The girl resists the oath," she said, words cool and deliberate "So be it. The Rose has always tested its vessels with fire. Let us see if she burns—or blooms."
She turned with a graceful sweep of her robes, walking toward the high arch at the end of the chamber. The elders and seers followed, like moths trailing a flame. The hall emptied, leaving only Elena, Adrian, and a handful of guards who lingered at the edges like carved shadows.
Elena exhaled, the sound trembling "She doesn't want me to wield the Rose. She wants to own it."
Adrian's hand curled into a fist "She wants to own you."
Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat the rest of the hall blurred away. Elena saw the fear beneath his anger, the way his storm-gray gaze softened when it rested on her. He had lost too much already, and she—she was the one thing he refused to surrender.
But what if Seraphine forced his hand?
A flicker of movement caught Elena's attention. One of the guards had stepped forward, lowering his hood. His face was sharp, eyes pale as glass "You should go," he said in a low, urgent tone "The High Seer plays her game, and you are her piece."
Elena frowned "Why warn me?"
The guard's lips twisted "Because pieces can become queens or be shattered before they cross the board."
Adrian stepped between them, blade flashing as he unsheathed it just enough for the steel to gleam "If this is a trap—"
The guard raised his hands "Not a trap....A choice." His gaze flicked to Elena "There's a passage beneath the sanctuary. Forgotten by most. It leads into the Ashen Forest, away from Seraphine's gaze."
Elena's heart stuttered... Escape... Freedom. Yet the thought carried weight, because leaving would mean turning their backs on what fragile protection the sanctuary offered.
She looked at Adrian. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, but his grip on the sword tightened.
"We'll consider it," Elena said carefully.
The guard bowed, retreating back into the shadows.
Silence fell between her and Adrian once more, but it wasn't the silence of distance this time. It was heavy with choices unspoken.
Adrian broke it first. "She's setting us up for something... Tonight... I can feel it."
Elena nodded slowly "Then we stay ready."
Later that night, the sanctuary breathed differently.
The halls, once hushed with ritual, now thrummed with a quiet unease. Torches guttered as though reluctant to burn. Every shadow stretched a little too far. Elena lay restless in her chamber, the Codex heavy on the table beside her. Its pages fluttered as though stirred by an unseen wind, glowing faintly red.
She reached out, fingers brushing the parchment. The whispers slithered into her mind—soft, seductive, familiar.
He hides things from you.
Her breath caught.
He fears what you could become. He fears your power.
"No," she whispered, though the word trembled.
The Codex's letters shifted, bleeding into an image: herself, crowned with roses of flame, Adrian kneeling at her feet. Her heart lurched. She slammed the book shut, breath ragged.
A knock sounded at the door. She startled, but Adrian stepped in, shadows curling around his shoulders.
"You're awake," he murmured.
Elena nodded, voice shaky "The Codex…"
His eyes darkened, and he came to her, taking her hands in his "It's twisting you.... Don't let it."
Her throat ached "And if it's telling the truth? About you? About what you're keeping from me?"
Adrian flinched as though struck. Silence stretched.
Then, softly: "Some truths aren't for the Codex to give. They're mine to speak and when I do… it will be to you, not to your nightmares."
Her eyes blurred "Then say it."
But instead of answering, he drew her close, his forehead pressing against hers, his breath warm, steadying "Not tonight," he whispered "Tonight, I just need you to stay with me."
And for once, Elena let the question fade.
Because in the space between them, the world's weight felt almost bearable.
Yet outside their chamber, the sanctuary stirred.
In the Hall of Whispers, Seraphine stood alone before the shattered ashes of her conjured rose. She touched the cold stone with pale fingers, her veil lifting slightly to reveal lips pressed into a thin, knowing smile.
"The cracks widen," she murmured "Soon, they will choose—and when they do, the Rose will be mine."
The flame of a single candle bent low, as though bowing to her words.
And somewhere deep within the walls, the Codex's heartbeat echoed like distant thunder.
Sleep never truly came to Elena.
