Shadows of the Crown

The dreams returned.

But this time, they weren't Celeste’s.

She saw through Kael’s eyes.

A crown of horns shattered beneath his feet. Flames licked the dark sky as bodies of winged creatures burned in heaps. A throne stood ahead—tall, twisted, and alive. And on it, a figure older than time, cloaked in gold and ruin, leaned forward with a voice like thunder and honey.

“You will betray her,” the figure said.

“Because you already have.”

Celeste woke up gasping, sweat pooling at the base of her spine. Her room was quiet, Kael nowhere in sight.

But her wrist—it burned. Not with pain. With pressure. The mark was reacting again.

She climbed from bed and moved toward the window, and that’s when she saw it.

The veil.

It shimmered above the trees—a crack in the air, glowing red like torn silk in moonlight. Through it, faint whispers spilled: voices calling her name in a language she shouldn’t understand, but somehow did.

“Celestara… Celestara…”

Her full name. Her true name.

The door creaked behind her. Kael stepped in, eyes darker than usual.

“You saw it,” he said quietly.

Celeste turned. “The veil.”

Kael nodded. “It’s opening faster than expected. That’s… not good.”

She crossed her arms. “Why did I dream your memories?”

He stiffened slightly. “Because we’re connected now. The mark links us. And the closer you get to the infernal realm, the more your mind walks through mine.”

“Then tell me,” she said. “Tell me what I saw. The throne. The betrayal. Who was that… thing?”

Kael sighed. “My father.”

Celeste blinked. “You mean the demon on the throne?”

Kael looked out the window, jaw tight. “Lucivar. The Infernal King. My father. He wants you. And if he gets you, the worlds won’t just merge—they’ll burn.”

---

In the Infernal Court

Lucivar stood in his throne room, fingers laced beneath his chin, eyes glowing like molten gold. Around him, the air shimmered with heat and prophecy.

“She’s awakening too fast,” a demon general whispered.

Lucivar didn’t move. “Because he is with her. And Kael is weak. I made him weak when I gave him that heart.”

“Shall we retrieve her?”

Lucivar raised a hand. “No. Let the boy bring her to me. He always does. Because love... love makes fools of gods.”

He smirked.

“Let’s see if it breaks her.”

---

That Night

Kael and Celeste stood at the edge of the forest again. This time, Kael opened a portal in the air—an infernal gate shaped like burning iron vines.

“I’m taking you to the borderlands,” he said. “You need to see where your power comes from.”

Celeste hesitated. “Will it hurt?”

He looked at her, then offered his hand. “Only a little.”