Myrren guided me across the ballroom, her grip light but firm on my arm. She wore a practiced smile, nodding at the guests as we passed, exchanging quiet pleasantries that barely reached my ears. The warmth of the celebration, the shimmer of chandeliers, the laughter and clinking of glasses, it all felt distant.
Something was wrong.
We wove through the crowd, past the opulent floral arrangements and golden-lit tables, until the sound of the ballroom softened behind us. The hallway leading to the gallery was quieter, lined with glass windows that overlooked the courtyard below. The hum of conversation dulled, replaced by the faint notes of the orchestra playing in the distance.
Myrren came to a stop and inhaled deeply, composing herself.
"Lara should have never introduced you to the Council," she said, her voice carefully measured. "Especially not to Varek."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She exhaled, her gaze flickering toward the ballroom before settling on me again, sharp and troubled.
"You are in their line of sight now, Athena. I made a promise to never let that happen."
My stomach tightened.
"What promise?" I demanded. "To whom? What is going on?"
Myrren didn't answer immediately.
Her silence was louder than anything she could have said.
My heart pounded against my ribs. "Myrren, is this linked to my past?" My voice rose, desperate now. "Tell me something, anything! Why was Varek looking at me like that? Is there something you're not telling me?"
She shook her head, muttering something I couldn't make out under her breath.
Then, unexpectedly, she reached forward, gripping my shoulders. Her eyes, so unreadable, so carefully controlled, held something beneath the surface.
Fear.
"You will go back in there," she said, voice lower, urgent. "And you will act like nothing happened. Stay away from the Council members. Do not answer any questions from strangers."
I swallowed hard. "Myrren..."
"I will try to solve this."
That was all she gave me before stepping away, smoothing out the creases in her gown, and striding back toward the ballroom.
I stood there for a moment, cold creeping up my spine despite the warmth of the room.
What the hell was going on?
With a deep breath, I forced myself to move. Forced myself to push down the dozens of questions swirling in my mind.
The ballroom was alive when I returned.
The dance floor had transformed into a mesmerizing display of couples moving in elegant synchronization, swaying beneath the shimmering light of the grand chandeliers. A soft, sophisticated melody wove through the air, the kind that made everything feel dreamlike.
My eyes flitted across the floor, finding familiar faces.
Jax, Ezzy, Zion, and Jade among them, laughing as they twirled their partners dramatically, completely in their own world.
And at the center, Lara and Zayn.
They held each other close, moving effortlessly, lost in their own little universe. Lara's face glowed with happiness, her violet gown sweeping across the floor like liquid starlight.
I smiled softly, watching them. They were definitely a lovely pair.
Speaking of pairs, I scanned the crowd for my own date.
Just then, I felt a flicker of warmth at my back. A presence.
"Looking for me?"
The voice was low, smooth: him.
I turned, heart skipping a beat as I met Riven's gaze.
That damn unreadable gaze.
"Maybe," I teased, tilting my head slightly.
His lips quirked in that subtle, infuriating way of his.
Then he extended his hand. "Would you like to dance?"
I hesitated, not because I didn't want to, but because he was asking.
This wasn't like the teasing, over-the-top invitations I usually got from Jax or Zion. This was Riven.
There was something intentional about the way he asked. Something that sent warmth curling in my stomach.
I took his hand.
His fingers curled around mine, steady, warm, undeniably solid, as he led me toward the dance floor.
My pulse betrayed me, hammering in my chest as the space between us thinned.
Oh, I was in trouble.
And somehow… I didn't mind at all.
Riven's hands settled firmly on my waist, his touch steady and sure. Instinctively, my hands found their way around his neck, bringing us closer, closer than I had expected, closer than I had allowed anyone to be in a long time.
At first, I was tense. My mind was still spiraling from my conversation with Myrren, the weight of her words pressing down on me. But then, Riven gave me a gentle squeeze, a silent reassurance, and I exhaled slowly, letting my body relax into the rhythm of the music.
We didn't speak. We just moved.
The space between us vanished, and I was painfully aware of everything: of the way his fingers flexed slightly against the fabric of my dress, of how solid he felt beneath my touch. The slow sway of our movements only heightened the awareness, every shift drawing me deeper into the moment.
