Seraphina Pov
Blood was everywhere.
My body was stiff, pressed against the cold ground, my breaths shallow amidst the scent of iron and smoke. I knew I was the only one left.
The battle was over. No more screams, no more running—only the dead remained, and the whisper of the wind through the scorched trees.
Pain throbbed through me. My limbs were scratched by broken branches, and my tattered dress barely covered my frail body.
I tried to stay silent, invisible, but the sound of heavy footsteps made me freeze in place.
Something inside me screamed that I should run… but I couldn’t.
Slowly, I lifted my head—and saw a man.
He was tall, imposing, standing amidst the corpses as if he were part of the destruction itself. His silver eyes reflected the dim moonlight, and his face bore no expression, as if the blood staining his black coat meant nothing to him.
A chill swept through my chest.
This was death… and it had finally come for me.
But I did not cry.
“Will… you kill me?”
My voice was weak, hoarse, barely audible over the wind.
The man did not answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if my question was unexpected. His cold gaze swept over the scene before settling back on me.
He could kill me in an instant. I knew that.
But instead, he lowered himself onto one knee until his face was level with mine.
“What’s your name?” he asked at last, his voice deep and rough—but not as frightening as I had expected.
I hesitated… I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but he didn’t need my name to kill me.
“Seraphina.”
My name escaped in a whisper, fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment.
His gaze shifted, something within him stirring—something I couldn’t understand.
“Seraphina…” he repeated softly, then added, “You’re with me now.”
Before I could grasp his words, I found myself wrapped in his bloodstained coat, his strong arms lifting me off the ground as if I were the most precious thing amidst all this ruin.
I didn’t know why he saved me…
But for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was no longer alone.
---
Inside the Castle
I had no idea where we were going, but the castle we entered was vast, dark, filled with shadows. I felt the chill of the stone beneath my bare feet as he set me down gently in the long corridors.
I was exhausted—so drained that I barely noticed when we reached a large room, where a boy sat on the bed, reading under the glow of a lamp.
The moment the man stepped inside, the boy lifted his head, his storm-gray eyes—identical to the man’s—widening in surprise.
"Father… who is she?" the boy asked, his voice filled with surprise.
Father?
I turned to the man beside me… Was he this boy’s father?
“This is Seraphina,” he said firmly. “From now on, she will be your little sister.”
Something inside me trembled. Sister?
The boy, whom the man called Liam, regarded me cautiously. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I didn’t feel afraid of him.
“My sister?” he repeated softly, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes.” The man’s tone was absolute. “You will care for her and protect her as if she were your own blood.”