Isla's POV
I woke up screaming.
Guards burst into my room, weapons drawn, searching for threats. But there was no enemy. Just me, tangled in silk sheets, my heart racing from nightmares of shadow creatures and dark witches and my parents dying while I watched, helpless.
"I'm fine," I gasped. "Just a bad dream. I'm sorry."
The guards exchanged uncertain looks before leaving. I heard them whispering outside my door: "She nearly destroyed a district today. What if she loses control in her sleep?"
I buried my face in my hands. They were afraid of me. Everyone was afraid of me.
The Council had debated for hours after my power explosion. Some wanted me locked up immediately. Others argued I was too valuable to waste. In the end, they'd assigned me this "beautiful room"—which was really just a fancy prison with guards at every exit.
I looked at the clock. Three in the morning. I'd managed maybe an hour of sleep before the nightmares started.
Your mother would be proud, that mysterious note had said. But how? I'd nearly torn the Veil apart. I'd put everyone in danger. I was exactly what they feared—a weapon that couldn't be controlled.
I got out of bed and walked to the balcony, needing air. The moment I stepped outside, a voice made me jump.
"Couldn't sleep either?"
Kael sat on the balcony railing like gravity didn't apply to him. His silver hair caught the light from three moons hanging in the purple sky.
"How long have you been there?" I demanded.
"Since they brought you back from the Council meeting. I'm assigned to guard you now." He gestured at the shadows. "I've been out here all night."
"You don't have to do that. There are guards at my door."
"Guards who are terrified of you." He looked at me directly. "I'm not."
"Maybe you should be." I leaned against the railing, careful to keep distance between us. "I almost killed people today. Including you."
"But you didn't. You pulled it back."
"Only because you helped me!" Tears burned my eyes. "What if next time you're not there? What if I lose control again and actually hurt someone?"
Kael was quiet for a moment. Then he jumped down from the railing, landing silently beside me. "May I tell you something about my curse?"
I nodded, wiping my eyes.
"A thousand years ago, I was twenty-seven years old. Young for a Guardian, but already skilled. My parents were High Guardians—the best fighters in the realm. They trained me hard, pushed me constantly. I was angry about it, rebellious. So when they ordered me to guard the eastern border, I... delayed. Took my time getting there. Stopped to drink with friends. I was gone three days longer than I should have been."
His voice had gone flat, emotionless. "During those three days, the Shadowsworn attacked my family's compound. My parents, my younger sister, my entire clan—slaughtered. When I finally arrived, all I found were bodies."
"Kael, I'm so sorry—"
"I went mad with grief," he continued. "I hunted the Shadowsworn for months, killed hundreds of them, but it didn't bring my family back. Nothing could. I prayed to the Moon Goddess, begged her to take away the pain. And she answered. She offered me a bargain: immortality and power in exchange for all emotion. I could become the perfect Guardian, never failing again because I'd never care enough to fail. I accepted immediately."
He looked at me, his silver eyes glowing in the moonlight. "For ten centuries, I've been exactly what I asked for. A weapon. I've saved thousands of lives without feeling anything about it. I've killed enemies without mercy or regret. I've watched friends age and die without shedding a tear. I've been empty. Hollow. A shell."
"That sounds horrible," I whispered.
"It was perfect," he said. "Until you."
The word hung between us in the night air.
"When those shadow creatures were about to kill you, something inside me screamed. For the first time in a thousand years, I felt terror. The thought of you dying—this woman I'd just met—it hurt. Actually hurt. And when I saved you, when our souls connected because I genuinely cared about your survival... the curse cracked."
He touched his chest. "I feel now. Everything I've been missing. Joy when you smiled at me. Anger at the witches for hunting you. Fear when your power exploded. It's overwhelming. Ten centuries of emotion hitting me all at once."
I didn't know what to say. "Is it... bad? Feeling again?"
"I don't know yet." He gave a small, uncertain smile—the first real smile I'd seen from him. "But it's because of you. Our soul-bond. When I helped you control your power today, I felt your fear, your determination, your strength. We're connected now in ways I'm still trying to understand."
"Seraphine said if I die, part of you dies too."
"Yes. And if I die, you die. We're bound together." He studied my face. "Does that scare you?"
