The first hours of the day bathed the island in a pale, almost unreal light, while the mist lingered,
refusing to fully disperse. The house, though silent, vibrated with a latent tension, as if the walls
themselves remembered the battle that had taken place within them.
Declan was still asleep, his body weak but stable beneath the blankets. From time to time, his
brows furrowed, as though he were fighting dark memories even in his dreams. I didn't move
from his side. Every time I felt his hand loosen ever so slightly in mine, panic nested again in my
chest.
Melyra approached with silent steps, carrying a bowl of fresh water and clean cloths.
—He's alive because of you —she said softly.
I shook my head, my eyes never leaving Declan.
—He's alive because of all of us. Because of the island.
Melyra knelt beside me, placing the damp cloth on Declan's forehead.
—But there are scars that aren't always visible —she added, her voice heavy with a calm sadness—.
Not only on his body. On his energy as well.
I shuddered, understanding the weight of her words. The shadow hadn't only tried to take his life.
It had tried to break him from within.
Outside, Lyanna came in hurriedly, bringing troubling news. There had been unusual movement in
the nearby forests. Some inhabitants claimed to have seen hooded figures, and a quiet fear was
beginning to spread among the people.
—And Byron? —I asked, naming the castaway I wanted nothing to do with.
Lyanna lowered her gaze.
—He's not in his cell. He disappeared last night during the chaos.
My skin prickled.
—How is that possible?
Melyra exchanged a grim look with Lyanna.
—It wasn't a mistake. Someone helped him.
A chill ran through me. The certainty that not everyone on the island was an ally settled like a stone
in my chest.
Declan stirred faintly beneath the blankets, his breathing faltering for a moment, as if his body, too,
were responding to the danger drawing near.
I tightened my grip on his hand with renewed force.
—We won't let them touch him again —I promised in a fierce whisper.
The war we believed we had avoided was only beginning to reveal its true face.
Melyra, who had remained close, sat beside me, her face shaped by a gravity I had rarely seen in
her.
—It's time you know the full truth —she said, her voice barely a whisper in the heavy air of the
room.
I looked at her, instinctively knowing that what she was about to tell me was far more than a story.
It was a legacy.
—Our people —she began— are not from this world. Not entirely. We arrived here eons ago,
pursued by others like us… but also different. When we reached this island, it wasn't by chance.
The island… chose us. Or perhaps we awakened it.
My eyes widened, absorbing every word.
—We were not many —she continued—. Only a handful. Each of us carried within an ancient
energy, a spark of what we had once been elsewhere. But that energy required balance, and the
island offered it to us. Here, we were able to heal. To adapt.
She drew a slow breath before continuing.
—However, not all accepted the change. Some longed for more power. They wanted to dominate,
not coexist. They wanted the island to bend to their will, as other lands once had.
The unspoken name hung between us.
Mikos.
—The war began long before you were born, Sereniah —Melyra whispered—. And now, it has
found a new echo in you and in Declan.
I shivered, feeling my blood vibrate at a frequency I couldn't fully comprehend.
—Why me? —I asked, my voice barely a breath.
Melyra smiled sadly.
—Because you carry within you something you don't even know yet. Something that can heal… or
destroy. And both we and our enemies can feel it.
At that very moment, the island trembled, as if the earth itself were responding to her words.
Melyra fell silent for a moment, as though carefully choosing what to say next.
—It's Declan. He is the key to all of this… and now, you beside him.
I frowned, confused.
—Why me?
Melyra looked at me with a mixture of tenderness and gravity.
—Because he is the last of the healers. His blood can restore—or condemn—everything that
remains of our lineage. But a healer can only endure if he finds someone who resonates perfectly
with his energy. A companion who awakens and sustains that inheritance in a new being.
She took my hand in hers.
—You are that resonance, Sereniah. Not because of a magical gift. Not because you carry some
hidden power… but because your essence, your nature, your connection to life itself, is the only
thing capable of completing what in him still remains unfinished.
I felt dazed. As if all the pieces of the puzzle had suddenly slid into place, revealing an image I
wasn't sure I was ready to see.
—And if we fail? —I asked softly, trembling.
Melyra lowered her gaze, her voice almost inaudible.
—Then there will be no heirs. And when Declan is gone… our species will vanish with him.
The weight of those words crushed my chest. This was no longer only about our bond. No longer
about love or destiny.
It was about the survival of an entire people.