I woke up suddenly; my consciousness returned in a single, harsh blow, not gradually as it had the last time.
It wasn't the smell of disinfectants that filled my nose, but the scent of death, blood, and ash.
I snapped my eyes wide open in shock.
The scene before me was not a quiet hospital room, but a living nightmare.
Destruction surrounded me from every side. It wasn't my kingdom, my beloved home, but mere charred ruins.
Towering buildings had turned into black rubble, and the sky was overcast with thick smoke that blocked the sunlight.
The blood froze in my veins as I saw the true horror before me. The corpses of my innocent people were strewn everywhere, scattered like lifeless, tattered rags.
Their open eyes, devoid of any spark of life, stared into the void, as if telling the stories of horror they endured before their death.
The rotting stench of death was so strong that I felt nauseous.
I pressed my hand against my mouth in a desperate attempt to keep the contents of my stomach from escaping.
The terror paralyzed my movement. My heart was pounding violently in my chest—irregular, painful beats.
My eyes widened hysterically as I searched for any sign of life or any explanation for this hell.
"Finally, after a long wait, my desire will be fulfilled!"
That coarse, strange voice pierced the silence hanging over the place.
It was a voice I had never heard before, yet it carried a demonic tone of triumph that sent shivers down my spine.
I turned slowly, drawn by that terrifying voice toward its source. I was shocked... and I saw Night. No, it wasn't Night. It was him, but with cold, cruel eyes that held no warmth.
A carbon copy, but devoid of a soul.
His twin? Another demon?
My terrified eyes slid down to his hands hanging by his side, and what they saw there made the world stop spinning.
The blood froze in my veins once again. I felt a severe dizziness and fell to the ground, my hand over my mouth, disbelieving the horror of the sight.
He was carrying something in each hand: two severed heads.
The head of Arin, my loyal friend, and the head of Klaus.
Their dead eyes were staring directly at me—lifeless eyes, without a glimmer of hope. They had died while trying to protect me.
Their eyes were blaming me, screaming in my face:
"Why didn't you do anything?"
I could no longer bear it. My mouth opened wide, and a single, powerful scream escaped me—a scream mixed with oppression, pain, guilt, and absolute terror.
A sharp, long scream that nearly tore my vocal cords from its intensity.
A scream that shook the corners of my soul and echoed through the ruins of the kingdom—the scream of a woman who had lost everything in a single moment.
The last scene I saw was his cold, triumphant face as he smiled a demonic smile, while the heads of my loved ones dangled from his hands like filthy trophies.
I woke up to my own echoing scream.
My body jolted violently on the bed, my eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling of the room in absolute bewilderment and terror.
It wasn't an ordinary dream; it was a real nightmare, a terrifying glimpse of the future that awaited me if I remained helpless.
I sat up quickly, but my exhausted body betrayed me once again.
I was screaming frantically, the words coming out fragmented and choked with sobs and bitter crying.
"No! Noooo! No!"
I wasn't alone in the hospital.
Night was there. I heard the sound of his rapid movement as he approached me.
Concern was clearly visible on his features; his brows were furrowed over his wide eyes, and his mouth was drawn in a straight line, indicating his extreme tension at my state.
"He killed them! He killed them all! Arin! Klaus! Everyone!"
I kept repeating the words hysterically, gasping between every word, tears pouring like waterfalls down my cheeks.
Night stood before me, confused.
My words were likely incomprehensible to him—just scattered words about death and names.
He quickly reached out his hands toward my shoulders in an attempt to stop my convulsing movements.
"Sera! Sera, calm down!"
He said it loudly and in surprise, trying to understand what was happening to me.
But I heard nothing except the echo of my scream in my memory and the image of the dead Arin and Klaus.
I threw myself at him involuntarily, trembling all over.
Night immediately pulled me tightly to his chest, his arms surrounding my back, while his other hand gently stroked my hair in an attempt to soothe me.
"Shhh... I'm here. Everyone is fine. Just calm down, Sera,"
he whispered near my ear.
His reassurance did not reach my heart, because I knew with certainty now.
This wasn't just a terrifying dream; it was a real warning of the future.
If I didn't move, if I couldn't use my body and my powers, then this horrific fate would await my kingdom and my people.
I clung to Night's shirt with both hands, my knuckles white from the pressure.
I buried my face in his chest and broke into bitter sobbing again.
This time, the crying wasn't out of fear of a ghost; it was crying mixed with the certain knowledge of the coming danger, and a silent decision I made at that moment: I will regain my strength, no matter what it costs.
My sobs gradually quieted, but my body continued to tremble slightly.
I slowly regained my senses and remembered that I was clinging to Night in a hysterical embrace. I felt shame flooding my face, but the fear still weighing on my chest was stronger than any other feeling.
