The storm howled outside the castle walls, wind and rain crashing against ancient stone like the sky itself was at war. Lightning streaked across the heavens, casting brief, jagged shadows through the stained-glass windows. Thunder rolled, deep and unrelenting.

Inside the royal bedchamber, it was too quiet.

King Elric lay weak and pale in his grand bed, the color drained from his lips. His breaths came in shallow rasps. At his side, his daughter knelt, clutching his hand tightly.

“Father,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Please… stay with me.”

The king slowly opened his eyes, offering a faint smile. His once-powerful voice was now only a shadow of itself. “Aria… my brave girl. You must listen to me.”

A distant boom echoed through the castle the sound of a gate falling, or perhaps a wall crumbling. The enemy was near.

Tears welled in Aria’s eyes. “They’re here. The knights… they’ve broken through.”

“I know,” the king whispered. “They come from the heart of the kingdom… and I can no longer protect it.”

He reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a black velvet pouch. With trembling fingers, he handed it to her.

Inside was a necklace silver chain, and at its center, a dark, swirling gem. It pulsed faintly, as if something inside was breathing.

Aria’s eyes widened. “Is this… the Black Magician’s gem?”

The king nodded slowly. “It’s more than just a story, Aria. She was real. She saved this kingdom… and paid the price.”

“You mean… she died?”

“Not exactly,” the king replied. “Thirty years ago, she sacrificed all her mana to seal the dragon and protect our land. Her body faded… but her soul and her power was sealed inside that gem by my father.”

A loud crash shook the doors. Guards outside shouted. Steel clashed against steel.

“She lives, Aria. Sleeping, waiting… only to be awakened when the kingdom needs her again.”

Aria clutched the gem, heart pounding. “But… how? How do I wake her?”

The king weakly pointed to the large bookshelf against the wall. “The book… second shelf. Brown leather. There’s a page marked by a circle… summon her with it.”

Without hesitation, Aria rushed to the shelf and grabbed the heavy book. Dust flew as she opened the worn cover. Her eyes scanned until she found the page an intricate magic circle drawn in gold ink.

“Draw it on the floor,” her father whispered. “Use chalk. Hurry…”

Aria grabbed the chalk from the writing desk and knelt on the cold stone floor. Her hands trembled as she copied the lines and runes. The doors shook again. She could hear the soldiers yelling they wouldn’t last long.

She drew the last rune, then placed the gem in the center of the circle.

“I don’t know if this will work,” she said under her breath. “But please… if you’re really in there help us.”

The gem pulsed.

A soft hum filled the room, like distant singing. The circle began to glow, first faintly, then brighter with each passing second. The stone under her knees vibrated. The air grew heavy and thick, as if the room itself was holding its breath.

Then a voice. Low, ancient, and unmistakably female.

“Who dares to awaken me…?”

Aria backed away. The gem lifted from the circle, hovering midair. Black mist poured from its surface, swirling upward into the shape of a woman.

A cloak formed. A dress dark as night. Her hood hung low over her face, but her presence was overwhelming. Power, sorrow, and strength radiated from her like heat from a flame.

“I am Aria,” the girl said, struggling to keep her voice steady. “Princess of this kingdom. We… we are under attack. My father said you could save us.”

The woman in black slowly turned her head, her hood shifting just enough for Aria to glimpse her eyes silver, glowing faintly.

“The kingdom still lives?” the voice asked. “After all these years?”

“Yes,” Aria nodded. “But not for much longer. Please…”

The Black Magician lowered her gaze to the dying king.

“Elric,” she whispered. “Son of Aldren. You have grown old…”

The king managed a smile. “And you… haven’t aged a day.”

A long silence passed between them. Then, the magician turned back to Aria.

“You drew the circle correctly,” she said. “You are brave. That is rare.”

“Will you help us?”

Another crash. The doors splintered one more strike and the enemy would burst through.

The Black Magician raised her hand. The air snapped with energy.

“I gave everything once,” she said. “I slept to recover… not to return to war.”

Aria stepped forward. “Please. They will destroy everything. My father… my people… they’ll die.”

The woman in black looked at her closely not with pity, but understanding.

“Very well,” she said at last. “One final time.”

She floated above the circle, her form growing brighter. The runes on the floor burned with light, swirling around her like a vortex. The windows shattered outward as magic exploded through the chamber.

The doors burst open enemy soldiers charged in.

But they stopped.

Standing in the center of the room was not a girl, nor a dying king but a legend reborn.

The Black Magician had returned.

The room is still crackled with power. The magic circle glowed faintly beneath Selene’s feet she was no longer a myth, but a reality standing before them.

Aria gasped as the energy faded, her hands trembling. The necklace pulsed once… then went still.

Behind her, a weak voice broke the silence. “She came…”

Aria turned sharply. Her father pale and barely breathing looked at Selene with a faint, satisfied smile.

“You kept your promise,” he whispered.

Selene stepped forward, her cloak trailing shadows behind her. “I always keep my word.”

Aria rushed to the king’s side, gripping his cold hand. “Please… don’t go. Not yet…”

The king’s eyes met hers, weak but clear. “Protect the kingdom… Aria… and trust her.”

His hand slipped away from hers. His eyes closed.

He was gone.

Aria froze. Her heart shattered in silence.

Selene looked down at the lifeless king. “He grew into a wise man,” she said quietly.

Before either of them could speak, footsteps pounded the hall. Steel clashed outside the door.

Then crash.

A soldier burst into the room, sword drawn.

