Sera's POV
Azrael's hand glows with deadly light, aimed straight at Caspian's heart.
Time slows down. I see everything with crystal clarity Caspian standing there, too weak to defend himself. Azrael's cruel smile. The twenty divine soldiers blocking every escape route.
No! I scream.
Power explodes from me like a supernova.
Pure white light erupts in all directions, so bright it turns the world into blinding whiteness. I feel the cabin walls disintegrate. Feel Azrael's attack deflect away. Feel the divine soldiers thrown backward like leaves in a hurricane.
When the light fades, I'm standing in the center of a crater. The cabin is completely gone. Trees for fifty feet in every direction are flattened. And I'm floating three feet off the ground, power crackling around me like lightning.
Azrael is on his knees twenty feet away, looking shocked. Impossible, he breathes. You shouldn't have this much power left
Get away from him, I say, and my voice echoes with something ancient and terrible. Or I'll show you just how much power I have left.
For the first time in two hundred years, the God of Vengeance looks uncertain.
Then he smiles. There she is. There's my Seraphine.
I was never yours, I snarl.
Azrael stands slowly. His soldiers are getting up too, forming a circle around us. We'll finish this conversation later, my love. When you're not quite so... unstable. He looks past me at Caspian. Enjoy your pet while you can. Next time I come, I'm bringing the entire Celestial Army.
He vanishes in a burst of golden light. His soldiers disappear with him.
The moment they're gone, my power cuts off like someone flipped a switch. I drop to the ground hard. Everything hurts. My vision swims.
Sera! Caspian catches me before I collapse completely. Easy. You used too much power too fast.
Did I kill anyone? I gasp.
No. You controlled it perfectly. Pushed them back without destroying them. He helps me sit against a fallen tree. That was incredible. And terrifying. How did you do that?
I don't know. My hands are shaking. I just knew I couldn't let him hurt you.
Caspian touches my face gently. You saved my life.
Before I can respond, someone slow-claps behind us.
We both spin around. A girl is standing in the wreckage, completely unharmed. She looks about twenty with wild black hair, wearing jeans and a leather jacket. But her eyes her eyes have actual stars swirling in them. Tiny galaxies spinning in her irises.
Well, well, well, the girl says, grinning. That was quite the light show. Very dramatic. Ten out of ten.
Caspian positions himself between us. Who are you? How did you survive that blast?
Oh please, Cas, don't you recognize me? The girl walks closer, completely unbothered by his defensive stance. Though I guess you've only seen me twice. Once when you were sixteen, once when you were twenty-five.
Recognition flashes across Caspian's face. Lyric?
Ding ding ding! The girl Lyric does a little bow. Former minor goddess of prophecy and truth. Currently unemployed after quitting the Celestial Court because, frankly, the gods are terrible bosses.
She turns those star-filled eyes on me and smiles warmly. Hello, Seraphine. Long time no see. Well, for you anyway. For me it's only been six months since I checked in on you while you were sleeping.
I stare at her. I don't know you.
You never do when you wake up, Lyric says cheerfully. But we were friends. Good friends. I was your handmaiden in the Celestial Court until you fell. Then I helped you and Konstantin hide for a few years before the gods came looking for me too. Had to go into hiding myself.
If you're hiding from the gods, why are you here? Caspian asks suspiciously. Why risk exposure?
Lyric's smile fades. Because Azrael isn't playing around anymore. That little display of force? That was just a warning shot. He's gathering an army. The entire Celestial Court knows Seraphine is awake now. They felt her power from heaven.
My stomach drops. How long do we have?
Days. Maybe a week if we're lucky. Lyric sits on a fallen log, crossing her legs. He's going to come back with overwhelming force. And this time, he won't leave without you.
Then we run, Caspian says immediately. We find somewhere even more remote
There is nowhere, Lyric interrupts gently. Not anymore. She's too powerful now. Every time she uses her abilities, it's like shooting up a flare that says 'Here I am!' The only way to hide her again would be to put her back to sleep. Forever.
No, I say immediately. I'm done sleeping. Done hiding.
Then you need to learn to fight, Lyric says seriously. Really fight. Not just panic-explosions when someone threatens your boyfriend
He's not my boyfriend, I say quickly. Too quickly.
