The arrows stopped midair.
Not because mercy had arrived—
But because darkness swallowed them.
Shadows exploded outward from Seraphina's sister like a living storm, twisting through the corridor and crushing bolts against the walls before they could strike.
The High Chancellor smiled.
Almost proudly.
"Well," he said softly, "you finally learned control."
Seraphina turned sharply.
"What does that mean?"
Her sister's face hardened instantly.
"We don't have time."
The archers reloaded.
Master Thorne stepped in front of Seraphina again, sword raised.
"You're surrounded."
The Chancellor laughed quietly.
"You still think this palace belongs to the crown?"
He spread his arms.
"Half your guards already answer to me."
The corridor went still.
Several soldiers looked uncertain.
Then—
A royal guard suddenly turned his blade.
And stabbed the man beside him.
Screams erupted.
Another guard attacked.
Then another.
Blood splattered marble.
Chaos exploded as palace soldiers began killing each other.
Traitors.
Hidden in plain sight.
Seraphina's stomach dropped.
"How long?" she demanded.
The Chancellor tilted his head.
"Longer than your father realized."
Lightning flashed violently across the shattered ceiling.
Thunder followed.
And in that terrible light—
The Chancellor no longer looked like a servant of the kingdom.
He looked like the man standing behind its funeral.
Master Thorne shouted over the chaos.
"Your Majesty, go!"
"No!"
Her voice cracked through the corridor with royal force.
Everyone froze for half a second.
Enough.
Enough secrets.
Enough lies.
Seraphina stepped forward.
Rain poured through broken stone behind her, soaking her sapphire robes.
Her crown gleamed beneath the torchlight.
"You murdered my father."
The Chancellor's expression darkened slightly.
"He was already dying."
"That isn't an answer."
"No," he said calmly. "It's the truth."
Her sister grabbed Seraphina's arm.
"He wants to stall."
But Seraphina refused to move.
"Why?"
The Chancellor sighed.
As though disappointed she had not understood already.
"Because your father was weak."
Master Thorne lunged instantly.
Steel clashed against steel as the Chancellor drew a hidden sword with shocking speed.
The impact echoed through the corridor.
"You dare speak of weakness?" Thorne growled.
The Chancellor blocked effortlessly.
"Oh, I knew the king better than anyone."
He shoved Thorne backward violently.
"He hid behind prophecies."
The word hit Seraphina like ice.
Prophecies.
Her sister froze too.
The Chancellor noticed.
And smiled.
"Ah."
"There it is."
"You didn't tell her."
Seraphina turned sharply.
"Tell me what?"
Silence.
Her sister looked away.
"Tell me what?" Seraphina repeated.
The Chancellor's grin widened.
"Your birth was never celebrated."
The corridor felt colder.
"You were feared."
"No," her sister said quietly.
"Stop."
But he continued.
"Two daughters born beneath the Blood Moon."
Lightning cracked overhead.
"The prophecy said one would save Lorian."
His smile sharpened.
"And the other would destroy it."
The words shattered the air.
Seraphina stared blankly.
"No."
Her sister's breathing turned uneven.
"Don't listen to him."
"But your father," the Chancellor continued, "could never determine which daughter was cursed."
The queen stepped backward.
"No…"
"That," he said softly, "is why he hid one child."
Silence swallowed the corridor.
Seraphina looked slowly toward her sister.
Years hidden.
Forgotten.
Erased.
Not for protection.
For fear.
The realization hurt worse than betrayal.
"You knew?" Seraphina whispered.
Her sister closed her eyes briefly.
"Yes."
Pain flashed across Seraphina's face.
"And you never told me."
"You were safer not knowing."
The queen laughed once.
Broken.
Unsafe.
The word felt cruel now.
Their father had raised one daughter as queen—
And buried the other alive in shadows.
Master Thorne stood again, bleeding from his shoulder.
"Your Majesty, none of this changes who you are."
But before Seraphina could answer—
The Chancellor suddenly dropped his smile.
And looked upward.
His expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Then the palace shook.
Hard.
So hard cracks spread across the corridor walls.
A roar thundered from somewhere beneath the castle.
Not above.
Below.
Ancient.
Massive.
Awake.
The Chancellor whispered something under his breath.
"No…"
Her sister turned pale instantly.
"What is it?" Seraphina demanded.
For the first time—
Her sister looked terrified.
"The prison beneath the palace…"
Thunder cracked again.
Another roar echoed.
Closer this time.
Then—
A voice boomed through the entire castle.
Not human.
Not monstrous.
Something older.
Something impossible.
And it spoke only one sentence:
"THE BLOOD OF THE TWINS HAS RETURNED."