Aeria's POV
Night of Ascension
I pressed against the tree, trying to stay quiet. It was dark, and the twin moons barely shone through the leaves. I heard voices—my mother's voice and a man's.
"It has to be done tonight. Aurel must be killed. When the twin moons align, the power of Nymbria will be weakened, and there is no way the gods can save her then."
I felt cold all over.
The man said, "Someone's watching."
I froze. They could feel me.
Without thinking, I ran back to the castle as fast as I could. When I got inside, I wrapped myself in a blanket and pretended to be asleep.
My mother came in and stayed a moment, then left.
As soon as she was gone, I packed a bag with food and water. This isn't right. I have to save Aurel.
I put on my cloak and ran to the temple, my breath coming fast. But when I got there, Aurel was gone.
Then I saw her running toward the lake. Without second thoughts, I called out to the captain, "Captain! I saw the princess—she's escaping! She went that way." I pointed in the opposite direction.
Then I went back to the castle, worried. I heard my mother shouting, "Ahhh! Why can't you just die, you little b**ch?!"
I've always wondered why she hates my sister so much. Whenever I tried to play with Aurel when we were younger, Mother would say, "Stay away from that monster."
I felt bad for Aurel. But since then, I've pretended to despise her too. Even though it hurts me, I ignore her and act like I hate her. Aurel has to be strong—I can't show her how much she really means to me.
I have to pretend. Because Mother is always watching.
Then they were captured.
He was with that man—the Moon Prince.
And for some reason, I felt a strange relief.
She wasn't alone anymore.
Her dress was torn, and silver blood stained her skin. I was worried, but what could I do? I'm weak. And, of course, Mother was watching.
Then they put her in chains.
I turned to my mother, my voice barely above a whisper. "Does she have to be in chains? I mean… she's not dangerous."
Mother scoffed. "She's a monster, can't you see? She's with a freak who bleeds silver. Don't pity her—she brought evil into this house."
I couldn't speak. I was scared.
A coward.
—
The next day, the handmaidens took her into the dining hall—bathed and dressed. Like always, my sister was beautiful. I was happy she could finally join us. That she could eat.
But Mother was watching, so I had to pretend. I forced a sneer and said,
"So, sister. Run far enough? Or did your fantasy finally catch up to you?"
Her voice came low and sharp. "Fantasy? You think I imagined silver blood and glowing marks?"
"I think you disgraced our house," Mother said coolly, her gaze like ice. "You fled on the Night of Ascension—our most sacred rite."
"Sacred to whom?" Aurel shot back. "I don't reject the divine—I honor the real gods. But yours?"
She stepped forward, trembling but firm. "You killed daughters for your so-called gods. You tried to sacrifice me."
She looked our mother in the eyes. "Is that the god you bow to?"
A beat of silence.
Then her voice dropped.
"Then I want no part of your holiness."
Mother stood abruptly, eyes wide with fury.
Then—crack.
She slapped Aurel. Aurel staggered back, her cheek red and burning.
"You blaspheme in this house," Mother said coldly. "You speak sin about the gods with no shame."
"Silence!" King Haedron's voice boomed like thunder.
But Mother wasn't done. She stepped closer, voice sharp and seething.
"The gods should've taken you that night, Aurel. But no—they let you live. Cursed. Defiled. A disgrace to this family." Each word was a blade drawn to wound. "You should've been left in the shadows, where you belong."
Aurel couldn't breathe. Rage surged like a wave, drowning everything.
Her silver eyes—pale and glowing—locked onto our mother.
And then it happened.
Her breath hitched as heat surged through her chest. Sigils bloomed across her skin, pulsing with otherworldly light. Her hair shimmered, turning pale as moonlight.
The wind howled through the room. Windows rattled. Thunder cracked.
Then—silence.
Gasps filled the hall.
A cold flame snapped into her palm. Silver. Bright. Lethal.
Then, like a bolt of lightning—she vanished.
And reappeared directly in front of Mother.
She raised her hand slowly. The flame flared, casting silver shadows across Mother's frozen face.
Her voice was a blade:
"F**k you. And your gods."
I was frozen. Father rushed forward. I tried to move too, tried to shout—
"No! Aurel, stop!"
The flame in her hand twisted violently, roaring up her arm, the floor beneath her splintering from the power.
And then—
A blur.
We didn't see him enter. Just a rush of wind. A crackle of light.
And he was there.
The Moon Prince.
His body—divine. His presence—unshakable.
He grabbed Aurel's arm. She collapsed, unconscious in his arms.
He held her gently, protectively.
"She's marked now," he said, his voice echoing with strange power. "And if we don't stand with her, it won't be the gods you need to fear."
I wanted to ask what he meant.
But Father shouted, "Seize him!"
That's when the wings burst from his back—silver, shining, vast and radiant. His eyes glowed, brighter than any star.
He could've destroyed us.
But he didn't.
He fled.
And in that moment, I knew—he was good. He would protect her.
And as he vanished with my sister, I whispered in my heart:
Fly, little sister. You're better off without us.
I couldn't say it out loud.
Because Mother was still watching.
Midnight Meeting
Father sent men to search for them, but for months, they returned with nothing. No trace. No word. Just silence.
Then one day, a man my mother had dispatched to the mountains returned—with news.
"They found them," I said carefully. "Let me inform the King—"
Mother grabbed my arm so hard my fingers went numb. Her nails dug into my skin.
"You are not to say anything," she hissed. "Nor tell me what to do. I may be your mother, but I am the Queen."
A chill ran down my spine. She really scared me.
"Yes, Mother," I whispered. "Forgive me."
Her expression softened, but only slightly. "Before midnight tonight, come to my chambers. I will take you somewhere. You're about to meet someone. Do not tell the King."
—
We waited in silence until the castle fell quiet. At midnight, cloaked and hidden, we slipped out through the back halls, unseen.
We walked for what felt like forever. My lungs burned, my legs ached—but I didn't complain. Not with Mother beside me.
Then she stopped. "We're here."
The night was still.
Then—it appeared. A dark portal tore open the air before us, swirling like ink and shadow. From within, a figure stepped forward.
A man with massive black wings.
His presence was suffocating. Heavy. Wrong. His eyes were dim like dead stars, and black sigils twisted up his arms, glowing faintly. When he landed, the earth cracked beneath his feet.
Then, his wings shattered—disintegrating into dark dust that vanished into the wind.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. My heart pounded in my ears.
I wanted to run.
Mother's voice cut through the fear.
"Aeria," she said calmly, "this man… is the one who created you."
I couldn't comprehend it. My voice shook. "What?"
She turned to him. "This is Aeria."
He stepped forward, extending a hand. His gaze held mine.
Then Mother spoke the words that broke the world:
"Aeria—meet your father. Casimir."