The storm had faded for the moment, leaving only the whisper of wind brushing against the palace walls. Yet within the castle, the Crimson Amulet pulsed faintly, as though sensing something far beyond its stone confines.
Seraphina wandered the corridors, her fingers grazing the jewel that rested against her chest. A shiver ran through her—not from the cold, but from the quiet pull of the amulet itself.
Lorin found her near a shadowed hallway, candlelight flickering across his features as he stepped closer. His eyes softened.
"Do you feel that?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, unease clouding her gaze. "Something is coming. Not yet… but it is preparing. The amulet knows—and I feel it too."
He reached for her hand, their fingers intertwining. "Then we must be ready. Whatever approaches… we cannot let it take what is ours."
Her heart fluttered as warmth spread from the amulet through her chest, a thin thread binding her to him. "I never thought I could feel this way especially for someone I do not know," she whispered. "But even with the danger… I feel I can trust you, I feel safe just being in your presence."
Lorin smiled faintly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "And I with you," he murmured. "Perhaps when the palace knows peace again… I will show you my village."
Seraphina's gaze softened. Her fingers returned to the amulet, tracing its edges. "I would love that," she admitted quietly. "To walk in a world that does not know me by a crown. To be normal—to walk among normal people."
"Then one day," Lorin said gently, "you shall. And on that day… you can simply be Seraphina, not the princess of a kingdom."
The amulet pulsed warmly, as if approving this unspoken hope.
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Kael approached, his hands folded behind his back, his expression calm but unreadable. "My princess, we must head to the training hall. And you as well, Lorin—since you are now bound together."
"You want to train my emotions again?" Seraphina asked.
"No," Kael replied. "This is more important. It concerns the Order—and what it now means for both of you."
"The Order?" Lorin repeated. "That sounds… familiar."
"Shall we go?" Kael said, already turning away, not waiting for an answer.
Seraphina and Lorin exchanged a glance before following him, their footsteps echoing through the long halls.
They entered the training chamber—an empty, forgotten space. Nothing about it was extravagant, yet it was far from meaningless to Seraphina. This room had once been cherished by Queen Ismira, who spent her quiet hours here reading ancient scrolls and tales of old.
Kael stopped at the center of the room, standing tall, his posture rigid. "Princess, do you remember when I told you I would explain the Order?"
"Yes," Seraphina replied. "What of them?"
"According to ancient history," Kael began, retrieving a large, dust-covered book, "the Order has existed for decades. Legend speaks of three men—granted supernatural power—to correct the world's wrongs."
He blew the dust from the cover and opened it. "Look here. Do you recognize these figures?"
"Yes," Seraphina whispered.
"I have seen them before," Lorin said slowly, his brow furrowing. "In a dream. Three dark figures… and a princess." He glanced at Seraphina. "You."
"The power of the amulet," Kael said quietly. "It pulled you into the princess's dream. From now on, since you are connected to it, you will share dreams when the Order approaches—and visions as well."
"Why do they want the amulet?" Seraphina asked, her hand tightening around the glowing crimson stone.
"Because it is wrong," Lorin said suddenly. His eyes flared red, his voice shifting—no longer entirely his own. "A relic should not be alive."
Seraphina turned sharply to Kael, fear rising in her chest.
"It revealed something through him," Kael said gravely.
Seraphina stood frozen, caught between Lorin's burning red eyes and Kael's unyielding stare, as the truth settled heavily in the air.
The conversation unfolding in Altheris did not go unheard. Two hidden guests watched from afar, eavesdropping through the shimmering surface of an orb. Although they could not see the bearer's face.
The amulet distorted the vision, wrapping its chosen and kael in a veil of crimson light.
Maryse and Maelrin forced more power into the crystal, straining to pierce the barrier.
For a moment, the outline sharpened—
Then the amulet flared violently, wiping the image clean. Instead they focused on the conversation Kael and Seraphina had
Maryse's cruel laughter echoed through the tower, sharp and unrestrained.
"I cannot believe the Order—those fools—are still alive," she said between laughs.
"Three powerful men, destined to right the world's wrongs," Maelrin scoffed. "What a joke. And now they seek the amulet."
"They will never stand in our way," Maryse replied coldly. "They will never be able to still our storm with their silence."
Maelrin's expression darkened. "And if the passing years have only made them stronger?"
Maryse whirled on him, fury blazing. "What are you saying?" she thundered. "We have defeated them in countless battles! They tremble in our presence!"
"Yes, I know, wife," Maelrin said carefully. "But we have never been able to kill them have we? By the time we get more power—the amulet—we will finally end them once and for all."
A slow, dangerous smile curved Maryse's lips. "Indeed. You are right." She turned back to the orb. "Let us find the amulet's location, shall we?"
She began to chant, her voice slipping into an ancient tongue, as the orb's surface shifted—its vision narrowing, channeling toward the crimson amulet.