But my mind refused to stay present.
It was a mess: crowded with thoughts, questions, worries that wouldn't let go. Myrren. Varek. The way they looked at me. The way she panicked. It gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, like a splinter lodged too deep to pull free.
I lifted my gaze, seeking her out in the crowd, and found her speaking in hushed tones with Magnus, one of the few elite guests who had greeted me with genuine warmth earlier. His expression was unreadable, but I caught the moment their gazes flickered toward me before Magnus gave a small nod and melted back into the crowd.
A chill crawled up my spine.
Just then, Riven's voice broke through the storm in my head. "You okay?"
I hesitated, my grip tightening ever so slightly behind his neck. No. I wasn't. But I wasn't about to unpack that here.
Instead, I nodded and did the one thing I felt capable of in that moment. I leaned into him, resting my head lightly on his shoulder. It wasn't about intimacy. It wasn't about making a statement.
I was tired.
Tired of unanswered questions. Tired of being left in the dark. Tired of pretending everything was fine.
And for some reason, standing here with Riven, wrapped in his warmth, the weight of it all felt just a little bit lighter.
Before I could lose myself entirely, the MC's voice echoed through the ballroom, shattering whatever this moment had been.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come! We now present the Fatidica Revelatio Ceremony, where Lara Veyne will step fully into her power and claim her rightful place among Elarion's strongest!"
The entire room shifted, the dance floor clearing as anticipation rippled through the crowd.
Excited murmurs filled the space as guests repositioned themselves around the perimeter, leaving a wide, open circle in the center. The Council members moved forward, their presence commanding as they prepared to oversee the event.
I stepped back from Riven as Ezzy, Jade, Jax, and Zion made their way over to us, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Finally," Jade whispered, her gaze fixed on the platform that had appeared in the middle of the ballroom. "I've been waiting for this."
Seven witches, cloaked in deep sapphire robes, took their positions in a precise formation, their hands raised as they began chanting in unison.
A brilliant glow sparked between them, weaving vibrant threads of energy into existence: red, gold, silver, deep violet, spinning together like a celestial tapestry.
Lara, standing tall on the floating platform, didn't flinch.
Her turquoise eyes gleamed with fierce determination as she welcomed the threads of power encircling her.
Slowly, the colorful strands twined around her body, layer by layer, forming a cocoon of pure magic.
The crowd held its breath as the cocoon thickened, swallowing her completely.
I clenched my fists, my heart pounding, not with worry, but anticipation.
Because I knew this was nothing for her.
"She's got this," I murmured under my breath, the corners of my lips twitching. "Come on, sister. Show 'em what you got."
A moment of silence stretched across the ballroom, the air crackling with anticipation. Every gaze was locked on the glowing cocoon, waiting.
Then, the cocoon erupted into a dazzling cascade of radiant shards, scattering like celestial embers across the room, casting prismatic light over the enchanted space. Gasps filled the air, awe washing over the crowd like a tangible wave.
At the center of it all stood Lara Veyne, reborn in her full power.
A golden aura crackled around her, shimmering like molten light. Her gown, now embroidered with faint lines of power, flowed around her like liquid energy.
She looked like a warrior princess, like someone untouchable, powerful.
The room erupted in cheers. Applause thundered through the ballroom as the Council members stepped forward, preparing to bless her ascension.
Pride swelled in my chest. She had done it.
And yet, despite the celebration, my mind whispered back to Magnus. To Myrren. To Varek.
I forced the unease away.
Tonight was Lara's night.
Whatever storm was coming, I would deal with it later.
The MC's voice rang through the ballroom, commanding attention.
"Honored guests, please make your way to your assigned tables. Dinner will be served shortly."
The once-dense crowd slowly began to disperse, moving toward the elegantly set tables in the other half of the ballroom. Laughter and conversation resumed, but a strange tension still lingered in the air, subtle yet persistent.
I turned instinctively, scanning the room.
Where was Riven?
I had lost him at some point in the shifting crowd, but when I finally spotted him, my stomach clenched.
He stood unmoving in the middle of the crowd, shoulders tight, his gaze sharply scanning the room. Not watching but searching. His entire stance was wound with something I couldn't quite place.
