The world had long since forgotten the war between the Serpent Guardians and the Sky Predators, burying it beneath centuries of myth. But some echoes refused to fade.
Seraphina Vale woke with a start, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The lingering traces of a dream—a battlefield drenched in blood, a temple crumbling under the weight of betrayal—clung to her like shadows at dawn. Her fingers curled into the silk sheets of her bed as she tried to steady herself.
It wasn't the first time she had dreamed of them. The warrior cloaked in silver, the man wreathed in fire and shadow, and the woman at the center of it all—her.
Aelthara.
The name had no place in her modern world, and yet, it pulsed in her veins, demanding to be remembered.
Shaking her head, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The city skyline stretched beyond her bedroom window, the distant hum of traffic grounding her in the present. Just a dream, she told herself. Nothing more.
A knock at the door startled her.
"Seraphina?"
It was Elira Dorne, her closest friend and confidante. Seraphina exhaled, brushing her fingers through her tousled hair before answering.
"Yeah, come in."
Elira entered, her sharp emerald eyes scanning Seraphina's face. "Another one of those dreams?"
Seraphina hesitated before nodding. "They're getting stronger."
Elira frowned. "That's not normal. Maybe you should—"
"I'm fine," Seraphina interrupted, forcing a small smile. "It's probably just stress."
Elira didn't look convinced but dropped the subject. "Well, stress or not, you don't get a free pass from today's plans. There's a gala tonight, and you're coming with me."
Seraphina groaned. "Please tell me that's not today."
"It is," Elira said, smirking. "And I already picked your dress, so no backing out."
Seraphina sighed. A night of socializing was the last thing she wanted, but Elira was relentless.
"Fine," she relented. "But if I have another weird vision in the middle of the party, I'm blaming you."
Elira chuckled. "Deal."
Little did Seraphina know, the gala would set her fate into motion.
Because he would be there.
Kael Draven.
And so would Lysian Veyne.
Two men bound to her by a past she had yet to remember.