The underground hollow pulsed with old magic. Blue light shimmered from cracks in the stone walls, casting faint shadows around the circular chamber. Selene stood still, her cloak damp with mist, unsure if what she felt was fear, anger, or both.
Gwen was already waiting. She leaned against a pillar near the chamber's edge, dressed in dark robes. Her silver hair, oddly luminous in the hollow light, gave her a look of someone too young to know the things she did—and too calm to be trusted.
Selene didn't waste time.
"You brought me here to answer questions," she said. "Start with the truth. What am I?"
Gwen didn't flinch. She walked over to a shallow basin of glowing water and gestured toward it.
"Not what. Who. And more importantly—whose."
Selene crossed her arms. "That sounds like another game."
"No games," Gwen said. "You were raised a princess. Daughter of the Emperor of Ilyar. You knew that. What you didn't know is that you were never his by blood."
Selene's stomach dropped.
"That's not true," she said quickly. "My mother—"
"Was the queen. Yes," Gwen interrupted. "But the child she carried wasn't his. She disappeared for months before you were born. When she came back, she refused to explain. But she had changed. And soon after, you arrived."
Selene stared at her. "People would've known. They would've said something."
"They didn't because it wasn't worth a war," Gwen replied. "The Empire needed stability. The Tower preferred silence. And your mother… maybe she was protecting you. Or maybe she was ashamed of what she brought into the world."
Selene's voice dropped. "You're lying."
"No. I'm not," Gwen said, stepping closer. "You've felt it your whole life, haven't you? Magic that doesn't follow the rules. Fire that responds like a friend. Visions of things you've never seen—but somehow remember."
Selene didn't answer.
"You belong to a bloodline older than the Empire," Gwen continued. "You're descended from the Bright Line. The last heirs of the flamebound covenant. The Tower has hunted them for generations—and they've mostly succeeded. But you survived."
Selene's hands curled into fists. "Then why didn't Lucien tell me?"
Gwen tilted her head. "Maybe he doesn't know. Or maybe he's afraid of what it means. You could unbind seals. Break curses. Restore empires—or destroy them. That kind of power makes people possessive."
"You sound like you're one of them."
"I'm not," Gwen said. "But I've seen what they do to people like you. What they turn you into."
Selene looked down. "And the man who raised me—he knew?"
Gwen's voice lost some of its sharpness. "He suspected. He saw what you could do and how different you were. That's why he didn't stop them from taking you. It wasn't just about fear. It was also guilt."
The room felt colder.
Selene stepped back. "You're using this to manipulate me."
"I'm telling you because you asked," Gwen said. "You want to know who you are. This is the beginning. The Tower may have buried the truth, but your blood hasn't forgotten it."
Selene stood quietly for a moment. Then she said, "So what now?"
"There's a place," Gwen replied. "A city west of here. Past the old borderlands. It's not under Tower control. You'll be safe there, for now."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "And then what? I come running back to you?"
"When you're ready," Gwen said. "You'll want to know the rest. What they're planning. Why you were always part of it."
Selene nodded slowly. "I'll go. But I'm not doing this because I believe you."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Gwen said with a small smile. "You wouldn't be your mother's daughter if you did."
Selene turned away and started down the stone tunnel leading out of the hollow.
Behind her, Gwen watched in silence.
The trap wasn't set yet. But the pieces were moving into place.