Draco stood in the quiet of the common area, the remnants of the previous night's discussions still lingering in the air. He had been restless, unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss with Serena. His thoughts wandered back to that moment, a few weeks ago, back when he was still hyper focused on finding things that proved she wasn't who she was, that she had been playing them, his trust issues taking a hold of himself.
He had secretly infiltrated her office in the hospital when she wasn't around, paying a few nurses to stay shut and pretend they hadn't seen him around there, using his powers to disrupt the cameras in the area so they wouldn't catch sight of him sneaking into the prestigious doctor's office.
While looking through her things, he stumbled across a shredded handwritten letter on the trash, his curiosity took the best of him and he used the free space in her perfectly organized desk to lay the shredded pieces on, then he began to un-puzzle them, trying to read what she had written. The fact that she had teared the letter and throw in the trash making him believe it was something crucial, something she could be hiding.
It was wrong, he knew that. Rummaging through her things—a borderline invasion of privacy he wouldn't usually consider, but he couldn't help himself. She had unsettled him from the beginning, messed with his mind, with his heart, with his body even, it had been driving him mad and he needed answers. They hadn't grown close yet back then, not like now.
As he unfolded the pieces and put the letter together with magic, his heart raced. The words scrawled in her delicate handwriting sent chills down his spine. "I'm not Serena, I'm Seven," it read, alongside a series of notes that made no sense to him—symbols and phrases that hinted at secrets buried deep within her, then it repeated over and over again.
[I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.
I'm not Serena, I'm Seven.]
It repeated itself sixteen times, her handwriting changing slightly as she kept writing, as if she had been anxious, restless when she wrote that, in a rush. As if desperate to reassure something within her own mind. Counting the first mention of the loop phrase, she had written it seventeen times.
He had immediately felt the weight of his actions, realizing he had crossed a line. But the number haunted him. Why had she hidden it? What was she hiding? Was that a number that meant a lot to her, was it some kind of nickname, or for a weird reason was it her actual name?
He had decided to keep his knowledge to himself, waiting for the right moment to confront her about it. The shadows of uncertainty loomed larger with every passing day. Then he did, he tried calling her by it back in the Royal Ball, after he interrupted her and Claus, angry with how Claus was on the verge of confessing his feelings to her. And she reacted to it, defensive enough for him to know it wasn't just a number but a name.
Then he called her by it again later, when he wasn't trying to expose her anymore, and it felt intimate. So intimate he had refused to talk to anyone about it, he didn't want the others to feel that close to Serena—Seven, whatever her real name was. He wanted her all for himself and it was starting to get harder to hide it, to watch her next to Claus as his stupid cousin flirted with her. It made him want to crawl out of his own skin.
And now, just knowing this secret wasn't enough, he wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. He wanted to become the should she would lean on, the person she would trust, her favorite person, her best friend, and more than that. But as his craving to be with her grew stronger, the more she seemed to be drifting away from him.
Ever since the tournament, Serena seemed to be adrift, on the verge of drowning with her own inner turmoil, her own secrets, and he felt helpless, desperate to reach out and take out of that dark place, to bring her to his light, even if he was surrounded by shadows too. The more he tried to reach her, the more she pushed him away, and he was beginning to struggle to hide it.
["Does it has to do with her Seven name?"] He couldn't help wondering. ["Was it the encounter with the rulers of Twinscott? Or was it the trials of the tournament? What can I do to help her?"] He didn't want to press her, didn't want to accidentally trigger one of her traumas and make her inner turmoil worse, but he couldn't stand the idea of just watching her suffer like that. ["What can I do?"]
※※※
The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air as Seventeen stood in the hospital corridor, her heart racing. She was on her free day, but still had insisted on accompanying Light, who was worried about her mother, recently hospitalized due to complications from a pregnancy in its early stage. Yet, as they navigated the dimly lit halls, an unsettling familiarity washed over her.
A soft cry echoed from a room nearby, pulling her attention. She approached the window and peered inside. A powerful woman from the Scorpion district lay on the hospital bed, exhausted but triumphant, cradling a newborn in her arms. It was Jasmin Shadow, the most famous author of Scorpion, whose dark fantasy novels explore themes of mystery and intrigue, drawing inspiration from Scorpion's folklore. The sight triggered something deep within Seventeen, and her breath caught in her throat.
It was still December 14th.
["Ophiuchus season,"] she thought, her mind racing back to whispered rumors of Scorpion nobles seeking to strengthen their power during this time. ["Why now? Why? Why? Why did this innocent baby had to be born now?"]
