The eastern courtyard lay in twilight, mist curling around the marble pillars. The sky hovered between night and dawn, the silence unnerving. Aldric stood alone beside a stone bench stacked with reports—scouts spoke of vanished animals and strange whispers. Yet what unsettled him most was the wind, suddenly shifting through the chamber.
His grip tightened, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rising. He turned slowly—and the shadows began to ripple.
She appeared as if molded from smoke, tall and slender, her silver eyes glowing like moons through mist. The witch. The same one from his visions. The one whose presence once haunted his sleep.
"You have grown careless, Your Majesty," she said, voice coiling like venom. "Ruling in peace... loving in peace. But you forget—your kingdom is not cleansed. Your fate is not escaped."
Aldric's hand dropped to his sword.
"I knew you'd return," he said calmly. "You have lingered too long in my dreams not to step into the waking world."
The witch sneered. "Dreams are doorways. But Archon shut them. How dare she."
Aldric's eyes narrowed. "Archon? Who is that?"
The witch raised a hand, fingers coiling in the air like claws as she laughed wickedly. "You truly have no idea who that is? How foolish."
Aldric tightened his grip on his sword, confusion sharpening into wariness.
With a sudden snap of her wrist, the witch unleashed a surge of dark energy—fast, violent, and deadly—rushing straight toward him.
A sharp blast of air struck the space between Aldric and the magic. A wall of shimmering light flared, swallowing the darkness in an instant. The marble beneath cracked from the force of it.
A white blur had stepped in. Aurora.
She stood before him like a shield, both arms outstretched, her white hair lifted slightly by invisible wind, her eyes flickering with a sharp blue glow. The ground pulsed beneath her feet with ancient power.
Aldric's heart slammed against his chest. Eyes wide. It was real. What he had always suspected—everything was true.
The witch let out a shrill, delighted laugh.
"So the child chooses to expose herself," she crooned. "All for him?"
"Who are you," Aurora demanded, her voice steady but cold. "Who sent you?"
The witch stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"Archon. At last, we meet," she hissed. "They say you possess immense power. I would like to see it."
"Are you certain you are ready for it?" Aurora asked, faint amusement threading her voice.
The witch sneered. "Judging by your tone, you sound confident." Her eyes flicked to Aldric. "I came only to kill him. But if I end Archon as well, I will be doing my coven a favor."
She struck without warning—hurling a massive surge of dark energy toward them.
Aurora did not flinch. She raised her hand, and this time, the air cracked.
A bolt of light, white-hot and blinding, burst from her palm, striking the witch square in the chest. The courtyard shook. Marble shards flew.
The witch screamed as her body dissolved into smoke and vanished into the shadows, leaving behind the scent of scorched roses and ash.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Aurora staggered slightly, breath unsteady. Aldric caught her before she fell, his arms wrapping around her without hesitation.
She looked up at him, eyes still glowing faintly. "You saw," she said softly.
"I did," he answered.
She blinked, eyes wet. "And now that you know...?"
"You lied," he said.
"I am sorry. I was just scared."
Aldric smiled. "I already suspected. But I want you to know—I will always stand beside you. No matter what you are."
She swallowed a sob and leaned into him. "I am sorry."
"No more secrets?" Aldric asked.
"There is more… but not now," Aurora said.
Aldric raised a brow, but before he could speak—
The sound of rushing boots echoed in the hallway before Kael appeared at the chamber door, sword half-drawn.
"Your Majesty?" he asked breathlessly, eyes scanning the disarray of the chamber, the scorched wall where magic had struck, and the faint lingering scent of something unearthly. "I heard noise—what happened?"
Aldric stood still, calm but alert, his chest rising and falling steadily as he glanced once toward the scorched mark on the wall, then back to Kael. "It is nothing," he said simply, his voice even.
Kael's eyes flickered toward Aurora, but he said nothing. He knew better than to pry when Aldric used that tone. He gave a low bow and stepped back, closing the door behind him.
Aldric turned back to Aurora, and though his eyes were filled with questions, he said nothing more. Instead, he stepped forward and lifted her gently into his arms, setting her softly on her feet.
Aurora bowed slightly, face composed though her heart thundered. "I will see you later, Your Majesty," she whispered.
He said nothing, only nodded. She turned and left, each step light but deliberate.
Once inside her chamber, her facade crumbled. Brows furrowed, breath ragged.
Did Mother truly send someone to kill him?
She gripped the edge of her bed tightly, heart burning with fury, confusion—and hurt.
