Sera's POV
I wake up to the sound of my prison door opening.
Rise, blessed one, Mother Callista says in that fake-sweet voice that makes my skin crawl. Three more days until you fulfil your sacred purpose.
Three more days until I die. She means three more days until they kill me.
I don't move from my bed. Through my window, I can already hear the Festival of Renewal starting in the city below. Music. Laughter. People celebrating because in three days, I'll bleed on an altar and save their lives.
Nobody asked if I wanted to save them.
Get up, Sera. Mother Callista's voice turns sharp. The priestesses are waiting.
I force myself to sit up. What choice do I have? I've been trapped in this beautiful temple for twenty years, ever since the Oracles declared me the Sacrificial Maiden. Twenty years of being told I should feel honored. Twenty years of being groomed to die with a smile.
The priestesses swarm into my room like white-robed vultures. They pull me to my feet, strip off my nightgown, and dress me in ceremonial robes. White silk that costs more than most families earn in a year. Silver stars embroidered across the fabric. A veil so delicate it feels like wearing clouds.
I'm being dressed for my own funeral, three days early.
One priestess paints silver stars on my cheeks. Another braids white flowers into my dark hair. They work in silence, and I catch glimpses of myself in the mirror. I look like a corpse already. Beautiful and pale and empty.
Perfect, Mother Callista says, examining me like I'm a prize cow at market. The people will be so pleased.
I want to scream. I want to tear these robes off and run. But I've learned to hide my feelings behind a calm mask. Anger doesn't help. Tears don't help. Nothing helps.
Come, Mother Callista says. You must appear at the balcony. The people want to see their Maiden.
She leads me through marble hallways to the temple's grand balcony. Below, thousands of people pack the streets. When they see me, they cheer.
They're cheering for my death.
I raise my hand and wave, just like I've been taught. Smile gently. Move gracefully. Be the perfect sacrifice.
A little girl in the crowd waves a ribbon with my name on it. She can't be more than six years old. Does she understand what this festival means? Does she know she's celebrating murder?
I was five when the Oracles came to my family's small house. I remember playing in our garden, chasing butterflies. Then suddenly there were strangers in dark robes, and my mother was screaming, and my father was being held back by guards.
The stars have chosen her, the head Oracle declared. She will be the Sacrificial Maiden. She will save the kingdom.
They ripped me from my mother's arms. I screamed for her, reached for her, but they took me anyway. I never saw my parents again.
Twenty years. They stole my entire life.
Wave once more, Mother Callista whispers beside me. Then we return inside.
I wave. The crowd cheers louder. And I feel nothing but hollow rage.
Back in my chambers, Mother Callista dismisses the other priestesses. Then she turns to me with that cold smile.
Three more days, Sera. I trust you won't do anything foolish.
Like what? I ask quietly.
Like trying to run. Like refusing your duty. Her eyes are ice. You understand that millions of lives depend on your sacrifice, yes? The Divine Barrier protects our kingdom from monsters and magic. Without your death, it falls. Everyone dies.
So I've been told. Every single day. For twenty years.
Then you understand the honor bestowed upon you.
Honor. That's what they call murder when it's convenient.
I understand, I say, keeping my voice flat.
Mother Callista studies me for a long moment, then nods. Good. Rest now. Tomorrow begins the final ceremonies.
She leaves, locking the door behind her. Always locked. I'm too precious to risk losing before the sacrifice.
I walk to my window and stare out at the celebration below. Somewhere in this kingdom, my parents are alive. Do they think about me? Do they remember the little girl who was stolen from them?
Hours pass. The sun sets. The celebration continues with torches and lanterns.
Finally, near midnight, I hear the softest knock at my door.
My heart jumps. Only one person would risk visiting me this late.
I open the door a crack. Lyris slips inside, her junior Oracle robes pulled tight around her. Her face is pale and frightened.
Lyris, if they catch you
I don't care. She grabs my hands. Her fingers are shaking. Sera, I need to show you something. Something that changes everything.
She pulls a scroll from inside her robes. The parchment is old and yellowed, covered in strange symbols I don't recognize.
Where did you get that? I whisper.
From the forbidden archives. The ones they tell us never to enter. Lyris spreads the scroll on my bed. I've been researching for months. Sera, the your prophecy it's a lie.
My heart stops. What?
The Divine Barrier doesn't need your death. It needs massive magical energy, yes, but your death is just the easiest way for the gods to collect it. They're lazy and cruel, so they demand human sacrifice instead of doing the work themselves.
I stare at the scroll, at the symbols I can't read. How do you know this is real?
Because I'm an Oracle. I can see the future. Lyris's voice cracks. And I've seen other futures, Sera. Ones where you live. Ones where the barrier still stands. Ones where She stops, tears spilling down her cheeks. I've watched my best friend prepare to die for a lie, and I couldn't say anything because speaking against official prophecy is heresy.
My legs feel weak. I sink onto my bed. If this is true, why would they
Control, Lyris says bitterly. Fear. The gods want worship, and nothing makes people worship faster than terror. Sacrifice one girl every generation, and everyone stays obedient.
Twenty years of my life. Stolen for a lie.
The rage I've been hiding for two decades explodes in my chest. What can I do? They're going to kill me in three days.
You run. Lyris grips my shoulders. There's a place the prophecy can't reach the Veil wilds. It's a forest where wild magic runs free, outside the gods' control. If you can get there, they can't force you to fulfil the prophecy.
How would I even escape? I'm locked in here. Guards everywhere
I have a plan, Lyris interrupts. Tomorrow morning, there's a processional through the city. You'll walk through the streets so people can see you. I've arranged everything a disguise, a horse, a route to the eastern gate.
My mind spins. Escape. Freedom. Life.
But what about the barrier? What if Lyris is wrong? What if my death really is necessary?
I know you're scared, Lyris says softly. But Sera, you deserve to live. You deserve a choice.
I look at the death robes hanging on my wall. Then at the scroll promising this is all a lie. Then at my best friend, who's risking everything to save me.
For the first time in twenty years, I make a choice that's truly mine.
Help me escape, I say.
Lyris's face floods with relief. Tomorrow morning. During the processional. I'll create a distraction
She stops mid-sentence. Her eyes roll back in her head, turning pure white.
Lyris? I grab her arms as her whole body goes rigid.
When Oracles have visions, they can't control it. Lyris is having one now, and from the terror on her frozen face, it's bad.
After a few horrible seconds, her eyes return to normal. She gasps and stumbles backward.
What did you see? I ask desperately.
Lyris stares at me, her face white as death. He's coming.
Who's coming?
The God touched Prince. Caelan Valorian. Her voice shakes. He's being sent to guard you. He arrives tomorrow morning.
My blood runs cold. Prince Caelan is the kingdom's most feared warrior, blessed by the War God himself. Divine marks cover his skin, giving him impossible strength. He's killed monsters, led armies, and never once disobeyed a command.
If he's assigned to guard me, escape becomes almost impossible.
Then we run tonight, I say frantically. Right now, before
No. Lyris grabs my wrist. I saw something else. Something impossible. She looks at me with wonder and fear mixing in her eyes. He's going to let you escape.
That's impossible. He's god-blessed. He can't disobey
I know what I saw, Sera. Lyris's grip tightens. The God touched Prince will let you go. But only for a moment. Then the gods will force him to hunt you.
Footsteps echo in the hallway outside. Heavy boots. Approaching fast.
We both freeze.
The footsteps stop directly outside my door.
Then a voice, deep and cold: Step away from the Maiden, Oracle. Now.
He's already here.