured," Vesper said grimly. "By Evangeline. We need to gather everyone, Martha. Now."
Martha's face went pale, but she nodded and led us inside.
The interior was nothing like the ruined exterior. Clean, organized, and clearly occupied. We walked through hallways until we reached a training courtyard in the center of the manor.
That's where I saw him.
A figure stood in the courtyard, completely still, like a statue. He wore full armor—but something was wrong about the way he held himself. Too stiff. Too perfect.
"Captain Ironheart," Martha called. "We have visitors."
The armored figure turned, and I heard the whir and click of gears.
My breath caught.
He wasn't wearing armor. He WAS armor. A knight made entirely of metal and clockwork, with glowing blue eyes visible through his helmet's visor.
"Lord Gravemire sent them?" His voice echoed like it came from the bottom of a well—deep and emotionless.
"Lord Gravemire was captured," Vesper said. "This is Seraphina. His half-sister. The Phoenix heir."
The blue eyes focused on me with unsettling intensity. Then, slowly, Captain Ironheart reached up and removed his helmet.
I gasped.
His face was made of polished metal and exposed gears. One eye was human—brown and tired. The other was a glowing blue crystal. Brass tubes ran along his jaw like mechanical veins. He should have looked like a monster.
Instead, he just looked sad.
"Don't be afraid," he said in that hollow voice. "I was human once. My name was Thomas."
I swallowed hard. "What... what happened to you?"
"The Empire happened." He set his helmet down carefully. "I was a soldier in the Imperial Army. I saw things—terrible things they did to innocent people. So I deserted. They caught me and decided to make an example." His mechanical hand clenched. "The Inquisition's magic users transformed me into this. Part man, part machine. I can't feel pain, can't feel hunger or tiredness, and I can't die easily. But I also can't feel happiness, love, or joy."
Horror and sympathy twisted in my chest. "That's horrible."
"It is," he agreed without emotion. "I'm a prisoner in my own body. Lord Gravemire is helping me search for a way to become human again. Until then, I serve him." The human eye focused on me. "If you're his sister, then you're family. I'll protect you with my life."
"Even if it means going against the Inquisition again?" I asked.
"Especially then." Something almost like anger flickered across his metal face. "The Inquisition doesn't protect people, Seraphina. It destroys them. Anyone who's different, who has magic, who questions their rules—they eliminate them. Your village learned that the hard way."
The truth of his words hit like a physical blow. My parents, my friends, my entire life—destroyed because we were different. Because we had magic they couldn't control.
"So what do I do?" I asked, my voice breaking. "How do I fight back against people who can do THIS?" I gestured at Ironheart's mechanical body. "I can barely control my magic! Yesterday I could summon flames, but today—" I held up my hands, trying to call fire. Nothing happened. "Nothing! It's like my power just disappeared!"
"OI! Are we having a pity party without me?"
A voice rang out cheerfully, and a young man vaulted over the courtyard wall, landing in a theatrical bow. He had messy red hair, freckles, and the brightest smile I'd seen since before the fire.
"Name's Finn!" He bounded over and stuck out his hand. "Professional troublemaker and occasional hero! Welcome to the madhouse, Sera! Can I call you Sera? I feel like we're gonna be great friends!"
I blinked, completely thrown by his energy. "Uh... hi?"
"Finn, she just learned her brother was captured," Vesper said dryly. "Maybe tone down the enthusiasm?"
"Right, right, serious face." Finn's expression turned grave for exactly two seconds before the grin broke through again. "But see, that's exactly WHY I'm being cheerful! Moping around won't save Lord Gravemire. Action will! Training will! Becoming strong enough to kick Evangeline's butt will!"
Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch toward a smile.
Finn noticed immediately. "HA! I saw that! You almost smiled! That's progress!" He plopped down on a bench and gestured for me to join him. "Look, I know everything seems awful right now. Trust me, I get it. The Inquisition executed my little sister for practicing healing magic. HEALING magic. She was helping people, and they killed her for it."
His smile faded, and real pain showed through.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
"Yeah, me too." He shook his head. "But I learned something important: staying angry and sad doesn't bring them back. Fighting back does. Making sure no one else loses their family the way we did—that's what matters." He bumped my shoulder gently. "So yeah, we've all got reasons to hate the people in charge. You're not alone here, Sera. We're family now. The weird, broken, revenge-seeking family."
Warmth spread through my chest—the first warmth I'd felt since Lucian's capture. These people understood. They'd lost everything too. They were broken too.
But they were still fighting.
