Seraphine looked up at the vampire king, and in that moment, she knew.
The war was never about just kingdoms.
It was about her.
Valen stepped forward. And the moment his gaze locked with hers -
The world cracked.
Not in noise. Not in fire.
But within her.
He emerged from the shadows, dark eyes watching her not as a warrior... but as something holy. He walked to her slowly,
"Seraphine, " he murmured.
His voice dropped , as if in prayer,
"No... not Seraphine. Serenyth. "
"The name I dare not speak aloud unless I've earned the right to breathe beside you. "
She blinked, her breath caught in her chest.He stepped closer, fingers barely grazing hers.
"Serenyth - because you're not merely a woman, you are the myth I worship in silence. "
"I was born to destroy you, but you... You are the only thing I would destroy myself for. "
Hearing his confession, somewhere inside her, a buried flame stirred.
"You look at me like I'm your end, Serenyth. "
She raised her chin, "Aren't you? "
"No, " he murmured. "I'm what's left after your world ends. I am what waits in the ruins. "
Then softer - his voice breaking like a man at the altar of fate :
"Serenyth... I've waited through centuries. I can wait a little longer. But never again will I lose you. "
She lifted her head to meet his eyes... she saw no malice in his gaze. Only hunger. Obsession. And something darker than desire.
It struck her harder than any blade could.
Seraphine's knees buckled. Whether from exhaustion or his words. She didn't know.
Valen caught her - not like a conqueror claiming his prize, but like a man grasping something he'd searched for across centuries.
Her strength was gone.
The betrayal, the heartbreak, the overwhelming presence of Valen - it was too much. Seraphine's vision blurred as the weight of her world collapsed inward.She tried to speak,to fight, to ask why - but her body betrayed her just as Evander had.
Her lips trembled, "Evander... Why? "
Valen's hold on her waist tightened. He leaned closer, " You'll never say his name again, Serenyth."he whispered, low and dangerous. "Not after what he did. "
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was Valen's face - handsome, cold yet carved with something tragic.
And then -
Silence.
Darkness.
Only....it wasn't the end.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A sharp sound echoed, foreign and mechanical. Cold air brushed her cheeks. Fabric - not silk but cotton wrapped around her limbs. A strange ceiling loomed above.
Seraphine bolted upright, drenched in sweat. Her heart raced.
"Agh... that dream again. "
Her voice trembled, laced with panic and confusion.
But deep inside.... Something whispered.
It wasn't just a dream.