"Selene, It's me Kael." His voice came from the other side of the door—low, cold, and laced with an urgency he could no longer mask. There was tension in every word, like something hidden, something he was barely keeping at bay.
She instinctively stepped back, as though a chill had suddenly brushed against her skin. Her heart pounded wildly, her hands trembled—gripped by a fear no words could capture.
Is it really him? she asked herself. But even before she could decide, she realized she had already spent seconds hesitating.
She moved toward the door, hand shaking as she reached for the knob.
Kael. From her dreams.
And now—standing on the other side of this door.
The door creaked open.
There he was. Kael—but not the one she remembered. Not the quiet, loyal, dependable Kael who was always there. This Kael was clad in tactical gear, like a soldier bracing for a war he wasn't sure he'd survive. His eyes were sharp, alert—but shadowed, as if something unspoken stirred behind them. Something unreadable.
And then, she saw them—shadows clinging to him. There was concern in his eyes. But beneath that… an unspoken fear.
"I had a dream..." Selene's voice was faint but steady. The tremble in her tone betrayed her. "But it didn't feel like just a dream. It felt like… a warning."
Kael didn't move. Their eyes locked.
No one flinched. No one spoke.
"What did you see?" His voice—barely a whisper. But every syllable trembled with dread.
"You…" she said, her chest tightening, her words catching in her throat. "You, Kael… surrounded by shadows. Holding a sword. And I…" Her voice cracked. "…I was on my knees. Looking up at you. And in the end…" She could barely breathe. "…you were the one who killed me in that dream."
Silence.
Kael didn't answer. But something shifted in the air. His jaw clenched, his grip tightening on the belt at his waist—like he was holding something in. Rage? Fear? Both?
"Selene..." His voice dropped, dark and piercing—searching her like he could unravel the deepest parts of her soul. "Some dreams... aren't just illusions. They're fragments of what's to come. Warnings we refuse to see, because we're too terrified to face them."
Selene stared at him—conflicted, afraid.
But a part of her heart… still wanted to believe.
"Why you?" She barely breathed the question. "Why is it always your face lurking in the shadows?"
Kael glanced at her, and his eyes ignited.
"Because in a world that is shattered, Selene… sometimes, the one destined to save you… is the very one fated to tear you apart. To destroy you. And to save you."
It was as if a cold hand gripped the back of her neck. Her whole body tensed, a shiver crawling through her. It felt like the light around her dimmed.
"I don't understand..." Her voice was a whisper of pain, almost too soft to hear—but heavy with sorrow.
Kael stepped forward—just one step.
Close enough to feel his presence.
But still… a distance too great to cross.
Her heart raced.
Each step he took was a question—unanswered, unspoken.
"From this moment on..." His voice wrapped around her, low and heavy.
"Don't stray from me. You might not survive what's coming."
Silence.
No wind. No sound.
Only the pounding of her heart—loud and relentless.
And as Kael turned and slowly walked away, she stood at the door—awake, but still trapped in the remnants of a dream.
And in the silence that enveloped the entire palace, one thing became clearer than her nightmare: The real danger isn't always from the outside.
The sun rose over Arvenia Palace, its morning light almost urging a fresh start. Birds sang joyfully on the branches of olive trees, carefree and vibrant, as if the chaos of the previous night never happened.
But for Selene, the morning didn't feel light. The sunlight was too sharp, blinding. It felt as though every beam was watching her, scrutinizing whether she was still worthy of being called "Her Highness."
She sat on the veranda of the breakfast hall, holding a cup of tea. She couldn't even remember how many cups she'd had. It was cold now, no trace of warmth left.
What she was most aware of, however, was the feeling of being watched.
From the corner of her eye, something moved. A man she didn't recognize. Dressed in a simple black coat, he looked like just another palace staff. No tray in hand, doing nothing but sitting by the pillar, pretending to read a newspaper. But every time she shifted her gaze, she could feel his eyes return to her. Quickly. A secretive glance.
What brought him here? What hidden purpose lingers behind his presence?
As she walked down the hallway, she noticed something strange: none of the royal guards greeted her. The usual respectful bow, the customary "Your Highness," was absent. It was as if she didn't belong in the palace anymore—like a stranger in her own home.
Silently, she returned to her room, but as she surveyed her surroundings, an unsettling feeling gripped her. There were eyes on her, tracking every movement.
When she looked at a painting her father loved—the last royal hunt—something was off. It was crooked. Hung too high.
She approached carefully and lifted the frame. A tiny hole, barely noticeable. A peephole.
She quickly stepped back, as if jolted by an electric shock.
Someone was watching her. Always.
She rushed out of her room, not through the main hall, but via the back door, long unused. Beneath her dresser, a secret switch—one of her mother's final memories. A secret passage. One they used to play in with her father.
As she navigated the narrow path, her breath grew shallow, the silence seeming to stroke her skin.