Still, she smiled when her maids arrived to undress her. She joked lightly, waved them off with her usual warmth, and told them, "I'd like to rest a little. And I want to be left alone."
They obeyed, bowing and retreating quietly.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Aurora laid back on the bed, closed her eyes—and let herself slip free.
The Witches' Cottage...
Wind howled through the blackened trees as Aurora's spirit stepped into the familiar, mossy clearing. The cottage stood crooked and cold under the moonlight.
With no pause, she marched in and threw open the door.
The witches stirred—Elisa, tall and distant at the head of the table, and Zyra lounging in her usual seat, smirking beneath her hood. Others hovered around the flickering fire, startled by Aurora's sudden arrival.
"Well well," Zyra laughed. "Look who has learned to come back on her own. Ready to cook her own heart and become one of us?"
Aurora ignored her.
"Mother," she said flatly, "Where is the witch who attacked Aldric?"
A murmur spread through the room.
"Which witch?" one of them said teasingly, a cruel curl on her lips.
"Do not play with me," Aurora snapped, voice hard like stone. "You know who."
Zyra leaned forward. "Oh, she barks now. Love made her bold."
Still, Aurora said nothing. Her gaze did not waver from Elisa.
Finally, Elisa sighed and spoke. "If Aldric was attacked," she said slowly, "it was not by us. It came from the dark ones. The ones who cursed him."
Aurora blinked, her chest tightening. There are other witches?
Zyra straightened. "All the more reason you should join us, dear girl. Power calls to power. Stand with us, and together we will crush the dark witches—before they destroy everything you care about."
Aurora turned toward her. Her expression unreadable. Then, without a word, she turned and walked out.
Her eyes snapped open. The ceiling of her chamber greeted her—but so did something else.
Aldric.
He sat by her bedside, watching her. His eyes were not stern or accusing, only soft. Searching. Quiet.
Aurora jolted upright. "When did you get here?"
"Not long," he said simply.
She frowned. "Why did you not wake me?"
A pause.
Aldric leaned back slightly. "Because I knew you were not in your body."
Aurora's breath caught. "You… what?"
He smiled faintly. "I have seen too much in this life not to recognize when a soul is absent from its vessel. And yours…" His hand grazed hers. "Yours was very far."
Aurora blinked at him, stunned. Was he angry? Afraid?
But he looked… calm.
She finally dared to whisper, "Are you… afraid of me?"
Instead of answering, Aldric leaned forward and kissed her. Soft and sure.
When he pulled back, he stood and reached for her hand. Aurora took it slowly, rising from her bed like a girl waking from a dream.
He led her to her small writing table and sat across from her. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then-
"Tell me everything," Aldric said gently. "From the beginning. Do not leave anything out."
And Aurora, though her heart beat like a storm within her chest, knew—she could no longer run from the truth. Her hands tightly clasped.
The candlelight flickered between them, dancing along the soft black of Aldric's hair and the steady calm in his eyes. She took a breath, shaky at first—then she let the truth pour.
Everything — from the market to all she had discovered about her mother and herself, how she always sensed dangers, every detail.
Aldric listened calmly, letting her words settle. A long silence followed.
Then Aurora added, almost hesitantly, "Of late.… I have been dreaming of ancient books. Old, crumbling, written in a language I should not understand—but I do. And when I wake… I feel different. Like something inside me has stretched open."
"What do the books say?" Aldric asked.
Aurora glanced down. "It is not always clear, but… it feels like they are teaching me. Guiding me. Helping me awaken my power."
Aldric stared at her for a long, quiet moment. Then he gave a slow smile—gentle, warm.
"Then let it teach you," he said. "You are not alone, Aurora. Not in this."
Her lips parted in surprise. "You are not… afraid?"
"Afraid?" He let out a soft, quiet laugh. "Why should I be?"
He leaned forward, tucking a loose strand of white hair behind her ear.
"You are more than magic," he said. "You are heart. Will. Light. And I will stand with you… however dark the path may grow."
Aurora stared at him, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes. She had not realized how much she needed those words until they left his mouth.
She whispered, "Thank you."
Aldric leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Now we face this together. Whatever comes next."
And in the glow of flickering candlelight, amidst truths long buried and destinies beginning to awaken, Aurora breathed a little easier—finally seen, and still loved.
-
Since the truth between them, Aurora and Aldric grew close, bound by secrets and trust. When she dreamed of the ancient book, she told him, and together they practiced her magic in quiet chambers, Aurora barefoot, eyes glowing, hands weaving power.
But peace was fleeting—Velmora's stream had been cursed, and a dark force stirred, waiting.