The moment the High Elder pointed his staff at me, the entire hall erupted.
Students scrambled backward, some screaming, others whispering in panic as if they had just witnessed something forbidden.
I did not move.
I could not.
Not because I was afraid, but because the air itself felt heavier, as if the Bloodline Crystal had awakened something in the academy that had been sleeping for centuries.
The crimson crown symbol still hovered above my head.
It pulsed slowly like a heartbeat.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Every time it pulsed, I felt my blood respond, as if the symbol was not floating in the air but carved into my soul.
Two guards rushed toward me.
Their armor was black, engraved with blood runes. The Blood Court's private soldiers.
They moved quickly, grabbing my arms.
The instant their hands touched me, pain shot through my body.
Not ordinary pain.
It was like their gloves were made of binding spells.
My bloodline growled inside me, furious, and the crimson light around my skin flickered.
The guards froze.
Their grip loosened for a second, their eyes widening as if they had just realized they were holding something dangerous.
Then the High Elder slammed his staff against the ground.
The floor shook.
The binding runes on the guards' armor flared, and the pain returned, sharper.
I gritted my teeth.
So this was their plan.
They were not just arresting me.
They were suppressing me.
The High Elder's voice thundered through the hall.
"Elara Nightborne has awakened forbidden blood signs. She is to be taken into custody immediately. Any student who interferes will be treated as an accomplice."
Murmurs filled the hall.
I turned my head slightly and saw Selene on the floor, clutching her chest as if she was dying. Her face was pale, her eyes watery, her lips trembling.
She looked helpless.
She looked innocent.
She looked exactly like the Selene the world believed in.
Her gaze met mine.
And beneath all that fake fear, I saw it.
Hatred.
She hated me because I did not stay weak.
She hated me because her stolen golden bloodline had collapsed in front of everyone.
She hated me because for the first time, she had nothing.
Her lips moved without sound.
What did you do to me
I wanted to laugh.
What did I do
You should be grateful. I simply stopped you from stealing what was never yours.
The guards began dragging me away.
I stumbled, but I kept my head high.
My eyes scanned the hall, and that was when I saw Lucien.
He stood near the elders' platform, unmoving, his silver eyes locked on me.
He did not look shocked anymore.
He looked like he was trying to solve a mystery.
And somehow, that made me more uneasy than any threat the elders could give.
His gaze dropped to my wrist.
Then to the crimson crown symbol above my head.
Then back to my eyes.
His lips parted slightly.
"Elara…"
He said my name like it carried weight.
Like it meant something he could not explain.
I forced myself not to react.
Not to show emotion.
In my past life, I had loved him.
In my past life, I had believed he was my future.
Now, all I could see was the man who stood and watched me burn.
The guards pulled me toward the large doors.
Then a voice cut through the chaos.
"Stop."
The single word was quiet.
But the authority behind it made the hall freeze.
The guards stopped instantly.
Even the High Elder stiffened.
I turned my head.
A man stepped forward from the back of the hall.
He wore a long cloak darker than midnight, and his face was partially hidden beneath a hood.
But I could still feel it.
Power.
Heavy, ancient power.
The air around him shifted as if it recognized him.
Students whispered.
"That is Instructor Raven."
"The masked teacher."
"They say he was once part of the Blood Council."
"They say he killed an Elder and disappeared for years."
Instructor Raven walked slowly toward the center of the hall, his boots echoing against the stone floor.
He stopped a few feet away from me.
Then he looked up at the crimson crown symbol hovering above my head.
For the first time since I awoke in this timeline, I saw fear in someone else's eyes.
Not the fear of death.
The fear of prophecy.
Raven's voice was low.
"That mark should not exist anymore."
The High Elder stepped forward, his face tense.
"Instructor Raven," he said sharply. "This is not your matter. Stand aside."
Raven did not even glance at him.
His eyes remained fixed on the symbol.
Then he looked at me.
His gaze pierced through me like he could see every secret hidden in my blood.
"You are Elara Nightborne," he said.
I swallowed.
"Yes."
He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something.
Then he spoke again.
"And yet, you are not."
A chill ran down my spine.
The High Elder's staff slammed into the ground again.
"Enough," he snapped. "She is to be seized and tested. She may be a threat to the kingdom."
Raven finally turned toward the High Elder.
His voice became colder.
"You are afraid," he said.
The High Elder's eyes narrowed.
"I am cautious."
Raven stepped closer, his cloak shifting like smoke.
"No," he corrected. "You are afraid because you know what this mark means."
The entire hall went silent.
Even Selene stopped pretending to cough.
Even Lucien's expression changed slightly.
The High Elder's lips tightened.
"You speak dangerously, Raven."
Raven's eyes flickered back to me.
Then he spoke words that made the blood in my veins freeze.
