Echoes of a Forgotten Queen
749 Words
Silence settled over the Obsidian Vault.
Alina's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear herself think.
She looked at Lucien.
Then at Kael.
Two men who looked almost identical.
Two impossible truths standing before her.
Finally, she spoke.
"Answer him."
Lucien didn't move.
"Did I... die seven hundred years ago?"
His silver eyes met hers.
"Yes."
The single word struck harder than any weapon.
Alina staggered back.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
"You asked for the truth."
"I asked for my truth!"
---
Kael leaned casually against the ancient stone wall, enjoying every second.
"You see why I like her, brother? She asks the right questions."
Lucien ignored him.
"You are not the same woman."
"But you said I died."
"You share her soul."
Alina frowned.
"My... soul?"
Lucien nodded.
"The woman you saw was Queen Aeloria, ruler of the Obsidian Kingdom."
Kael smirked.
"And the love of his eternal life."
Lucien remained silent.
That silence answered more than words ever could.
---
Fragments of memory suddenly exploded inside Alina's mind.
A throne carved from black crystal.
A crown resting on her head.
Lucien laughing.
A garden filled with glowing white flowers.
A wedding beneath two moons.
Then...
Fire.
Screams.
Blood.
Someone crying her name.
"Aeloria!"
The vision vanished.
Alina collapsed to her knees, clutching her head.
"It hurts..."
Lucien rushed toward her.
Before he could touch her...
Kael stepped between them.
"Don't."
Lucien's voice became ice.
"Move."
"If you force her memories now..."
"...you'll destroy her mind."
For a long moment...
Neither brother moved.
Then Lucien slowly lowered his hand.
---
EVA's voice echoed through the vault.
"Master."
"Emergency update."
Lucien answered without taking his eyes off Alina.
"Report."
"I have identified the object Kael removed."
Alina looked toward the sword.
"It's called..."
"The Nightfall Blade."
EVA continued.
"It is one of the Seven Relics created before recorded human history."
Kael twirled the sword effortlessly.
"And the only weapon capable of killing an immortal."
---
High above Beijing...
Dark clouds gathered unnaturally.
Lightning flashed without thunder.
Across the world...
Hidden temples awakened.
Ancient machines buried beneath deserts activated.
Deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean...
A colossal gate, untouched for thousands of years, slowly began to open.
Someone...
or something...
had sensed the Nightfall Blade.
---
Back inside Raven Tower...
Kael sighed dramatically.
"I really hoped we'd have more time."
He looked toward the ceiling.
"They're coming."
Lucien frowned.
"They?"
Kael nodded.
"They've finally noticed she's alive."
Alina whispered,
"Who?"
Kael's smile disappeared.
"The Celestials."
Even Lucien's expression changed.
"They shouldn't be able to cross the Veil."
"They couldn't."
Kael's golden eyes drifted toward Alina.
"Until she awakened."
---
Suddenly...
Every wall inside the vault began glowing.
Ancient symbols illuminated one after another.
The floor trembled.
A deafening voice echoed through the chamber.
Not from speakers.
From the stone itself.
"THE OBSIDIAN HEIR HAS RETURNED."
The crystal around Alina's neck burst into brilliant black light.
The symbols on the walls responded.
Lines of energy raced across the floor toward her.
Without understanding why...
Alina raised her hand.
The light obeyed.
The energy swirled around her body like a living storm.
Her ordinary clothes transformed into flowing black and silver garments woven from shimmering crystal threads.
A delicate obsidian crown appeared above her head before settling gently onto her hair.
Lucien stared in stunned silence.
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"The Crown..."
"It chose her."
Kael looked equally shocked.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
"The Crown rejected every bloodline for seven centuries."
---
Alina slowly opened her eyes.
For a brief moment...
They were no longer brown.
They shone like polished obsidian filled with stars.
She spoke.
But the voice wasn't entirely her own.
"I remember..."
Lucien stepped forward.
"What do you remember?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
Tears rolled down her face.
"I remember your promise..."
Lucien's breath caught.
"...and I remember..."
She suddenly recoiled, horror spreading across her face.
"You..."
The crown vanished.
The light disappeared.
Alina collapsed into Lucien's arms.
Her final whispered words echoed through the silent vault.
"You were holding the knife..."
Before Lucien could answer...
The entire tower shook violently.
EVA's calm voice returned, now carrying something it had never expressed before.
Fear.
"Master..."
"An unidentified object has entered Earth's atmosphere."
"It is descending directly toward Beijing."
Outside...
The night sky split open.
A massive ring of golden fire appeared above the city.
And from its center...
something ancient began to descend.
The war that had slept for seven hundred years...
had finally reached Earth.
- Writer
