Serafina collapsed onto the ice, her body contorted in pain. Damian immediately swept her into his arms and carried her to his private chambers. Signaling Lili to leave, he began treating her with magical herbs. As he worked, Serafina felt an inexplicable pull toward him.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Serafina asked, pulling her hand away and frowning. "Why is Lili so afraid of you? I don't know you, yet I feel like you're trying to become someone close to me."
Damian smiled faintly. He knew that Arias's magic had wiped her memory clean. "Recognition doesn't always require eyes, Serafina," he said softly. "Sometimes, the soul remembers long before the mind does."Serafina didn't understand. As she tried to stand, Damian stood close—so close that the intoxicating scent of sandalwood from his skin made her dizzy. In a burst of confusion and rage, she grabbed his collar.
"Who are you really?" she demanded. "Did Arias send you to test me? Or are you just a thief hiding in this palace?"
Damian didn't flinch. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer until only an inch separated them. "I am not your enemy," he whispered. "And I am no thief, though once, I did steal your heart. Can't you see? Every stone in this palace is lying to you."
Terrified, Serafina pushed him away. "You're insane! I am Arias's fiancée. Lili! Where are you?"
Lili peeked from behind the door, pale with fear. "Serafina... please don't scream. If Arias's spies hear us, we are dead. Master Damian, please leave!"
Damian looked into Serafina's eyes one last time. "I am leaving. But tonight, when you sleep, see who appears in your dreams—me, or Arias?" Then, he vanished into thin air.Days later, Serafina walked alone into the deep pine forest behind the palace. She was haunted by Damian's words. Suddenly, shadows descended. She tried to run, but slipped on the ice. Before she could fall, strong arms caught her. That familiar sandalwood scent... Damian was back.
"I told you, Serafina. The darkness of this forest knows you," he said.
Exasperated, Serafina turned and slapped him hard across the face. "You devil! Don't use my helplessness to touch me! I am Arias's fiancée!"
The silence of the forest broke. Damian's eyes turned from gray to a terrifying pitch black. For 4,000 years he had loved her, and now she called him 'worthless.' A dark power began to radiate from him.
"You made a mistake, Serafina," Damian whispered, his voice cold as death. "I wanted your love, but you chose rejection. Now, I will show you who I am. Arias imprisoned you in a web of lies; I will imprison you so deeply your soul will chant my name." He shoved her onto the ice and disappeared into the fog.Terrified, Serafina fled deeper into the woods. She was wearing only a black silk nightdress, her long black hair flying wildly in the wind. She hid behind a massive ancient oak tree, pressing her back against the bark, trying to muffle her frantic breathing.There is no use hiding," Damian's voice echoed. He appeared on the other side of the tree, a cruel smile on his face. He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest. Her black dress shifted as his hot breath hit her neck.
"Arias is asleep," he hissed. "You are in my hands now. I will take you where no one will hear your screams."He took her to a secret cavern and dropped her onto a cold stone. Damian was consumed by vengeance. He looked at her disheveled hair and the silk dress and felt the sting of her slap again. He took off his heavy leather belt.
"You called me a tyrant?" Damian laughed, a hollow, soul-chilling sound. "Then let it be true. This darkness is your world now, and I am your only master."
He bound her hands with the belt. Serafina let out a piercing scream of agony. "This sound... it's like music to my ears," Damian mocked. He gripped her hair. "Does it hurt? Good. Every tear you shed brings peace to my insulted heart."The cruelty suddenly shifted. Damian's eyes turned a fiery red as his repressed desire flared. He kissed her hand with a primal hunger. Serafina's own eyes turned red—her dormant Phoenix power was waking up.
Their bodies were slick with sweat despite the snow. The heat radiating from them began to melt the ice. Damian pulled her closer. Serafina, lost in a blur of pain and a strange, newfound passion, reached out and dug her nails deep into Damian's back, scratching him with all her might.
Damian groaned, but it was a sound of dark satisfaction. "Yes! Hold onto me. These scars will prove you belong to me."As the sun began to rise, the fire in Serafina's eyes turned back to ice. She pushed Damian away, adjusted her torn black dress, and left him bleeding on the stone.
She found a hidden waterfall and stepped into the freezing water. She scrubbed her skin until it was red, desperate to wash away his touch. She cried as the water mingled with her tears.
"I will not be yours, Damian," she vowed, her voice trembling but determined. "You touched my body, but you will never own my soul. This insult will be answered in blood."The moments just before dawn were draped in a pale, ashen gray. Serafina, trembling uncontrollably, slipped through the secret rear entrance of the palace. Water dripped from her long, soaked hair, leaving a trail of droplets on the stone floor like marks of silent disgrace. Her black silk nightdress, heavy and wet, clung to her body like a second skin.
As she tiptoed through the shadows of the corridor, she saw a flicker of light. Lili was standing at the corner, a lantern in her shaking hand. The moment she saw Serafina, she gasped in horror.
Lili's Terror
Lili rushed over and threw her arms around Serafina. In the amber glow of the lantern, she saw Serafina's devastated face, her bloodshot eyes, and her wildly disheveled hair.
"Serafina! What has happened to you?" Lili whispered frantically. "Where are you coming from at this hour? Your body is ice! Did you... did you bathe in this freezing cold?"
Suddenly, Lili's gaze fell upon Serafina's neck. There, beneath the tangled black locks, the reddish marks left by Damian's possession were beginning to darken. Lili pressed her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.
"Oh God! Did you... did you go to him? Did Damian do something terrible to you?" Lili's voice cracked. "Why did you do this, Serafina? If Arias finds out, he will burn you alive!"
The Cold Silence
Serafina didn't answer. She had lost the strength to speak, her voice buried under the weight of the night's horrors. she merely stared at Lili with eyes that were no longer full of light, but a deep, haunting void. With slow, robotic steps, she walked to her bed and collapsed onto it, still in her drenched clothes.
Lili, her hands shaking, grabbed a towel and began to dry Serafina's hair. She realized in that moment that whatever had happened in the woods had changed Serafina forever. The girl she knew was gone; a hollow shell remained.
"Tell no one, Lili," Serafina said, her voice low and deathly cold. "Let what happened tonight remain buried in the darkness of the forest. That man... he touched my body, but he did not conquer me. I will destroy him, Lili. I will end him."
Lili watched as Serafina closed her eyes and bit down hard on the edge of the bedsheet, a single, silent tear rolling down her cheek not out of weakness, but out of a burning vow for vengeance.