Doctor Seryna Vale
1257 Words
One year later.
Our dorm room buzzed with nervous energy. I sat at my desk, chewing my lip and refreshing the results page for the third time in as many minutes. My fingers trembled with anticipation. This was it—the culmination of sleepless nights, relentless rotations, and my final project: a groundbreaking cure for red rot fever. The disease, fatal to young werewolves within days, left little hope for survival. Most died within twenty-four hours; the few who lived endured unbearable suffering. I had sacrificed everything to discover that cure. Now, it all hinged on one result.
Behind me, Nerissa paced the room, muttering prayers to the sea god. “If I fail, I swear I’m becoming a pearl diver. I’ll live in a coral reef and pretend this never happened.”
Liora sat cross-legged on the bed, her wings twitching. “Relax. We crushed our finals. We’ve got this.”
I nodded, my heart pounding. My eyes flicked toward the glowing message orb Maria had left me. “No matter what the results say, I’m already proud of you. But also—you better pass or I’ll riot.”
A chime echoed through the room, sharp and final.
“Results are in!” Liora squealed.
I clicked refresh.
Status: Certified Magical Medical Practitioner.
There was a stunned beat of silence—then the room exploded. Nerissa tackled me in a hug. Liora shot into the air, trailing sparkling pollen. We laughed, cried, and held each other tight.
That night, we graduates gathered at the Moonlight Amphitheater. The crescent-shaped stage glowed with enchanted lanterns. Students in flowing robes danced and celebrated. Professors gave congratulatory toasts, and the air shimmered with joy and lingering magic. Beneath the stars, the lake reflected everything like a second sky.
Wearing a navy gown, I stood with a glass of enchanted cider. Lucan approached, looking unusually polished in a tailored tunic.
“Congratulations, Doctor Vale,” he said.
I grinned. “Thanks, Doctor...?”
“Just Lucan,” he replied sheepishly. “Didn’t pass the exam.”
My eyebrows lifted.
“I’m repeating the year,” he added. “I’ll be at the same clinic as you.”
A slow smile spread across my face. “Then I guess I won’t be alone.”
Above us, fireworks burst—golden stethoscopes, glowing hearts, and radiant caduceus staffs lighting the night. I looked up, my soul singing.
Against all odds, I had made it.
That night, sleep was elusive. Long after the celebration ended and my roommates had gone quiet, I found myself pacing alone in the small garden behind the dormitory. Moonlight bathed the courtyard in silver, painting my gown in ghostly hues.
I sat on the stone bench beneath the flowering magnolia tree, its soft petals brushing my arms.
“I did it,” I whispered into the night, still half in disbelief. The breeze carried the scent of lavender and magic, as if the campus itself was celebrating with me.
Do you believe it now? Rose’s voice murmured gently inside me.
I hugged myself. “I’m not sure. I still feel like that girl from the packhouse… the one who slept beside the healer’s couch, hoping someone would see her.”
You’ve always been more than they let you believe, Rose said. Tonight proved it.
I closed my eyes and let the wind comb its fingers through my hair. A single tear slid down my cheek—not of sadness, but release.
“No one can take this from me.”
I whispered it again, letting the words root into my bones.
I stood at last, the memory of the broken girl I once was settling quietly behind me like a shadow.
The future waited—and I would meet it standing tall.
At Maria’s apartment, I was met with a joyful scream. She held a glowing envelope, her hands trembling.
“What is it?” I asked.
Maria opened it, her eyes going wide. “It’s an invitation. To the King’s Annual Doctors’ Ball.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
“For both of us!” Maria squealed. “I’ve dreamed of this. We’re going dress shopping. Right now!”
She whirled me in a circle like a child, her laughter infectious. Her face glowed with excitement, and for the first time in years, I saw her shed the burden she always carried. “You’re going to be the most breathtaking healer there, my brilliant girl.”
Hours later, we strolled through the boutique district, arms linked and eyes wide as we peered through enchanted display windows. Mannequins twirled on their own, some cloaked in stardust, others whispering softly about their enchantments. Maria darted from rack to rack, pulling gowns and holding them up to me, dismissing each with dramatic flair.
“No, too plain. Too stiff. Too bridal. Ooo—this one might be—no, the sleeves are hideous.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “You haven’t picked a single one for yourself.”
She waved me off. “This isn’t about me. This is about finding your dress.”
Eventually, we stepped into a boutique wrapped in vines and glowing fairy lights. The moment I saw it, I knew.
A white gown with gold embroidery at the bust, a high slit, and a flowing train that shimmered like moonlight on water. It fit like it had been made for me. It even seemed to hum faintly when I moved—soft and secret, like it recognized me.
Maria gasped, her hand flying to her chest. “You don’t even look mortal in this.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she stepped forward and gently adjusted the strap on my shoulder. “I knew it the second you put it on.”
You’ll turn a lot of heads, Rose purred. Maybe we’ll meet someone even you can’t ignore.
I frowned. “You know I don’t believe in love, Rose.”
You’ll see, she replied. When love calls, even the strongest can’t resist.
I chuckled, smoothing the gown. It really was perfect.
Elsewhere, in the Moon Kingdom – Caius
I stood on the castle balcony, the cold night air brushing against my skin. Below, the capital shimmered beneath the stars. I held the ornate envelope in my hand, its seal broken but the name inside seared into my mind.
Seryna Vale.
She was invited to the Doctors’ Ball.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. I hadn’t seen her in over a year—had only heard Lucan’s updates, buried in cheerful anecdotes and subtle warnings. She had grown. She had become everything I knew she could be.
Kael stirred beneath my skin. She’s ready.
“I know,” I murmured.
Since my father’s death, I had done everything to hold the kingdom together—to root out corruption, to protect her from afar. But even with a crown on my brow, my thoughts always circled back to her.
I had stayed away to keep her safe. But the ball would change everything. She would step into my world, unaware that half the court saw her as a threat—and the rest as something to claim.
“No one will lay a hand on her,” I said aloud, my voice ice-edged.
Kael growled in agreement. Let them try.
I looked out across the night. Soon, she and I would meet again—not as strangers, but as who we truly were.
King and Healer.
And maybe, if the goddess willed it—mates.
- Writer