Upon reaching the library, a shadow moved behind the bookshelf.
"Kael!" she almost screamed, nearly dropping her cup.
She walked over, and before he could ask, she spoke.
"Someone's following you," Selene said urgently. "I don't know who they are. Even the guards… they won't speak to me. It's like… they're suspecting me."
Kael stared at her for a long time, his eyes sharp, weighing whether she was telling the truth or if there was more she wasn't saying.
"They've sped up their movements," he finally responded. "Faster than I anticipated."
Selene's eyes widened. "So… you know?"
Kael paused, glancing around cautiously. "I'm not sure who or which of their eyes are the enemy… or worse."
"Kael…" Selene moved closer, her voice trembling. "I feel like I'm the target. But it also feels like I'm being suspected by my own palace."
A brief silence hung between them. Outside the library, the faint sound of footsteps echoed on the marble floor. One step. It seemed to slide by... or was it watching?
Kael scanned the surroundings before moving closer again, his gaze piercing, his voice low—almost a whisper.
"Selene... in this palace, not all eyes are for you. Some eyes watch not to protect you—but to make sure you don't escape."
It was like a cold challenge that pierced Selene's mind. Each of Kael's words seemed to pass through her body, piercing and leaving a bitter taste behind.
She stiffened in her seat.
"And whoever is commanding them…" Kael raised his gaze, his eyes filled with determination. "They may be closer to the throne than you think."
The silence around them deepened. A shadow moved in the corner of the library, and in an instant, a book gently opened, as if it had been touched by someone—or something else was there.
The silence of the night felt too perfect. Inside Arvenia Palace, every step had its own echo. And the shadows seemed to have a life of their own. The walls whispered secrets they didn't want Selene to hear.
She awoke from a light nap, immediately searching for Kael's presence.
She sat up, her hands slightly trembling. A sense of unease washed over her chest. She stood in the center of the room, trying to feel the atmosphere around her. Something was different. The silence tonight was unlike any other, as if a part of the world had suddenly vanished.
There was no sound of the guard rotation in the hallway. The usual rustling of feet that passed by her door at dawn was absent.
It was as though her heart stopped beating... and then suddenly raced.
Where was Kael?
She approached the door, every step accompanied by an unseen shadow she couldn't quite place. Slowly, she opened it, peeking into the hallway.
No one.
No sound.
Not even a shadow.
This isn't normal.
He doesn't leave. He doesn't just disappear.
He never leaves his post.
Quickly, she returned to her bed, but a cold breeze brushed against the back of her neck. She turned, finding no open window. There shouldn't have been any movement.
And then, she noticed something strange.
A piece of paper stuck out from under her pillow. Its edge seemed deliberately placed just enough for her to spot it if she looked closely.
She pulled it out, and with every passing second, the weight in her chest grew heavier. She unfolded the paper. No signature. No symbol. Just handwriting—deep, firm, and with the unmistakable feel of a warning.
If you want to live, don't go out tonight.
Selene's body stiffened. The room seemed to shrink, and the world spun in a way she had never felt before.
Had Kael written this? Or had someone else entered her room?
How did it get under her pillow? And why didn't they confront her?
She sat on the edge of the bed, holding the paper as if it might explode in her hands. She read it again. Once. Twice. Three times. And with each reading, the grip of fear around her heart tightened.
She wanted to go out. She wanted to find Kael. She needed to make sure he was safe.
But...
What kind of danger could force Kael—the man who would face death without hesitation—to stay away from her?
He had only left her once, and that departure wasn't just silence... it was a warning. A promise of danger to come.
She couldn't sit still. She paced her room, opening every curtain, peering into every corner. Her eyes were alert, but her body was captive to her own fear.
With every turn, a whispering suspicion crept into her thoughts.
What if he never comes back?
What if there's something deeper to all of this?
And what if… not everything Kael does is to protect her?
She faced the mirror.
And there, she saw herself—not the carefree, sarcastic, spoiled Selene. Not the princess with no care in the world. She was no longer the same.
Now, she was the princess watched by shadows.
The door to her room creaked open again.
Silent. Her heart raced as she quietly peeked into the hallway. No guard. Kael was still gone.
To her right, a slightly open wooden door caught her attention.—it wasn't usually open. An old storage room, long forgotten by the palace. Something felt off. A cold breeze emanated from it, unusual for a room that should have been sealed tight.
She approached.
She pushed the door gently. A cold breeze immediately brushed against her skin.
Inside, there were old trunks and broken pottery scattered around. But at the very end, behind an overturned shelf...
A crack in the wall.
She carefully moved closer, clearing away the debris. Then she noticed it—a tiny gap with a faint current of air. Curiously, she pressed it, gently pushing the crack open.
Dust spread out into the air.
And there it was—a secret passage.
Narrow, dark, and seemingly untouched for a long time.
And that was where her journey into the darkness began.