The Crown Reforged

Shadows of Truth

The silence after the breach didn’t last long.

The coastal winds howled louder than they should have. Clouds gathered too quickly, twisting like serpents overhead. Keal stood atop the main watchtower of their merged kingdom, eyes fixed on the darkening horizon. Mavrek had vanished after delivering his message, but the sense of dread remained.

Inside the keep, tension gripped the newly formed royal family. The children had returned from their training session, unaware of the storm gathering just outside their walls. Nyra lingered behind, distracted and withdrawn.

She sat alone in her chamber, candles flickering weakly around her. Sleep eluded her, though her eyes remained closed. Every time she drifted close to unconsciousness, she felt him—Verion.

In the dreams, he didn’t come as a monster. He came as a calm, wise figure cloaked in silver and shadow. His voice was soothing, patient, kind.

“Your power is not born of your mother,” he would say. “It comes from deeper blood. From me. You feel it, don’t you?”

Nyra had tried to shake the dreams, but they grew clearer, stronger. She began to anticipate them, even crave them.

That night, she didn’t resist.

In the dream, she stood in a garden of black roses under a blood-red sky. Verion sat upon a stone throne shaped like a dragon’s jaw. He smiled when he saw her.

“You returned.”

“I… don’t know why,” Nyra admitted.

“Yes, you do. Because they lie to you. Your mother hides the truth. Your father keeps secrets. They’re afraid of you. But I… I love you.”

Nyra blinked. “You don’t even know me.”

“I knew you before you were born. I saw the potential in you that they all feared. Look at how they whisper when you pass. How your power shakes the earth. You are more than their daughter. You are mine, and I have always watched over you.”

She trembled. “Why didn’t they tell me about you?”

Verion’s face fell into a mask of sorrow. “Because they’re ashamed. Ashamed of the truth. I am Seraphina’s uncle, yes. But I raised her more than Aldric ever did. I gave her strength. She turned from me, and now she turns you against your destiny.”

Nyra tried to deny it, but doubts festered. She remembered Seraphina’s silence when she’d asked about her origins. Keal’s nervous glances. Ava and Lima’s protective walls. What were they hiding?

“You’re not alone,” Verion whispered. “I will never lie to you.”

Nyra woke in sweat, her hands trembling. The candlelight had gone out. She stared into the dark for a long time.

That morning, Keal summoned the family for a council.

“We’re not dealing with just Verion,” he said. “Mavrek’s presence confirms that the cult is more active than we realized. Their goal is to fracture us—to turn the children.”

Seraphina stiffened. “He’s already trying to reach Nyra.”

Nyra’s jaw clenched. “He’s not trying. He did. He speaks to me every night. And you all lied to me.”

The room froze.

Seraphina stepped forward. “Nyra, we kept things from you to protect you.”

“Don’t,” Nyra snapped. “He told me the truth. That he raised you. That he was cast out. That you abandoned him.”

“He twisted the truth,” Keal said carefully. “He did raise Seraphina when Aldric failed. But he became obsessed with power, tried to steal the crown, and was exiled by the court. He wanted to use her. Just like he’s trying to use you.”

“You don’t know that!” Nyra shouted. “Maybe he just saw what none of you ever did!”

Ava stood between them. “Nyra. We love you. You’re our daughter.”

“I don’t know what I am anymore,” Nyra whispered. “But I know you’re hiding something.”

Without another word, she turned and left the chamber.

Later, Seraphina sat alone in the war room. Keal entered quietly.

“She doesn’t believe us,” Seraphina said.

“She’s hurting,” Keal replied. “And Verion knows exactly how to feed that pain.”

Seraphina looked down at an old pendant in her hand—Verion’s. A relic of her youth.

“He saved me when Aldric was cold. He taught me to fight. To lead. But he always wanted more. When I refused to use my powers to break the dimensional seals, he turned on me.”

“She needs to know your truth,” Keal said. “Tell her.”

That night, Seraphina found Nyra alone on the beach, staring at the sea.

“I didn’t mean to lie to you,” Seraphina said. “I was ashamed.”

Nyra didn’t look at her.

“Verion raised me when Aldric was too busy with war,” Seraphina continued. “He taught me love, but also manipulation. He thought I was a weapon for his legacy. When I chose peace, he turned on me. I never told you because I thought I could protect you from him.”

“Why am I connected to him?” Nyra asked.

Seraphina hesitated. “Because of me. When I was pregnant with you, he tried to reach me through dreams. Somehow, he left a mark. A trace of his magic. I don’t know how deep it runs.”

Nyra turned slowly. “So I am part of him.”

“You are part of me,” Seraphina said fiercely. “And Keal. And Ava and Lima. Your power doesn’t belong to Verion unless you give it to him.”

Nyra’s lip quivered. “But I don’t feel like I belong anymore.”

“You do,” Seraphina whispered, pulling her into an embrace. “No matter what, you are ours. And you’re strong enough to decide who you want to be.”

But far away, beyond the merged coastline, Verion stood in a shadowed shrine, watching a scrying mirror.

“She will come to me,” he said to Mavrek. “Because her blood remembers. Because truth, twisted or not, is more powerful than silence.”

Mavrek bowed. “And when she does?”

“She will unlock the gates I once failed to breach. And then, the Etherworld will belong to me.”

And Nyra, unknowingly, would hold the key.