"My children."
The words remained suspended in the darkness.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Even the palace seemed to have fallen silent.
Sebastian stared into the enormous darkness beneath the throne.
His hand remained wrapped around Aliena's.
He could feel her trembling.
For the first time in his life, Sebastian didn't know what to say.
Children.
The word shouldn't have meant anything.
It shouldn't have made sense.
Yet something inside him reacted to it.
Something buried beneath layers of memories and forgotten years.
Something that knew the voice.
Something that feared it.
Aliena slowly shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was barely audible.
The darkness shifted.
"You have forgotten."
"I don't know you."
A low sound came from beneath the throne.
It almost sounded like laughter.
"You knew me before you knew your names."
Sebastian's grip tightened around Aliena.
"Don't listen to it."
The voice answered immediately.
"You still protect her."
