Seraphina sat in her room, staring blankly out the window as the rain drizzled down, each drop reflecting her turbulent thoughts. She ran her fingers through her silken hair, but her mind was far from calm. There was something... something she couldn't shake. That moment, the cold, the emptiness.
The memory of her own death.
She had lost control of her powers and then during the time of imbalance, the Assassin had struck her and killed her but somehow...she survived. That was one of the reasons why she never released her powers recklessly. Her powers were something unique. Something only her could wield.
She had no idea how to control it no matter how many times he taught her. He sometimes called her sister and he was the only one who understood how her power worked... so she needed to visit him once more if she wanted to avoid a tragic end again... Follow current novᴇls on NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt
Her heart skipped a beat every time she thought about it. It was brief, like a flickering candle about to go out, but she remembered it so clearly: the pain, the suffocating darkness, and then... nothing. Yet here she was, alive. How had she been saved? Who had pulled her back from the brink of oblivion?
Seraphina clenched her fists as uncertainty gnawed at her. It was impossible. A single tear slipped down her cheek, unnoticed, as she racked her brain for answers. She had no recollection of what came after the darkness. Why was she still alive?
Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden, forceful opening of the door.
"Seraphina!" Valenbrook's voice boomed through the room, sharp and filled with rage.
Seraphina barely flinched. She stayed seated, eyes still distant as if her father's fury couldn't touch her. His rantings had grown tiresome, his paranoia exhausting. She heard his heavy footsteps approach, but she refused to turn her gaze from the window.
"You are a disgrace! How could you allow yourself to be attacked like that? Do you know what would have happened if you had been killed? Our entire lineage could have been wiped out! You, of all people, should have been more careful!" Valenbrook's voice thundered in the room, each word drenched in his simmering fury.
Still, Seraphina remained silent, her eyes half-lidded. She didn't care for his theatrics. His tirades had become a constant in her life, and each one felt more suffocating than the last. She could predict what he would say next, like clockwork. "You failed," "You were weak," "You should have known better." Always the same, always about her failure to live up to his expectations.
"You were careless, Seraphina! What do you have to say for yourself?" His voice was closer now, but she didn't respond. She didn't need to. It was clear he wasn't looking for an answer.
When she didn't react, Valenbrook's scowl deepened. His hands clenched into fists as he seethed, his patience worn thin. "Do you even realize the damage this has caused? This was the work of the Voss family! They want to see us humiliated, to see us weak!"
That caught Seraphina's attention, though she still didn't show it. The Voss family. A name that carried weight in their world, but she couldn't understand why they'd target her so specifically.
"And you, you let yourself get close to that boy!" Valenbrook spat, pacing angrily. "How could you be so naive, Seraphina? He was probably working for them, luring you out for the attack!"
Rex. Seraphina's thoughts flickered to him. She knew her father was wrong. Rex wasn't a part of this game, not like that. He was different. She could feel it.
But, of course, her father wouldn't believe that. He was too wrapped up in his own conspiracies, always thinking the worst.
"I should never have let you roam so freely," Valenbrook continued, his voice barely masking the contempt. "You went on a date with him, and now, the Voss family knows exactly how to strike at us. What were you thinking? That boy is a danger to you!"
Seraphina finally turned to look at her father, her eyes cold and detached. "Are you done?"
Her voice was like ice, and it caught Valenbrook off guard. He stood there, speechless for a moment, the rage in his eyes flickering with disbelief. His daughter had never respected his authority, not truly. And in moments , it showed.
With a frustrated growl, Valenbrook stormed toward the door. "You may not care about this, but I do! I will not allow our family to fall because of your stupidity!"
Seraphina didn't respond as he slammed the door behind him, the echo reverberating through the room. She leaned back, exhaling softly, letting the tension release from her body. Let him rant. Let him fume. She had no interest in his endless power plays. Valenbrook saw enemies everywhere, even where there were none.
But now... now she had other concerns. Rex. Her thoughts returned to him, her heart twisting in a way she didn't fully understand. She wasn't sure why, but the idea of him being dragged into this mess filled her with an uneasy fear.
Her father might see him as a threat, but she... she couldn't ignore the fact that Rex had done something. He had changed something, saved her, maybe? She didn't know how, but she was certain he was connected to her survival.
Seraphina bit her lip, pushing aside the growing worry. Valenbrook wouldn't listen to her, and she had no time to convince him otherwise. She needed to protect Rex. Whatever her father was planning, she had to stop it before it escalated, and to do that... she had to visit that man again.
Lord Valenbrook stormed out of the room, his eyebrows twitching in anger. "They dare strike first right? I'll teach them what messing with my family will cost them" He growled. First of all, that boy that his daughter went on a date with, he had to kill him and fast. He was certain that he was a spy sent to lure his daughter out.