Lyric's grin returns. Sure, honey. Keep telling yourself that. She stands and brushes off her jeans. Point is, you need training. Real training. And lucky for you, I know everything about your old powers. I can teach you.
Why would you help us? Caspian asks. What do you want in return?
Revenge, Lyric says simply. The stars in her eyes spin faster, darker. The gods cast me out for helping you. Stripped me of most of my power. Erased my name from history. I've been waiting two hundred years for Seraphine to wake up strong enough to fight back. Now she is.
She looks at me intently. You were the most powerful goddess in the Celestial Court. Second only to the Divine King himself. You could create sunrises, level mountains, heal the dying, and destroy armies. All of that is still inside you, just locked away. I can help you remember how to access it.
In exchange for what? I ask carefully.
In exchange for you burning down the divine order that destroyed both our lives, Lyric says. When you're ready. When you're strong enough. We make them pay for what they did.
The offer hangs in the air. Caspian looks worried. The voice in my head whispers: She speaks truth. But not the whole truth.
What aren't you telling us? I ask Lyric.
She tilts her head, surprised. You can sense that? Interesting. Your truth-detection is coming back faster than expected. She sighs. Fine. Full disclosure: if you train with me and unlock your full power, there's a chance small but real that you'll burn yourself out. Mortal bodies weren't meant to hold divine power. It could kill you.
Absolutely not, Caspian says immediately. We'll find another way.
There is no other way! Lyric argues. She's going to fight Azrael whether she's trained or not. Would you rather she face him weak and unprepared, or strong and dangerous?
They both look at me. Waiting for my decision.
I think about Azrael's cruel smile. About Caspian dying to protect me. About two hundred years of running and hiding and forgetting.
Train me, I say firmly. I don't care about the risks. I'm done being helpless.
Caspian looks like he wants to argue, but he just nods. Then we do this carefully. Controlled. If there's any sign you're burning out
We stop, I promise. But I have to try, Caspian. I can't let you die for me. I can't let Azrael win.
Lyric claps her hands. Excellent! We start at dawn. For tonight, let's begin with something easy. Happy memories. She steps closer and reaches for my forehead. May I?
I nod, nervous.
Her fingertips touch my temples. They're warm and tingle with power.
Suddenly I'm somewhere else. A palace made of clouds and light. I'm flying through the air, laughing, young and free and powerful. Lyric is beside me, also laughing. We're racing through sunrise colors pink and gold and orange painting the sky.
You were always fastest at dawn, memory-Lyric says.
That's because dawn is mine, I reply, and it feels natural. True.
The memory shifts. I'm in a garden, creating flowers with just a thought. Roses bloom under my hands. Birds sing around me. I feel completely at peace.
You created the first sunrise, a voice says. I turn and see myself in a mirror young, radiant, wearing a crown of literal sunlight. The gods asked you to paint the sky, and you made it more beautiful than they ever imagined.
The memory fades. I'm back in the wrecked forest, tears streaming down my face.
But they're not sad tears.
I was happy, I whisper. Before Azrael. Before the trial. I was so happy.
You were the Goddess of Dawn, Lyric says softly. You brought light and hope to the entire world. You can do it again, Sera. You can be that powerful, that free. You just have to remember how.
I look at my hands. They're glowing faintly, like embers waiting to ignite.
For the first time since I woke up, I feel hope.
Then Caspian gasps. Lyric. Her eyes.
Lyric looks at me and her expression changes to shock. Oh. Oh no. This is happening faster than I thought.
What? I ask frantically. What's wrong?
Lyric pulls out a small mirror and shows me.
My eyes are changing. The brown is fading, being replaced by silver light. Like liquid moonlight is pouring into my irises.
Your divinity is returning, Lyric whispers. But that's impossible. You were stripped of godhood. This shouldn't be happening unless...
She trails off, face pale.
Unless what? Caspian demands.
Lyric meets my eyes in the mirror. Unless you were never truly stripped at all. Unless the gods lied, and your power has been dormant inside you this whole time, just waiting for the right trigger to wake it up.
The voice in my head laughs. Finally, they're beginning to understand. You were never mortal, my dear. You were only sleeping. And now, you're waking up.