I pulled back from him slightly, slowly raising my head to face him. My gaze was saturated with fear and weakness. I wasn't afraid of him, but of what I had seen and what might happen.
Night began staring at me with deep concern; his features were a mirror to his endless questions. He furrowed his brows more when I moved away from him and looked at him in fear.
He quickly reached out his hands, cupping my face between his warm palms. His thumbs gently wiped away the remaining tears on my cheeks.
"What is the matter, Sera?"
he asked in a low voice full of care.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
When I heard the word "nightmare," my heart rate spiked crazily again.
I shook my head vigorously, my eyes tightly shut to try and banish the horrific images. The tears began to flow again, and my words came with difficulty through the crying and stifled sobbing.
"No... it's not a nightmare, Night... I wish it were a nightmare..."
I murmured bitterly as I closed my eyes tightly. I opened them to face him with a serious and terrifying look.
"I am seeing snippets of the future, Night."
His brows knit together sharply, and his features contorted in an obvious attempt to understand the "nonsense" I was saying in his view.
His gaze was a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and perhaps he thought for a moment that the poison had finally affected my mind. I could see the doubt in his gray eyes.
Therefore, I spoke quickly, trying to convince him of the matter that I myself didn't believe until it happened to me twice.
"Do you remember what you did when you lost control?"
His features changed instantly. His jaw tightened, he pressed his lips together, and his eyes filled with regret and guilt.
He nodded his head slowly and quietly.
"I dreamed of that... had I not left the palace, I would have finished everyone off..."
"But by my presence, I changed the course of the future, where the only one harmed was me,"
I finished my sentence in a low tone filled with fear of what was to come.
Night blinked several times, trying to absorb and analyze my words.
His features tightened, and his face hardened slightly as he stared at me, shock and confusion taking over him.
"Are you sure?"
he finally asked in a hoarse voice, barely audible; he was afraid of the answer.
I nodded vigorously.
"Even I didn't believe it, but it came true."
Silence prevailed for a moment. His eyes were searching my face for any sign of a lie or madness, but they found nothing but absolute fear.
His gaze shifted to curiosity and questioning, and he furrowed his brows again.
"What dream did you have just now?"
I took a deep breath and sighed for a long time as I remembered the details of that horrific nightmare.
I closed my eyes again and began to tell him what I saw: the destroyed kingdom, the corpses everywhere, and... Arin and Klaus's heads in the hand of his evil twin.
Throughout my storytelling, Night's reaction was dead silence and shock. His features froze bit by bit, and his eyes widened incredibly.
When I mentioned Arin and Klaus, the curiosity vanished and was replaced by a look of pure horror and suppressed rage.
He gripped my hands tightly; his knuckles turned white from the pressure.
His skin turned pale, and when I finished telling the hell I had seen, he was staring into the void before me, his mouth slightly open in complete shock, as if the world had turned upside down before him.
He was silent, but the silence was more eloquent than any words.
While Night was still in that state of shock, I heard Minerva's faint voice in my head. Her voice was serious and majestic:
"This is a warning from the gods. If you do not move or do anything to stop the war, then this is your end."
As soon as her voice ended in my mind, I felt Night's hand pressing on my hand with greater force, as if he had forcibly pulled me away from my communication with her.
I stared directly at him, my features carrying the terrifying seriousness that Minerva had conveyed to me.
"Minerva told me that if we don't do something, this will be our end. It is a warning from the gods of what will happen,"
I said in a steady and urgent voice.
Signs of overwhelming surprise mixed with confusion appeared on his face. It seemed that the mention of "the gods" and "Minerva" had confirmed the truth of my words in his mind.
A faint sign of understanding glinted in his eyes.
"We must move, Night. We must..."
I stopped suddenly, the words freezing on my lips as I remembered something vital.
I looked at him inquiringly:
"What happened to you to reach that stage?? What made you lose control like that?"
Night tried to remember, furrowing his brows in intense concentration.
He was searching his memory for any strange event that might be linked to that transformation. He was silent for a moment, then looked up at me with a puzzled gaze.
"Did you eat something, for example? Or drink something? Some kind of curse?"
He closed his eyes tightly, then snapped them open suddenly when he remembered something.
"I drank my usual coffee before going to the dungeon... Umm, I remember it was served to me by a maid other than the usual one."
As soon as he finished his sentence and connected the threads, I burst into a short hysterical laugh—a laugh of disbelief at the scale of the vile betrayal.
"That drug that the traitor handed to the maid!"
Minerva finished her words in my mind with extreme coldness:
"It is to enhance the animal instinct so that he becomes emotionless, bloodthirsty. That is exactly what happened with Night."
"Damn them! I have to find that bitch!"
I muttered in extreme anger while gritting my teeth.
I stared at Night, who was watching me with intense anticipation, noticing my clear telepathy with Minerva through my rapidly changing facial expressions.
I decided to tell him everything at once.
