Night had fallen over the battlefield.The battlefield still reeked of betrayal.
Seraphine didn't remember how her knees hit the ground, only that her heart had shattered before her body ever did. The man she'd fought beside, trusted, and even defended to her people had abandoned her with a single look. The soldiers who once swore loyalty averted their gazes, backs turned to her.
The sky rumbled above as though mourning with her.
And then came the silence...
Heavy. Crushing.
Footsteps echoed through the death stilled air. A presence that devoured all light, all warmth. A being who don't belong to the world of mortals stepped onto the ruined soil like a god descending in fury and longing.
Valen.
His silhouette emerged from the mist like a living shadow - tall, regal, terrifying. A long dark cloak swept behind him, the silver embroidery of ancient symbols gleaming faintly under the dark sky.
He stepped before her.
Seraphine didn't look up. Couldn't.
Valen slowly knelt before her, like a sinner before a goddess.
His gloved fingers reached up, brushing strands of hair from her face. "Serenyth, " he breathed, "Even in ruins, you glow. "
Her breath caught - that name again.
"Stop calling me that. " She whispered, her voice breaking.
Valen's gaze, deep and sorrowful , met hers. "That's what you are, Serenyth. "He said, voice raw with restraint hunger. "You're not merely a woman, you're the myth I worship in silence. The one who brought me to my knees. "
And then....he stood.
As if the world obeyed him, the wind hushed, the earth stilled. He turned to the army behind him - silent, disciplined soldiers, cloaked in black and silver - gave a single signal.
Two of them stepped forward, lifting Seraphine with care. She didn't fight. She didn't scream. All she could do was look at this immortal creature before her - Valen - and wonder why did it feel like he too was hurting with her.
Valen looked back once, voice like a dark lullaby :
"You belonged to the light and they threw you away. Now.. You belong to the dark. "
And with a breeze of wind, they vanished into shadows.
When Seraphine opened her eyes, she found herself in a palace that looked like it never knew light.
The grand hall of Valen's palace was dressed in shadows, the scent of ash and roses clinging to it's walls. It was unlike any palace Seraphine had known - dark, eerie and soaked in silence. And he - Valen watched her from the throne, eyes dark, unblinking. Her heart pounded with the echoes of betrayal and fear, but her spine remained straight.
"I'm not your prisoner, "she said, her voice steady despite the weight in her chest.
" No, " Valen said quietly, rising from the throne.
"You're not. "
Her eyes narrowed. "Then let me go. "
He took a step down the dais. "Let us settle this the way warriors do. If you win... " He paused, his gaze burning through her. "I will release you princess. "
"And if I lose? "
His smile was slow, unreadable. "You will stay. With me. "
Silence thundered between them.
"You sound like Evander, " She snapped.
"No, " Valen said, taking another step. "He never intended to keep his word. I will. "
Seraphine's pulse skipped. Pride flared in her chest. A duel. A chance. She drew her sword, Vermillion Fang, from the belt Valen had returned to her. "Fine. Let's end this. "
They moved to the center of the hall. The guards cleared the space. Valen removed his cloak, revealing his well built muscles beneath his dark tunic, eyes never leaving her.
"You should know, princess. "He murmured. " I don't fight to win. I fight to claim. "
"I'm not yours to claim. " She hissed.
He bowed, " Then prove it, darling. "
Swords clashed.