The palace trembled.
Dust rained from the fractured ceiling.
Several guards lost their footing as another roar shook the foundations of Castle Lorian.
Not above.
Not outside.
Below.
Deep beneath the throne room.
Deep beneath the kingdom itself.
And somehow—
Everyone knew.
Something ancient had awakened.
The voice still echoed through the halls like thunder trapped inside stone.
"THE BLOOD OF THE TWINS HAS RETURNED."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Terrible.
Even the traitorous soldiers stopped fighting.
Because whatever war existed between nobles suddenly felt insignificant.
The High Chancellor's face had gone pale.
For the first time since Seraphina met him—
He looked uncertain.
Her sister stepped backward slowly.
"No," she whispered. "It's too early."
Seraphina grabbed her arm.
"What's beneath this palace?"
Her sister looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And something close to regret flickered across her face.
"The reason Father feared the prophecy."
Before Seraphina could demand answers—
The floor cracked.
A violent shockwave burst upward from beneath the corridor.
Stone exploded.
Several guards screamed as the ground collapsed under them.
The Chancellor shouted instantly:
"Move!"
Too late.
The marble floor shattered open.
A massive black chasm ripped through the palace corridor like a wound.
One guard slipped—
And vanished into darkness.
His scream echoed for far too long.
Then stopped abruptly.
Something moved below.
Huge.
Breathing.
Watching.
Golden light pulsed upward from the abyss.
Slowly.
Like eyes opening.
The surviving guards stumbled backward in terror.
Master Thorne raised his sword.
"What in God's name is that?"
Her sister answered quietly.
"The First King."
Everyone froze.
No one breathed.
Even the storm outside seemed to pause.
Seraphina stared at her.
"That's impossible."
"No," her sister said softly.
"It should have been."
The Chancellor suddenly barked an order.
"ARCHERS!"
More masked soldiers rushed onto the upper balconies.
Crossbows aimed downward.
But not at Seraphina.
At the crack in the floor.
Fear flickered in the Chancellor's eyes.
"Seal it!" he shouted.
"Now!"
Then—
A hand emerged from the darkness.
Not human.
Far too large.
Its skin looked carved from black stone veined with molten gold.
Ancient symbols burned across it.
The palace shook again.
And slowly—
Something began pulling itself upward.
The guards panicked.
"Fall back!"
"Run!"
"No one survives this!"
One archer fired.
The bolt struck the creature's hand—
And instantly turned to ash.
The Chancellor cursed.
"Fools!"
Her sister stepped protectively in front of Seraphina.
"We have to go."
"No."
Seraphina's voice came out harder now.
Colder.
Every secret.
Every betrayal.
Every lie.
She was done running.
"What is the First King?"
Her sister hesitated.
Then finally said:
"He founded Lorian."
"Yes, I know history."
"No," she said quietly.
"You know the version they allowed you to read."
Another hand gripped the edge of the shattered floor.
The thing climbed higher.
Its eyes glowed beneath the darkness.
Gold.
Burning.
Ancient.
And horrifyingly intelligent.
Her sister lowered her voice.
"The First King was never human."
The words landed like ice.
"He made a bargain," she continued. "Power in exchange for blood."
Seraphina's pulse quickened.
"What blood?"
Her sister looked directly at her.
"Royal blood."
The Chancellor suddenly shouted—
"Kill the twins!"
Everything exploded into movement.
Archers fired.
Traitor guards charged.
Master Thorne blocked a bolt aimed at Seraphina's chest.
Her sister raised one hand—
And shadows erupted violently.
Darkness swallowed half the corridor.
Men screamed.
Steel shattered.
Then—
The thing beneath the palace stood.
Impossible.
Towering.
A king draped in ruined black armor older than memory itself.
A crown fused into his skull.
Eyes burning like suns.
The entire castle trembled beneath his weight.
Everyone froze.
Even the Chancellor.
The creature looked at Seraphina.
Then her sister.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if remembering faces long forgotten.
And finally—
It knelt.
The ancient king lowered his head before them.
Its voice shook the walls.
"Which daughter carries the crown…"
Silence.
Then its golden gaze sharpened.
"…and which carries the curse?"