Before she could contemplate it further, officials from Traeh, Imperious, and Whiteland combined entered the room. They wore stern expressions, their presence heavy with authority. As they approached the new mother, Seventeen felt a knot form in her stomach.
"This child cannot be raised under the cursed influence of Ophiuchus," one of the officials stated matter-of-factly, his tone cold and devoid of empathy. "We must take him to a safe location."
["Dark Zones,"] she huffed, horror creeping in. She had been there, all the survivor born under the same constellation as her had. They were spread through out the Zodiac Archipelago, twelve island, their magnetic field made it impossible for airships or boats to get anywhere close, it was a deadly place because the very islands fed on life force and dark magic, all that Ophiucus' babies had in abundance. To navigate through them and save those kids required skill and strength, it was the duty of her district, of her father Noah. ["No..."]
"What do you mean, a safe location?" Jasmin's voice trembled, desperation lacing her words.
"It's for the best. The child will be taken to the nearest Dark Zone. He'll be safer there."
["Dark Zone 8."]
Seventeen's heart shattered as she watched the officials take the newborn from the mother's arms, her instincts screaming against the injustice unfolding before her eyes.
["They're just taking him,"] she thought, a sense of dread washing over her. ["This is how it always starts."]
She turned away from the window, struggling to breathe as memories of her own past flooded her mind. The weight of loss felt insurmountable, a familiar ache that never quite faded.
["Why can't they see what they're doing?"] she thought, anger and sadness intertwining. ["This isn't just politics. This is cruelty disguised as duty."]
The officials walked out of the room, Jasmin Shadow's cries trailing behind them like a ghost. Seventeen felt as though she were reliving her worst nightmare—the callousness of those in power, the helplessness of those caught in their schemes.
The situation was all too reminiscent of the tragic fate her and her siblings had faced, their lives extinguished without a second thought. It was a reminder of the very real stakes in their world—a world governed by ruthless leaders who sacrificed the innocent for the sake of their agendas.
["Every time they take a child,"] she thought bitterly, ["it's a reminder of what I lost. What we all lost. I can only hope Noah and the others will be able to save this baby."]
"Darius," Jasmin's cries echoed as she cried for her son, the name he would never get to know.
["Darius. Darius Shadow. I'll remember,"] she vowed. ["If we save him, I'll name him that."]
She had fought to distance herself from those feelings, but witnessing the cold detachment with which the officials acted broke down the walls she had erected.
["Whatever I have to do to keep them safe,"] she resolved, clenching her fists, ["I will do it. I can't let this happen again. I can't lose anyone else. It's not an if. Noah and the others will save him, they'll be there, we won't lose another."]
※※※
As Draco entered the waiting area, he noticed Serena standing alone, her gaze fixed on the floor. The tension radiating off her was palpable, and he could see the turmoil churning behind her darkened blue eyes.
"Serena?" he approached cautiously. "You okay?"
She looked up, but the shadows of her past lingered in her expression, darkening her features. "I'm fine," she insisted, but he could see the cracks in her facade.
"What did you see?" he asked, sensing her discomfort.
"Nothing… just a mother losing her child, all because the innocent soul was unfortunate to be born today," she replied, her voice strained.
Draco felt a surge of anger on her behalf. "That's not nothing," he said firmly, stepping closer. "We need to do something about this. It's not right."
For a moment, he thought he saw something flicker in her eyes—a spark of the fierce determination he admired. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a wall of resolve.
"It's a baby of Ophiucus, Draco. I can't change it," she said, her voice softer now. "Not right now. There are bigger things at stake." ["Father and the others will save them, we always have someone patrolling the Dark Zones daily, I trust them."]
"Serena—" he began, but she cut him off.
"Let's just focus on the problems ahead, okay? We have to stay united, and we can't let anything distract us."
"Fine," he replied, frustration simmering beneath the surface. He wanted to push her, to help her confront her pain, but he knew better than to press too hard.
"Just remember," he said, trying to infuse his words with sincerity, "you don't have to go through this alone. I'm here."
She nodded, but he could see that her mind was miles away. The walls were up again, and he was left grappling with the knowledge that Serena was carrying secrets far heavier than he had imagined.
As they prepared to leave the hospital, Draco couldn't shake the feeling that they were teetering on the edge of something monumental. New challenges loomed ahead, but the shadows of their pasts threatened to catch up with them, and he could only hope that Serena would find the strength to face whatever was coming.