The Codex pulsed faintly in the corner, as though it had grown a heartbeat of its own. She could feel it even when her eyes were closed—a steady, unnatural thrum that whispered against her ribs. Adrian lay beside her, his breathing slow but not deep. She knew he wasn't asleep either. Warriors rarely slept soundly in enemy territory, and tonight, they were surrounded by both allies and threats.
The silence between them was sharp. She wanted to reach for him, to anchor herself against the storm building in her chest. Yet fear chained her hands. Fear of the Codex's whisper. Fear that what it showed her—that image of Adrian kneeling at her feet—wasn't just a lie but a seed of truth.
A faint clang echoed through the halls. Adrian stirred instantly, hand darting to his sword. Elena sat upright, heart pounding. The sound repeated: metal against stone, deliberate and slow.
"Stay behind me," Adrian murmured, rising.
Before she could argue, the chamber doors flung open. A dozen figures cloaked in scarlet stormed inside, torches blazing. Their masks bore the sigil of the Rose, though distorted, twisted. At their head was the pale-eyed guard who had warned her earlier.
Elena's stomach dropped.
"You lied," Adrian hissed, blade flashing from its sheath.
The guard's smile was thin "No.... I offered choice. You simply didn't take it."
He lifted his torch high, and the others chanted in unison. The sound wasn't prayer. It was hunger.
"Give us the vessel," the guard demanded "And no blood needs to be spilled."
Adrian moved instantly, positioning himself between Elena and the intruders. His sword gleamed, but Elena could see the odds—dozens of armed zealots, each radiating a fevered devotion that no steel alone could cut through.
She stepped forward before she could stop herself "If you want me, then take me from me, not from him."
"Elena—!" Adrian's voice was a warning, a plea, and a wound all at once.
The guard chuckled "So brave or so foolish."
His hand flicked, and a chain of flame lashed out toward her. Adrian intercepted it, blade singing, sparks hissing as steel clashed with fire. The room erupted in chaos.
Torches toppled. Shadows leapt. Adrian fought like a storm loosed from the heavens, every strike of his blade cutting arcs of silver through the haze but there were too many. Elena could see him faltering, blood already staining his sleeve.
The Codex pulsed harder... Take it....Wield me... Save him.
She staggered toward it, torn between terror and desperation.
"Elena!" Adrian's voice broke across the clash "Don't—!"
Her hand hovered over the Codex. It burned with light, its whisper threading into her veins. He will die... They will both die. Unless you open me.
She screamed and tore the book open.
Fire surged—not flame, not heat, but something older. It roared through her veins, blooming from her skin in petals of crimson light. The zealots froze, their chants breaking into gasps.
Adrian's eyes widened, but not with relief. With fear.
"Elena… what did you do?"
The guard fell to his knees, head bowed "The vessel awakens."
But Elena could barely hear. The power swallowed her, drowning her in visions: a thousand faces bending to her, worlds burning at her feet, Adrian's gaze torn between devotion and terror.
Her knees buckled. Adrian caught her, pulling her against his chest "Stay with me. Don't let it take you."
Tears blurred her vision "I didn't want this… I just wanted to save you."
"You are saving me," he whispered, voice breaking "Every time you fight to stay yourself."
Behind them, the zealots pressed forward, their fear twisting into renewed frenzy "She is ours! The Rose has claimed her!"
Adrian rose, dragging Elena with him, sword still clenched "No," he snarled "She isn't yours. She never will be."
The zealots surged. Elena's power exploded outward.
The room drowned in crimson fire.
When the smoke cleared, the chamber was ruin. The zealots were gone—some ash, some fled, some consumed by the fire that still smoldered in the stones.
Elena collapsed, trembling, her veins still glowing faintly. Adrian knelt beside her, blade clattering to the ground. He cupped her face with shaking hands, searching her eyes as though afraid of what he'd find.
Elena," he breathed "Tell me you're still here."
She blinked, tears falling "I don't know."
His forehead pressed against hers, desperate, aching "Then I'll hold you until you do."
For the first time, she let herself break into his arms, the fire dimming as his warmth wrapped around her.
But in the ruined hall, Seraphine watched unseen from the shadows, her veil stirring in the heat.
And her smile was sharper than any blade.