"MAYA!"
Zayn's voice hit me first — desperate, raw, breaking ad and scared
Then the cold marble beneath my back.
Then the heavy air of the throne hallway.
I gasped and my eyes snapped open.
Blue light burst out.
Not from the room.
From me.
Zayn jerked back in shock, one hand still gripping mine, the other cupping my cheek.
"Maya… what— what happened to your eyes?"
Azael appeared behind him, breathing hard, his gaze locked on my face with something close to fear.
Not fear of me—
Fear for me.
I inhaled shakily, blinking as the world slowly sharpened around me. The glow dimmed from blinding to soft… to nothing.
My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
"I…" I swallowed. My voice was hoarse.
"I saw her."
Zayn stiffened.
"Who?"
Azael stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"Maya. Who did you see?"
I didn't know how to answer. My heart was still racing from the visions, from the truth that felt too big to say out loud. But the image of the woman with the crystal crown… it was still burned behind my eyelids.
"My grandmother," I whispered.
They exchanged a look — a sharp one.
I quickly added: "Not from my family. My real family."
Zayn's hand trembled slightly in mine.
Azael's jaw tightened.
Before either of them could speak—
A heavy presence filled the corridor.
Cold. Royal. Sharp as a blade.
The Queen Mother.
She walked toward us with her guards, her expression unreadable, her gown whispering against the marble. Her crown glimmered like it carried secrets instead of jewels.
Every guard dropped to one knee.
Both princes bowed their heads.
Zayn didn't let go of my hand.
The Queen Mother's piercing eyes landed on me — and for the first time since I met her, something flickered in them.
Recognition. Wariness. Shock.
She stopped directly in front of me.
"Stand," she commanded.
Zayn helped me to my feet, gently, as if I were fragile. My legs trembled beneath me, but I stood.
The Queen Mother's gaze lowered to my hands — still faintly glowing.
Then to my face.
Then—
She inhaled sharply.
It was the smallest sound… but it was there.
Her voice was quieter when she spoke.
"…Your eyes."
I swallowed hard. I didn't know what she saw. I didn't even know what I looked like.
But whatever it was, it rattled her.
The Queen Mother stepped closer — close enough for me to see the lines around her eyes, the tension in her
The Queen Mother stepped closer — close enough for me to see the lines around her eyes, the tension in her jaw, the breath she struggled to keep steady.
Then she asked one question:
"Child… who awakened you?"
The hallway went silent.
Zayn's grip on my hand tightened.
Azael's eyes widened.
I opened my mouth, unsure if I should speak it —
And that was when it happened.
The ground trembled.
The palace bells — the ancient ones — rang again.
Loud.
Deep.
Echoing.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The Queen Mother's face paled.
She whispered, "This cannot be."
The bells never rang twice in one lifetime.
And yet—
They were ringing now.
And every time they rang, the glow beneath my skin ignited again, pulsing through my veins, through my chest, through my eyes—
Until the hallway was filled with blue light.
Zayn turned to me, voice breaking:
"Maya—your eyes—"
Azael's voice cut in sharply:
"No. Not just her eyes."
His gaze swept downward — and Zayn followed it.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Fear.
Real fear.
Zayn dropped to one knee in front of me, his hands shaking as he took mine.
"Maya… look."
I looked down.
And froze.
My veins — every vein in my hands — were glowing blue.
Like running rivers of light beneath my skin.
The Queen Mother staggered one step backward.
Her whisper was barely a breath:
"A First Line awakening… after twenty years…"
Azael turned toward her sharply.
"You knew."
The Queen Mother didn't deny it.
She didn't blink.
She didn't speak.
She looked at me.
Directly at me.
With the expression of someone staring at a prophecy coming alive at her feet.
And then—
Her voice shattered something deep inside all of us.
"Maya… child of the forgotten queen… you are not meant to stand beside a prince."
The corridor chilled.
Zayn stood up instantly.
"Mother—"
"Silence," she commanded.
Her eyes locked onto mine.
"You are meant to stand above them."
My breath hitched.
"What?" I whispered.
Her next words hit like thunder:
"You are the rightful ruler of the First Line."
Zayn's hand slipped from mine.
Azael's breath caught.
My knees weakened.
Before I could crumble, the bells rang again — violently, painfully.
And the Queen Mother whispered the final line of the chapter:
"The Crown has chosen you."