Selene didn’t move. Her eyes flashed.

A gust of black wind struck the intruder, sending him flying backward into the wall. Unconscious.

More footsteps approached, louder now.

Another voice shouted, “Aria!”

The door swung open again.

Auren entered, sword raised, eyes sharp with fury. “Step away from her!”

Selene turned slowly. “And you are?”

“Auren,” he said. “Royal knight. And I don’t know what you are… but I’ll cut you down if you touch her.”

“She summoned me,” Selene replied calmly.

Auren looked at Aria, uncertain. “What… what is she?”

Aria stood shakily. “She’s the Black Magician. She saved this kingdom once. And… she just saved me now.”

Before Auren could respond, the ground rumbled. Distant screams echoed.

“They’ve breached the lower gates,” he said quickly. “We need to go.”

“No,” Selene said.

She raised one hand and vanished into the mist.

...----------------...

Outside the burning courtyard…

A red-robed magician stood on shattered stone, laughing as fire poured from his staff.

“Bow before Lord Kael!” he roared. “This kingdom is ours!”

But the fire suddenly froze mid-air.

A cold wind swept through the courtyard.

Selene appeared, her cloak fluttering as if it moved in slow time. Magic circled around her feet.

Kael narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

Selene raised her hand. “The silence before your defeat.”

Kael sneered and launched a blazing attack.

It vanished on impact.

His expression changed. He fired again louder, wilder.

Selene spoke one word.

The air cracked.

Kael was thrown back, crashing into the rubble.

He didn’t get up.

The battlefield fell silent.

Even the soldier's friend and foe stood frozen.

The legend… had returned.

...----------------...

Back in the tower…

Auren looked out the shattered window as smoke rose beyond the walls.

“She’s powerful,” Aria whispered.

“Too powerful,” Auren muttered. “She might save us… or destroy us.”

They looked down at the necklace still faintly glowing in Aria’s hand.

Outside, the wind carried the scent of ash and fear.

The war wasn’t over.

It had just begun.

The castle was no longer the haven it once had been.

Ash floated through the air like snow, and the scent of smoke clung to every corner of the broken stone walls. Aria moved quietly through the halls with Auren at her side, the necklace still warm in her hand. The glow had faded, but she could feel a subtle pulse in its core as if something ancient had stirred and was now breathing slowly beneath its surface.

“We lost too many at the eastern gate,” Auren muttered, scanning the hallway ahead. “But... we gained something terrifying in return.”

Aria glanced up. “Selene?”

He nodded grimly. “She wiped out an entire battalion in seconds. Soldiers say she’s a phantom. Some are calling her a demon.”

“But she protected us,” Aria whispered, tightening her grip on the pendant. “She protected me.”

Auren didn’t answer. His silence said enough.

They rounded a corner just as the air shifted.

It began as a faint wind unnatural and cold curling through the corridor like fingers searching in the dark. Then, from the shadows themselves, a figure emerged without sound.

Selene.

She moved like a mist, as if her body was woven from the same magic that once filled Aria’s storybooks. Her long black cloak flowed behind her, and her hood framed a pale face, eyes unreadable and sharp like polished obsidian.

“You’re late,” she said simply.

Auren instinctively stepped in front of Aria, his sword hand twitching. “We’re holding things together.”

“Barely,” Selene said. “The outer wall will fall by nightfall if no one commands your army.”

Auren’s jaw tightened. “You think we need you to lead it?”

“I don’t think,” Selene said. “I know.”

Aria moved beside him. “Please,” she said softly. “He’s just being cautious. Everything is changing too fast.”

Selene looked at her truly looked at her and something flickered in her eyes. Not emotion. Memory.

“Caution is good,” Selene said. “But hesitation is fatal.”

Auren’s temper flared. “You’re acting like this is your kingdom. It’s not.”

Selene turned her gaze to him. “This kingdom still breathes because of me. Whether you like it or not.”

Aria raised her voice gently. “Why are you helping us?”

Selene paused. Her cloak fluttered in a sudden breeze that had no source.

“I made a promise,” she said after a moment. “To a man who once believed I wasn’t a monster.”

“Who was he?” Aria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Selene didn’t answer. She turned and vanished her body dissolving into mist and shadow, leaving only silence in her place.

...----------------...

Later, on the outer wall...

Selene stood atop the battlement, staring into the distance where smoke curled into the darkening sky. The enemy army had retreated, but not far. They were regrouping, and night would bring more blood.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the mana in the air twisted and foul. Whoever led them was no ordinary warlord. There was magic here. Old magic. Darker than her own.

Behind her, footsteps approached.

She didn’t need to turn. “I thought you didn’t trust me.”

Auren stood a few feet away, sword strapped across his back. His armor was dented, dust clinging to his gloves.

“I still don’t,” he said bluntly. “But I saw what you did today.”

“And?”

“I’m not blind,” he said. “You saved her. And everyone else. You could’ve let them burn.”

Selene opened her eyes. “I could’ve.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She turned slightly, just enough for him to see the edge of her face in profile.

“Because once, long ago... someone believed I was more than a weapon.”

There was a pause. Auren looked at her closely, trying to read the woman behind the shadows. She seemed untouchable. Eternal. But somewhere behind that calm mask... he sensed grief. Deep, buried grief.

“I don’t know if we can trust you,” he said finally.

Selene smiled faintly though the expression never reached her eyes. “You don’t have to trust me. You just have to follow me until the war ends.”

“And after that?”

“We’ll see.”