The Black Sea Tower rose like a dark spear above the crashing waves.
Inside its ancient stone walls the air smelled of salt, rusted iron, and something far more dreadful that lingered beneath the scent of damp stone. It was the smell of despair.
Many prisoners who entered this tower were never seen again.
Maria felt an unfamiliar unease tightening within her chest as she followed Cassian up the long spiral staircase.
The climb seemed endless.
Wind howled through the narrow windows carved into the stone, and the distant roar of the sea echoed like some restless creature beneath the cliffs.
Halfway up, Maria's foot caught in the hem of her dress.
She slipped.
Cassian caught her instantly.
"This is becoming a troublesome habit."
Before she could protest he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and continued climbing the final steps.
Maria hid her flushed face behind her hands,he looked at her intently but said nothing further.
At last they reached the upper chamber.
The room was dim.
A single lantern burned weakly beside the wall.
There stood the prisoner.
Her back faced them.
Long silver hair fell down her spine like pale moonlight. Yet at the ends of those strands something strange could be seen.
The silver slowly darkened.
Thin streaks of black ran through the lower strands as though the light itself had been swallowed by shadow.
Maria stepped forward slowly.
"I cannot see her face."
Cassian's voice carried authority.
"Turn around. The Princess of Aurelion commands it."
For a moment the prisoner did not move.
Then a quiet laugh escaped her lips.
It was not a joyful sound.
It carried bitterness.
"So this is the princess…"
Maria frowned slightly.
"You speak as though you expected me."
The woman's shoulders trembled faintly.
"Oh, I expected many things in this cursed tower."
She tilted her head slightly but still refused to turn.
"But I never imagined they would send you."
Cassian's patience was already thinning.
"You will face the princess when commanded."
The prisoner ignored him.
Instead she spoke again, her voice soft and mocking.
"Tell me, little princess… do they treat you kindly inside those golden palace walls?"
Maria's brows drew together.
"Of course they do."
"How fortunate."
The woman chuckled quietly.
"To live surrounded by luxury… and yet remain completely useless."
Cassian's gaze darkened.
"You dare insult the princess?"
But the prisoner continued as if he had not spoken.
"Perhaps you do not even know what you truly are."
Maria felt irritation rising within her chest.
"You speak nonsense."
The prisoner slowly whispered something gibberish, a spell ?A chant?
Then she spoke again, her voice lower.
"Tell me… has anyone ever explained your eyes to you?"
Maria instinctively touched her face.
"My eyes?"
The prisoner let out a quiet, broken laugh.
"Yes… those eyes."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Clear blue… like frozen stars."
She pressed her forehead against the wall as if struggling against something unseen.
"Eyes like yours do not appear without reason."
Maria frowned.
"You speak in riddles."
The prisoner whispered bitterly.
"Of course you do not understand."
She laughed again.
"You are just like her."
Maria stiffened.
"Like who?"
The prisoner's voice sharpened with cruel mockery.
"Ignorant."
"Clueless."
"Useless."
Maria's expression hardened.
"You insult someone you will not even name."
The prisoner only shook her head faintly.
"You would not recognize the truth even if it stood before you."
Then suddenly she lifted her trembling hand and clawed her nails across the stone wall.
The harsh scraping echoed violently through the chamber.
And at that exact moment—
Maria felt something inside her chest.
A sudden thud.
It felt as though an invisible thread had been pulled tight between her and the prisoner.
Her breath faltered.
"What… is this feeling?"
The prisoner's nails continued clawing against the wall.
And the strange pull within Maria's chest grew stronger.
It was drawing her forward.
Step by step.
As though some unseen force wished to bring them face to face.
Cassian noticed immediately.
"Maria?"
Her eyes suddenly began glowing faintly.
A soft blue light flickered within her pupils.
Cassian's expression darkened instantly.
"You dare use your cursed magic on the princess?"
He stepped forward sharply.
Maria raised a trembling hand to her face.
"My eyes…"
A strange soreness burned behind them.
It felt as though something invisible was forcing them open.
As though her gaze was being dragged toward the prisoner against her will.
The prisoner suddenly stiffened.
Her hand froze against the wall.
Her voice dropped into a terrified whisper.
"No…"
Maria tried to close her eyes.
But the strange pressure behind them only grew stronger.
"Cassian… something is wrong…"
The prisoner's breathing became ragged.
"Do not make me look at her."
Cassian's anger ignited.
"She dares attack you with sorcery?"
Maria shook her head weakly.
"I do not think she is—"
Cassian's voice cut sharply through the chamber.
"Guards!"
Heavy boots thundered up the staircase.
Four armored soldiers entered the chamber immediately.
Cassian pointed toward the prisoner.
"Turn her around."
Maria stepped forward quickly.
"No… wait."
The pull inside her chest was growing stronger.
Something about this moment felt terribly wrong.
"If she does not wish to—"
Cassian interrupted coldly.
"She insults the crown and now dares to use dark magic upon you. I will not tolerate it."
The guards seized the prisoner's arms.
She struggled violently.
"NO!"
Her voice cracked with raw terror.
"Do not force this!"
But the soldiers ignored her.
They dragged her away from the wall.
Her silver hair shifted, revealing more of the strange black strands hidden beneath.
Maria's unease deepened.
"You fools…"
The prisoner's voice trembled.
"You truly have no idea what you are doing."
Maria tried once more.
"Cassian… please stop this."
But his anger had already taken hold.
"She will obey the princess's command."
The guards forced her head upward.
Her hair fell away from her face.
And for the first time—
Her eyes met Maria's.
The reaction was immediate.
The prisoner screamed.
A sound so raw and horrifying that even the soldiers recoiled.
Blood burst violently from her eyes.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
But in a sudden crimson torrent that ran down her face.
"It burns!"
She clawed desperately at her own face as dark blood streamed through her fingers.
"It burns!"
Maria staggered backward in horror.
"What is happening to her?!"
The woman collapsed to her knees.
Her body trembled violently.
"You… you are…"
Her voice broke into ragged breaths.
"The cursed child…"
Cassian immediately grabbed Maria before she could move closer.
"Enough."
But the prisoner continued screaming, her voice echoing through the stone tower.
"Monster! Y-You killed everyone!"
Maria felt her heart pounding wildly.
"I did nothing…"
Cassian tightened his hold on her.
"Maria. We are leaving."
Yet long after they had descended the staircase—
The woman's screams continued to echo through the Black Sea Tower.