"Honestly? Yes." I met his eyes. "I barely know you. And now my life is tied to yours forever? That's terrifying."
"For me too." He moved closer. "But I made you a promise. I'll teach you to control your power. I'll protect you from those who want to use you or kill you. I'll help you survive this, no matter what it takes."
"Why? Because you have to? Because of the bond?"
"No." His voice was soft but certain. "Because you're the first thing in a thousand years that's made me want to. Made me care about something beyond duty. You brought me back to life, Isla. The least I can do is help you stay alive."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. Hope, maybe. Or trust. I reached out and took his hand.
The moment our skin touched, the soul-bond flared. I felt his emotions—determination, protectiveness, and underneath it all, loneliness as deep as my own. He gasped, feeling mine too—fear, exhaustion, but also gratitude and a growing... something I didn't have a name for yet.
"This bond," I said quietly. "Does it get easier?"
"I hope so. Right now it's like relearning how to be alive." He squeezed my hand gently. "But at least we're learning together."
We stood in silence, hands clasped, sharing the weight of our impossible situation. For the first time since this nightmare began, I didn't feel completely alone.
A bell tolled across the city—four chimes.
"Dawn comes soon," Kael said. "Seraphine will start your training at sunrise. She won't be gentle."
"Good. I need to learn control before I hurt someone." I looked at the three moons. "My whole life, people told me I was nothing. Worthless. And now I'm supposedly this powerful, dangerous thing. I don't know which version of me is real anymore."
"Both are real," Kael said. "You were never nothing—people just couldn't see your strength. And yes, you're powerful, but that doesn't make you a monster. Power is just a tool. It's how you choose to use it that matters."
"What if I can't control it?"
"Then I'll help you. That's what the bond is for." He pulled me closer, and I let myself lean against him, drawing comfort from his solid presence. "We'll figure this out together."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe I could master this power, survive the Shadowsworn, find out who killed my parents.
But exhaustion was pulling me under. My eyelids grew heavy.
"You need rest," Kael said softly. "Real rest, not nightmares."
"Every time I close my eyes, I see them. The shadow creatures. The witches. My parents dying." My voice cracked. "I don't think I can sleep."
He considered this. Then, surprising me, he guided me back to the bed. "Lie down."
"I told you, I can't—"
"Trust me." He sat in a chair beside the bed, still holding my hand. "The soul-bond works both ways. If I can feel your emotions, maybe I can... stabilize them. Help quiet your mind."
I lay down hesitantly. He closed his eyes, focusing. Through our connection, I felt a wave of calm wash over me—his control, his centuries of discipline, steadying my chaotic thoughts.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes," I whispered, surprised. "Much better."
"Then sleep. I'll stay right here and keep the nightmares away. Nothing will hurt you while I'm watching."
His presence, his hand in mine, the steady rhythm of his breathing—it all combined to pull me toward sleep. For the first time in forever, I felt safe.
My eyes drifted closed.
"Kael?" I murmured.
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For everything."
"Sleep, Isla."
I did. And for hours, there were no nightmares. Just darkness and peace and the steady presence of someone who, against all odds, cared if I lived or died.
When I woke, dawn light streamed through the windows. Kael still sat beside the bed, his hand in mine, watching over me like he'd promised.
But something was wrong. His face was tight with pain, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Kael? What's wrong?"
He opened his eyes, and I saw silver fire burning in them. "Someone's trying to break into your mind through the soul-bond. They're using dark magic to trace the connection back to you."
Fear shot through me. "Who?"
"The Shadowsworn. They know about the bond now. They're trying to find a weakness, a way to control you through—"
He gasped, his body going rigid. Through our connection, I felt it: someone forcing their way into his mind, using him as a bridge to reach me.
"Isla," he gritted out. "Break the connection. Now. Before they get to you—"
"No! I won't leave you to fight them alone!"
"You have to!" His hand clenched mine painfully. "If they get into your mind, they can control your power. Make you tear the Veil open. You have to—"
A woman's voice echoed in my head, cold and familiar: Hello, little Veilweaver. Did you really think we'd let you escape so easily?
Victoria.
My stepmother's consciousness slammed into my mind like a battering ram, and everything went black.