"If she is truly marked," he said, "then the Blood Kingdom has been living a lie for centuries."
My heart pounded.
Living a lie.
What did that mean
The guards tightened their grip again, ready to drag me away.
Raven lifted his hand slightly, and the air around us seemed to bend.
"Do not touch her," he said calmly.
The guards hesitated.
The High Elder's voice rose.
"She is a suspect of forbidden blood awakening. She must be restrained immediately."
Raven's voice dropped lower, more dangerous.
"You cannot restrain what was born to rule you."
My breath caught.
Rule.
The word hit me like a slap.
Was this what they were terrified of
Was I truly connected to the Forgotten Queen
Before I could think further, Selene's voice suddenly rose.
"She attacked me," Selene cried out, her voice trembling dramatically. "She drained my bloodline. Everyone saw it. She is dangerous. Please, High Elder, please save us."
Her words shattered the silence.
Students turned toward her.
Some nodded, believing her instantly.
Of course they did.
Selene had always been the beloved one.
The victim.
The angel.
And I had always been the shadow beside her.
The guards began pulling me harder.
I stumbled, my shoulder slamming against the stone floor.
Pain flared through my arm.
My bloodline reacted instantly.
Heat surged through my veins.
The crimson crown above me pulsed violently.
And suddenly, the runes in the air exploded.
A wave of crimson energy burst outward.
The guards were thrown backward like dolls.
Students screamed as the force knocked them off their feet.
The hall shook.
The Bloodline Crystal cracked further, glowing dangerously.
I stared at my own hands.
Crimson flames danced around my fingers.
I had not summoned them.
They had answered me on instinct.
My bloodline was defending itself.
The elders backed away, shock and fear written clearly across their faces.
Selene froze.
Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
She stared at me as if she was seeing the devil.
And Lucien…
Lucien stepped forward.
Slowly.
Calmly.
His silver eyes were locked on the flames around my hands.
"Elara," he said softly.
His voice was not angry.
Not afraid.
It was almost… gentle.
"I know that power," he whispered. "I have seen it before."
My chest tightened.
What did he mean
Before I could respond, the High Elder screamed.
"Bind her now. Use the Blood Chains. Do not let her awaken further."
Four elders raised their hands at once.
The floor beneath me glowed with crimson runes.
The air turned icy.
Chains rose from the ground like snakes, wrapping around my arms and legs.
The pain was instant.
I cried out, my knees hitting the floor again.
The chains tightened.
My flames flickered.
The crown symbol above my head trembled, struggling.
Raven's voice snapped through the chaos.
"Stop!"
But it was too late.
The High Elder stepped down from the platform, his eyes burning with hatred.
"You should have stayed asleep," he hissed.
He leaned closer to me, his voice dropping into a whisper.
"The Forgotten Queen died a long time ago. We made sure of it."
My blood ran cold.
We.
We made sure.
So it was not just Selene and Lucien who betrayed me in my past life.
It was the kingdom itself.
The High Elder straightened.
"Take her," he commanded. "Bring her to the Blood Court."
The words hit me like thunder.
Blood Court.
My heart began to race.
That was where I died.
That was where they burned me alive.
The guards dragged me up again.
My body trembled, not from fear but from rage.
Selene stood slowly, pretending to wipe tears from her cheeks. Her eyes met mine, and she gave me the smallest smile.
A smile only I could understand.
A smile that said.
You are finished.
I stared back at her.
And in that moment, I made a promise.
Not to fate.
Not to the gods.
To myself.
I would not die quietly this time.
The guards dragged me out of the hall.
The academy corridors blurred as we moved.
Students lined the halls, whispering as if they were watching history unfold.
Some looked terrified.
Some looked excited.
Some looked like they wanted to see me executed.
Just like last time.
The carriage outside the academy was already waiting.
Black.
Engraved with Blood Court sigils.
They threw me inside.
The door slammed shut.
The moment the carriage began moving, I leaned my head against the cold wall and closed my eyes.
My bloodline pulsed inside me, angry and restless.
Then a voice whispered inside my mind.
Not the system voice from before.
This one was female.
Soft.
Ancient.
Almost familiar.
My eyes snapped open.
Welcome back, my child.
My breath caught.
The carriage shook as it rolled forward.
And the voice spoke again.
You died once for them.
Now you will live to destroy them.
I swallowed hard.
"Who are you" I whispered.
The voice laughed quietly.
A laugh that sounded like blood and crowns.
I am the Forgotten Queen.
And I have been waiting for you.
My body went cold.
The carriage continued toward the Blood Court.
And I realized something terrifying.
I was not just reborn.
I was becoming something else.
Something they feared more than death.
Something they tried to erase from history.
A queen.
And this time, I would not burn alone.