Then his eyes met mine.
And for the first time, I saw something I never expected. Distress.
Riven Caelum, unreadable and always composed, looked… troubled.
Before I could process it, he was moving toward me, cutting through the sea of bodies with an urgency that set my nerves on edge.
A flicker in my peripheral vision caught my attention and the chandelier lights dimmed, just for a second, barely enough for anyone to notice. But I felt it, like a pulse beneath my skin.
Another flicker.
This time, the glow of the enchanted lighting faltered, a strange suppression dulling the magic that had filled the ballroom only moments ago.
The shift was subtle but undeniable. The air itself seemed to thicken, charged with an almost electric tension. A quiet crackle brushed against my skin, like static before a storm.
Around the room, warriors stationed for security exchanged glances, hands hovering near weapons.
Near the Council's table, figures in elegant robes stiffened, eyes narrowing as the shift in the air became impossible to ignore.
Then it happened.
Dark shadows materialized.
Not through doors. Not breaking in.
They simply faded into existence.
The ballroom fell into stunned silence. No gasps, no screams, just the heavy, paralyzing weight of uncertainty.
These intruders weren't attacking. They weren't speaking.
They were waiting, positioning themselves with intent.
A low, eerie hum filled the space. It wasn't a sound I recognized, yet something about it sent a sharp shiver through my spine, like an ancient language whispering from the depths of forgotten history.
Riven reached me first. His grip found my wrist, pulling me slightly behind him, a silent barrier between me and whatever was happening.
Zion appeared beside us, exchanging a glance with Jax, who instinctively shifted in front of Ezzy and Jade.
The warriors at the perimeter fully drew their weapons.
Still, no one moved.
Calder's father, Councilman Varek, studied the intruders, his sharp gaze betraying nothing. He didn't react immediately, as if waiting to see what they wanted.
The tension was suffocating.
A strangled gasp broke the silence: Fallon. She stood motionless as one of the shadows grazed her arm.
And just like that, they were gone.
Vanished.
No flash, no sound, no trace of their departure. One moment they were there. The next, nothing.
Except the glowing, cryptic symbols burned into the ballroom floor, which was not there before.
The warriors instantly locked down the exits, some guests whispering in hushed panic.
Councilman Varek finally moved, stepping forward as he issued urgent commands to the warriors. Whatever this was, it was more than just an intrusion.
And yet, through all the tension, my focus shifted.
Riven.
He hadn't moved. He hadn't spoken.
He simply stared at the symbols, his expression unreadable.
But I saw it, the way his jaw clenched, the way his fingers curled into fists at his sides. The way his gaze darkened, a silent battle raging behind his eyes.
Like he knew something.
My stomach twisted.
"Riven," I murmured. "Do you know who they were?"
His head turned slightly, just enough for our eyes to meet, but the moment was brief. Too brief.
Then he turned away. And walked straight for the exit.
"Riven, wait!" I called after him.
But he didn't.
Didn't turn. Didn't stop. He just kept walking.
Something about this wasn't right.
And I hated that the answer had just walked out the damn door.
"Wow."
A familiar, infuriating voice cut through my frustration.
I turned just as Calder strolled up, hands tucked in his pockets, amusement dancing in his hazel eyes.
"What a trash date," he mused. "Bailing on you the second things get a little interesting? You can do better, Athens. I would know."
I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Right, because standing around and running your mouth is so much more impressive."
Calder placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "Ouch. Wounded."
I rolled my eyes, already done with this conversation, and turned toward Lara.
She was with Myrren, the older woman fussing over her like she hadn't just obliterated a mystical cocoon minutes ago.
"I'm fine, Mom," Lara muttered, straightening her shoulders.
Her voice was strong, but I knew her too well. She was shaken. Trying to maintain control.
The moment she spotted me, she rushed forward, her hands gripping my arms, her turquoise eyes scanning me everywhere.
"Thank the gods, you're okay," she breathed.
I nodded, exhaling. "Thank heavens you are too."
Lara swallowed, her voice lowering.
"That wasn't random, was it?"
I didn't answer. Because deep down, I already knew the truth.
I had seen those symbols before. I just didn't remember where.