Pain was the first thing I felt.
Not the quick kind that makes you scream once and pass out.
This pain was slow.
Cruel.
It crawled through my veins like fire and settled inside my bones, as if my own blood had turned against me.
I was on my knees in the Blood Court.
Chains carved with crimson runes wrapped around my wrists and ankles. They were not ordinary chains. They were made to weaken blood mages, to drain their mana until they could no longer resist.
Blood pooled beneath me.
I could not even tell if it was mine anymore.
My breathing was uneven, my throat dry, my vision blurry. But I forced myself to look up.
The hall was packed.
Nobles.
Elders.
Students.
Even people who had never spoken to me before were there, staring like they had come to watch a monster die.
And at the front of the court stood the two people who mattered most to me.
The two people I trusted with my life.
My best friend, Selene Frost.
And my lover, Lucien Valemont.
Selene stood close to him, dressed in white, her face twisted into a beautiful expression of sadness. Tears glistened in her eyes, as if my suffering was breaking her heart.
But I knew her too well.
That sadness was not real.
It was performance.
Lucien did not look at me with anger.
He looked at me like I had disappointed him.
Like I had failed some test I never knew I was taking.
"Elara Nightborne," the High Elder announced, his voice echoing through the massive court hall. "You are accused of forbidden blood magic, treason against the Blood Kingdom, and the murder of Selene Frost."
The crowd gasped.
I stared at him, confused at first, then furious.
Murder.
I laughed.
The sound came out weak and broken, stained with blood.
"Murder," I whispered hoarsely. "Selene is standing right there."
More murmurs spread through the crowd.
Selene stepped forward and clutched Lucien's arm, trembling like a fragile bird.
"She is confused," she whispered, her voice shaking perfectly. "Ever since she tried to steal my bloodline, she has not been the same."
Gasps erupted.
I could not believe what I was hearing.
I turned to Lucien, expecting him to speak, to defend me.
But he remained silent.
His eyes were cold.
Then he finally opened his mouth.
"Elara," he said calmly. "Admit your crime. If you repent, I will make sure your death is painless."
My heart shattered.
I stared at him as if I had never seen him before.
"You knew," I whispered. "You planned this with her."
For a brief second, his expression shifted.
Just a flicker.
Then his eyes hardened again.
The High Elder raised his staff.
"The court has reached its decision. Elara Nightborne is guilty. Sentence is death by blood burning."
Fear rushed through me like ice water.
Blood burning was not an execution.
It was torture.
A punishment designed to awaken every pain a blood mage could feel before turning them into ash.
The ritual circle beneath me lit up.
Crimson flames rose slowly around my knees.
At first it was warmth.
Then it became agony.
My veins felt like they were being ripped open. My blood boiled, my bones vibrated, my body shaking violently as ancient runes carved themselves into my flesh.
I screamed.
But no one moved.
No one cared.
I tried to pull away, but the chains tightened.
The flames climbed higher.
Through my blurred vision, I saw Selene smile.
She leaned closer, careful not to let anyone notice.
Then she whispered into my ear.
"Thank you for nurturing the bloodline for me," she said softly. "It was always meant to be mine."
My breathing stopped.
"What did you say"
Her smile widened.
"The power inside you," she whispered. "You were too weak to awaken it. So I will."
The flames surged.
The pain swallowed my voice.
My scream became silent as my throat burned from the inside.
I fell forward, my body trembling, my eyes wide with disbelief.
This was how I would die.
Not because I was guilty.
Not because I was weak.
But because I trusted the wrong people.
The last thing I saw was Lucien.
His lips moved, but I could not hear him anymore.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
I thought death would be quiet.
I was wrong.
Because the next thing I felt was air.
Cold air.
I gasped and sat upright violently, like I had been dragged out of drowning.
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
My hands flew over my body.
No burns.
No chains.
No blood.
I looked around.
My room.
My academy room.
The familiar wooden desk. The old mana lamp glowing softly. The same curtains I used to hate because they were too thin.
My heart began to pound harder.
This was impossible.
I stumbled out of bed and rushed to the mirror.
The girl staring back at me was younger.
Seventeen.
My skin was smooth. My eyes were brighter. My body was unscarred.
My throat tightened.
I backed away slowly.
Outside the window, the academy bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The Blood Academy.
The morning of the aptitude ceremony.
The day everything began.
My knees went weak.
I grabbed the edge of my desk to steady myself.
I had been reborn.
Returned to the past.
Five years before my execution.
A shaky laugh escaped my lips.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, I was laughing so hard tears fell down my face.
Fate had given me another chance.
Then suddenly, a sharp pain struck my chest.
I cried out and dropped to my knees.
Heat spread through my veins, not like the burning flames that killed me, but like something awakening.
Something alive.
My vision blurred.
Crimson symbols flashed before my eyes.
A voice echoed in my mind, deep and ancient.
Blood of origin detected.
Sealed bloodline awakening initiated.
Compatibility confirmed.
My body trembled.
My breathing grew heavy.
Power surged through me, raw and intoxicating.
And I realized something that made my heart freeze.
In my past life, my bloodline never awakened.
That was why I was mocked.
That was why Selene saw me as prey.
That was why Lucien abandoned me.
But now.
Now it was waking up.
I clenched my fists.
This time, I would not die begging.
This time, I would make them beg.
A knock came at my door.
"Elara," Selene's cheerful voice called. "Are you awake You will be late for the ceremony."
My eyes darkened.
I stood slowly.
"Yes," I said softly. "I am awake."
And for the first time, I meant it.
Because I had returned.
And I was not the same Elara anymore.