I conveyed to him everything Minerva had said about the drug, the treacherous maid, and the ultimate goal of turning him into an emotionless monster.
As I spoke, Night's features turned from confusion to absolute rage. His eyes sharpened terrifyingly, his jaw tightened until his muscles stood out clearly, and I felt the tension fill the room around him.
Night pressed on the edge of the bed with both hands with immense force, trying to stifle his overwhelming rage.
The sound of his breaths was sharp and rapid. I heard him cursing between his breaths with words I had never heard from him before. He was angry—so angry that he was trembling slightly.
His reaction was more eloquent than any scream.
I wanted to move and get off the bed.
I pushed myself forward a little, but a sharp, sudden pain hit my injured shoulder.
I clutched the site of the injury with my other hand, pressing on it in a desperate attempt to ease the pain that made me grit my teeth.
Night noticed my movement and my pain immediately. His features turned to deep concern, and he furrowed his brows sharply as he asked me:
"Does it hurt?"
I didn't answer him; I was busy trying to control the pain. Night moved the hospital gown from the side of my injured shoulder with extreme caution.
I stared at the site of the injury and saw something amazing: it had completely healed. There was no open wound or white scar—just perfectly healthy skin.
But... the black veins that had appeared previously remained like a branching, strange tattoo on my fair skin.
I saw him furrowing his brows in confusion. He reached out his fingers cautiously and touched the black veins gently. He whispered in a low, surprised voice:
"They were supposed to disappear..."
I blinked several times and refocused on the new tattoo.
"Will they last long? Because they're hindering my hand from working well,"
I said with forced calmness, staring at his concerned features. He looked cute and distracted in this sight, and how I loved him like this—caring for me this much.
I smiled my silly smile without realizing it, drowning in the love of the moment despite the horror of the circumstances.
Night noticed my sudden smile, and a slight side-smile appeared on his lips.
The concern vanished for a moment and was replaced by a look of playful curiosity. He quickly put my shirt back in its place to cover my shoulder, saying in a slightly mischievous tone, anticipating my answer:
"Is there something funny on my face?"
I ignored his question for a few moments, enjoying this rare moment of calm. Night was watching me with warm eyes now, waiting for an explanation for that stupid laugh of mine.
"Nothing..."
I replied with the smile that hadn't left my face.
He raised his eyebrows in skepticism and suddenly brought his face close to mine, to the point that his warm breath tickled my skin.
His gray eyes were staring directly into mine. "Really?"
he replied in a low, mischievous voice.
I didn't care to answer with words; instead, I made a bold move I hadn't dared to before, overcoming all my shyness. I moved closer to him and kissed him on his cheek—a soft, quick kiss.
I pulled my face away from him with lightning speed. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks immediately, and they turned crimson red.
Night remained in his place, completely frozen; shock and bewilderment took over his features. His eyes were wide open, and his mouth was half-open.
He seemed shocked and surprised by my boldness. He slowly raised his hand and touched the spot of the kiss on his cheek in disbelief, still staring at me with lost looks.
To break the awkward silence and change the subject quickly, I said nervously:
"I want to go back; I don't like hospitals."
Night woke up from his shock at my words. His lost looks turned into playful and mischievous ones.
He smiled his wide, charming smile, then slowly bit his lower lip—a look in his eyes was saying:
"This is interesting."
I looked at him and saw that look and that smile that made my heart fly. I said to myself in a panicked inner voice:
"Ohhhhh my God!"
The redness of my face increased more; I felt like I would explode from shyness and happiness.
I couldn't continue looking at him. I covered my face with both my palms and shouted his name with fake, funny shyness:
"Niiiiiiight!"
Night burst out laughing sincerely—a manly, warm laugh that filled the room. His reaction was reassuring and charming; it made me feel warmth despite my knowledge of the dark future awaiting us.
This small moment of joy was exactly what we needed before facing the coming war.
"Even I don't like hospitals,"
I heard him say finally, his voice carrying a mix of joy and understanding.
I moved my hands from my face and looked at him. Before I could say anything else, he made a sudden move and carried me in his arms with complete ease, as if I weighed nothing, his eyes shining with mischief.
"Let's go home," he said softly, very close to my ear.
My body tensed for a moment from the surprise, then I quickly clung to him, leaning my head on his broad shoulder.
Not much time passed; I caught a glimpse of my surroundings moving in a blurry speed I had never known before. I felt a slight prick in my stomach from the extreme speed, and within a few seconds, I found myself in my room.
He had used his wolf speed. I looked at him with true bewilderment, my eyes very wide. "Fast... very fast!" I murmured in amazement.
Night exchanged the look with a slight, satisfied smile. He placed me on the cool, comfortable bed that was fragrant with our mixed scent.
The room was a bit destroyed from previous events, but no matter—the palace was a thousand times better than the hospital.