"I want to fight," I said, my voice stronger now. "I want to learn. Whatever it takes to save Lucian and stop Evangeline—I'll do it."
"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" Finn whooped.
"Then your training begins now."
I spun around. Lucian stood in the courtyard entrance—
No. Wait. Not Lucian.
My heart sank as I realized this was someone else. A man who looked almost exactly like Lucian—same build, same dark hair—but with cold gray eyes instead of silver.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my hands instinctively reaching for magic that wouldn't come.
"Adrian Gravemire," the man said coolly. "Lucian's twin brother. And before you ask—no, we don't get along. But we have a common interest in keeping you alive." He looked me up and down critically. "So this is the Phoenix heir everyone's been fighting over? You look half-dead."
"Adrian," Martha said warningly.
"What? It's true." He walked closer, circling me like I was a horse he might buy. "Weak, untrained, can't even summon her magic on command. And Lucian expects THIS to challenge Evangeline?" He laughed coldly. "We're doomed."
Anger flared hot in my chest. "I'm standing right here!"
"Oh, I know. That's why I'm being honest." Adrian stopped in front of me. "You want to save my brother? Then you need to become a weapon. And I don't train weaklings who give up when things get hard."
"I'm not giving up!" I shouted, and suddenly—
Flames erupted from my hands.
Silver-white fire, responding to my anger just like before. The heat was intense, making everyone step back.
Everyone except Adrian.
He smiled, and it was sharp as a knife. "There it is. The Phoenix fire." He leaned closer, completely unafraid of the flames. "Your magic responds to emotion—rage, fear, pain. That's raw power but zero control. If you're going to survive in this world, you need to learn how to fight, how to spy, and how to control your magic without losing yourself to it."
The flames flickered and died as my anger faded, leaving me exhausted again.
"Can you teach me that?" I asked.
"I can try. But it won't be easy, comfortable, or safe." His gray eyes held no warmth. "Starting today, you become a weapon, Seraphina. And weapons don't have time for weakness."
I met his cold gaze with my own determination. "Then let's start."
For the next hour, Adrian put me through the most brutal training of my life. Running until my legs shook. Combat drills with Ironheart that left me bruised and gasping. Finn teaching me how to pick locks and mix poisons while making terrible jokes.
And through it all, I felt myself changing. Getting harder. Stronger.
As the sun set, I collapsed in the courtyard, every muscle screaming.
Vesper brought me water. "You did well for your first day."
"I feel like I'm dying."
"That's how you know it's working." She smiled sadly. "Sera, there's something you should know. We received word from our spy network. Evangeline has announced a public trial. She's going to execute Lucian in three weeks as a traitor to the Empire."
My blood turned to ice. "Three weeks? That's all we have?"
"Unless we can find proof of your identity before then. The crown—"
"Will take months to unlock. I know." I struggled to my feet, ignoring my body's protests. "Then we do this the hard way. We train harder. We get stronger. And in three weeks, we storm that fortress and take back what's ours."
"That's suicide," Adrian said from the shadows. I hadn't realized he was listening.
"Maybe," I agreed. "But Lucian sacrificed himself for me. I won't abandon him."
Adrian studied me for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, he nodded. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we need help. The kind of help even I'm not sure we should ask for."
"What kind of help?"
He exchanged a dark look with Vesper and Ironheart.
"There's someone," Adrian said slowly. "Someone with power strong enough to challenge Evangeline. Someone who owes Lucian a debt. But..." He hesitated. "She's dangerous, unpredictable, and she hates the Phoenix bloodline. Contacting her might get us all killed."
"Who is she?" I demanded.
Adrian took a deep breath. "Her name is Cassia Brighthollow. Your former best friend from Ember Hollow. The only other survivor besides you."
My heart stopped.
Cassia. My childhood friend. The girl I'd shared everything with.
"She survived?" I breathed.
"Yes. But Sera..." Vesper's face was grim. "She blames you for the fire. She thinks you killed her family. And she's been hunting you for three months."
The courtyard door burst open with a CRASH.
Everyone spun, weapons drawn.
A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway, breathing hard, covered in blood. But not their own blood.
Captain Ironheart's mechanical body shifted into combat stance. "Identify yourself!"
The figure stepped into the light.
My breath caught.
She had blonde hair matted with dirt and blood. Burn scars covered half her face—scars that looked exactly like mine. And her eyes—her eyes held such rage and pain that I wanted to run.
"Hello, Sera," Cassia said, her voice cold as death.
She raised a crossbow, aiming it directly at my heart.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, murderer. And now that I've finally found you..." Her finger tightened on the trigger. "You're going to pay for what you did to my family."