Silence stretched between Nyssa and Caelan. Her words still hung in the air like a curse.
"I saw you die."
Caelan's hands tightened around her shoulders. His voice was steady, but his eyes—they burned with something raw. "Tell me everything."
Nyssa's throat felt dry. How could she put into words the terror she had just experienced? The dark king's presence still clung to her, the vision of Omala burning seared into her mind.
She swallowed hard. "It wasn't just your death, Caelan… It was the fall of everything."
His expression darkened. "Who killed me?"
Nyssa shivered. "A man… a king. He wore a jagged iron crown. Shadows moved around him like they were alive." She hesitated before adding, "He knew me."
Caelan's jaw clenched. "You're certain?"
Nyssa nodded. "And he called this a warning."
The leader of the Order of the Veil, still standing above them, finally spoke. "Your fate has been set in motion, Seer. The vision you saw is not a threat—it is a certainty."
Caelan shot him a glare. "Then tell us how to change it."
The leader sighed, almost pitying. "That is the question every desperate soul asks, Prince."
Nyssa felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "But you already know the answer, don't you?"
The man tilted his head. "Perhaps. But knowledge is never free."
A cold wind swept through the chamber. The other masked figures remained silent, watching like statues.
Caelan's patience snapped. "Name your price."
The leader smiled behind his mask. "Blood."
Nyssa's heart pounded. "Whose?"
The leader's silver eyes gleamed. "A life must be given for a life to be spared. That is the law of fate."
Nyssa's stomach turned. He was asking for a sacrifice.
Caelan's voice was ice. "I will not trade one innocent life for my own."
The leader chuckled. "Then you misunderstand, Prince. The life we require… is hers."
Nyssa's breath caught. "Mine?"
The Order's leader stepped closer, lowering his voice. "The vision you saw… it was not just a warning. It was a bargain."
Nyssa's mind reeled. A bargain?
The leader continued. "Your life and your power are tied to this prophecy, Seer. If you truly wish to change fate…" He reached out and pressed a cold dagger into her palm.
"…you must be willing to die for it."