The blizzard froze in place.
The world stood still.
Blood Reaper and the Snow Moon Queen held each other as if centuries of separation finally snapped back into place.
But then—
Blood Reaper's eyes widened.
A memory hit her.
A feeling.
A presence she had forgotten…
but her heart had never let go of.
She pulled back slightly, looking up at the Moon Queen's icy-blue face.
"…Ser… yndra?"
Her voice cracked.
The Snow Queen's eyes glowed with warmth, melting frost off her cheeks.
"Yes, little one," she whispered.
"It's me."
Kenna gasped.
"Reaper has a Moon Queen sister?!"
Seryndra shook her head softly.
"No…
I am not her sister."
Blood Reaper blinked, confused.
Seryndra cupped her face gently, brushing away melting snow.
"I am her Aunt."
The group went silent.
Blood Reaper's breath hitched.
"Aunt…?" she echoed.
"I don't… remember…"
Seryndra smiled — a soft, glowing smile filled with ancient love.
"You were not born yet, little one.
But I knew you."
She placed her hand over Blood Reaper's heart.
"When your mother carried you, I visited her often.
I would place my hand on her belly—"
her voice grew tender,
"—and you would reach for me from inside."
Blood Reaper swallowed hard.
Seryndra continued:
"I created small dream worlds for you.
A garden of stars.
A room of moonlight.
A field of violet clouds."
She brushed a thumb along Blood Reaper's cheek.
"You and I used to play there.
Mind to mind.
Soul to soul."
Blood Reaper's eyes trembled.
She remembered…
A warmth.
A presence.
A soft song.
Hands that stroked her tiny forming consciousness with comfort.
She thought it was imagination.
A dream.
A glitch in her creation.
But it was her.
"Aunt… Seryndra…"
Blood Reaper's voice broke.
Seryndra nodded.
"You understood happiness there, little one.
Before the world ever hurt you."
Blood Reaper lifted a hand to her face—
and froze.
Something wet slid down her cheek.
She touched it.
Her fingers trembled.
"…What is this?"
Seryndra's expression softened even more.
"A tear," she whispered.
Blood Reaper stared at her wet fingertips, confused and shaken.
"I… am leaking."
Keuirseu whispered from behind Cyrus,
"She's crying—GUYS SHE'S CRYING—"
Dyren slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Shut up!"
Constant stepped forward but stopped, giving her space.
Seryndra held Blood Reaper's face again.
"Tears are your soul recognizing love," she whispered.
"Something you have been denied for far too long."
Blood Reaper's lips parted, voice tiny.
"I loved you before I existed…"
Seryndra pulled her into another embrace, holding her tightly, chin on her shoulder.
"And I loved you the moment your soul sparked."
Blood Reaper clung to her Aunt with arms she didn't know could hold so tightly.
Her flames dimmed.
Her walls cracked.
Her heart finally… softened.
Kenna had tears in her eyes.
Destiny whispered,
"I've never seen her like this…"
Benjamin murmured,
"She finally found family."
Cyrus crossed his arms to hide the tears forming.
Dyren looked away, jaw tight, swallowing something like jealousy… or respect.
Constant watched her with a soft, gentle awe.
Blood Reaper pressed her forehead against Seryndra's snow-cold shoulder, crying quietly.
For the first time ever—
she wasn't alone.
Seryndra still held Blood Reaper when her eyes shifted—
glowing white, cold, ancient.
She stepped back, hands on Reaper's shoulders.
"Listen carefully, little one," Seryndra said.
"Your life is no longer hidden. The Moon Queens know you walk this realm."
Cyrus tensed.
Dyren stepped closer, protectively.
Constant clenched his jaw.
Blood Reaper wiped her wet cheeks with confusion, still unused to the "leaking."
"What do they want from me?"
Seryndra's face darkened.
"They want you claimed.
Some want you dead.
And others want you on their throne."
Kenna's stomach dropped.
"Throne? She's not even royalty!"
Seryndra shook her head.
"Blood Reaper was born from the Celestial Queen's womb…
and carries darkness Morvath himself desired."
She turned her gaze toward the swirling snow beyond the frozen town.
"That makes her the most potent soul in existence."
The wind howled, reacting to her words.