Chapter 3 THE PRICE OF BLOOD

The cold steel of Seraphina’s dagger was buried deep in my shoulder. Blood, dark and thick, soaked through my gray maid’s uniform. The pain was sharp, but the betrayal was sharper. My own sister was leaning in close, her breath warm against my ear, her voice dripping with poison.

"I should have cut your head off the first time, Aria," she hissed.

I didn't scream. I didn't beg. Instead, I started to laugh. It was a hollow, terrifying sound that echoed through the silent ballroom.

"Is that all you've got, Seraphina?" I whispered.

Consume, the voice in my head commanded. Take what is yours.

I reached back and grabbed Seraphina’s wrist. My skin was burning hot. The "Power Absorption System" inside me hummed to life. I could see the golden light of her "Saintess" magic flowing through her veins. It looked like liquid sunshine.

I wanted it. I needed it.

I pulled.

Seraphina’s eyes went wide. She tried to pull her hand away, but my grip was like an iron vice. The golden light began to drain from her arm, flowing directly into my wound. The pain in my shoulder vanished instantly. The flesh stitched itself back together, the skin turning smooth and pale as the stolen magic healed me.

"No! Stop it!" Seraphina shrieked. She stumbled back, her face turning gray. "My power! What are you doing to my power?"

I stood up straight, pulling the dagger from my shoulder and dropping it on the marble floor. The clang rang out like a death bell. I felt stronger than I ever had as a princess. The "Holy Light" she had stolen from me was finally coming home, but it was being twisted by the shadows of the Abyss.

Across the room, Kael groaned as he pushed himself up from the rubble. He looked at me, then at Seraphina, who was trembling on the floor.

"Aria?" Kael’s voice cracked. He looked lost. He looked like the man who had once promised to protect me. "Is it really you? How are you alive?"

"The Aria you knew died in the Abyss, Kael," I said, walking toward him. The shadows followed me, swallowing the light of the candles as I passed. "You made sure of that when you let them throw me away."

"I... I thought you were guilty! The High Priest showed me the scrolls!" Kael shouted, reaching for his sword. But his hand was shaking. He couldn't even look me in the eye.

"The High Priest is a corpse now," I said, pointing to the shriveled man on the floor. "And Seraphina is a liar. Look at her, Kael. Look at your 'Saintess' now."

Seraphina was panting, her golden hair dull and tangled. "She’s a monster, Kael! Look at the black smoke! She’s possessed! Kill her before she kills us all!"

Kael looked between us. The knights of the kingdom were closing in, their spears pointed at my heart. The king was shouting for my head. The entire room was a cage, and I was the bird they wanted to pluck.

"Stand down, Aria," Kael said, finally finding his voice. He stepped in front of Seraphina, shielding her. "If you surrender now, I can ask the king for mercy. We can investigate the truth."

"Mercy?" I spat the word out like it was vinegar. "You gave me no mercy on my wedding night. Why should I want yours now?"

I raised my hands, and the stolen power inside me surged. The shadows didn't just swirl around my feet anymore; they exploded outward. The grand chandeliers overhead flickered and died. The room plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the violet glow of my eyes.

"I didn't come back for mercy," I roared. "I came back for justice!"

I lunged forward, but I wasn't attacking Kael. I moved like a blur toward the King. If I took the crown, I took the kingdom.

But as I reached the throne, a massive barrier of golden light slammed into me. It wasn't Kael’s magic. It was something much older.

The floor beneath the throne opened up. Ancient sigils began to glow bright red.

"The Dragon’s Seal!" someone screamed.

I felt a sudden, crushing weight on my chest. My shadow power was being pushed back into my body. The kingdom had a secret defense system I never knew about—a trap designed to kill anything born of the Abyss.

I fell to my knees, gasping for air. The red light was burning my skin.

"Finish her, Kael!" the king commanded. "Execute the witch once and for all!"

Kael walked toward me, his sword glowing with a killing light. He stood over me, the tip of his blade touching the center of my forehead. His face was hard, but I saw a single tear fall down his cheek.

"I’m sorry, Aria," he whispered.

He raised his sword for the final blow. I closed my eyes, ready to call upon the Shadow God for one last desperate gamble.

But then, the palace walls didn't just shake; they exploded.

A massive, black-scaled beast crashed through the ceiling, its roar shattering every window in the ballroom. It wasn't a dragon. It was a creature made entirely of shadows, and it had a message.

"She belongs to the Abyss," the beast bellowed, its voice shaking my very soul. "And the Abyss has come to collect its debt."

The creature didn't attack the guards. It grabbed me.

As I was lifted into the air, I looked down and saw Kael’s face turn to pure horror. But it wasn't because of the monster. He was looking at his own hand.

Black veins were starting to crawl up his arm, identical to the ones on my own skin.

"Kael!" Seraphina screamed, reaching for him.

But Kael didn't look at her. He looked at me as the monster flew into the night sky.

"Aria!" he screamed, his voice full of a pain I didn't understand. "Wait! My heart... It's burning!"