LOGINVioletThe Veil was dark.Endless black stretched out in every direction with no one in sight. I didn’t know how I ended up there, but I stood at the center, and my heart pounded against my chest.Something was wrong…I could feel it in my bones. The Veil had never been a happy place, but the darkness was different from usual. It almost felt…empty.Those were my thoughts until I heard a low and sinister laughter coming from every corner. The hairs on my skin prickled as I whipped my head around, searching the darkness.“Mom?” My voice cracked. “Dad?”The laughter stopped, and the silence returned. That was somehow worse. It felt like a warning.A warning before the cold hit me, a wind so cold that shouldn’t have existed, even in this place brushing against my arms, my neck, my face. I shivered.“Hello?”Nothing…I waited for a moment because I knew I would hear it again. And then I did.“Violet?”Adelaide…“Mom?” My pulse quickened as I spun in circles, but I still couldn’t see anythi
VioletWe sat in the cafeteria, at our usual table. I sat beside Kylan, Trinity across from me with Dylan, and Nate beside him.A few students fluttered their eyes at the table, trying to get the attention of one specific person. Nate.And Nate, being Nate, gave it to them. He shot them a wink, and they practically melted, giggling and whispering to each other.Trinity and I shared a look as Nate gave himself a pleased chuckle. Both of us shook our heads in disbelief. Nate didn’t mean anything by it. He was very much into Kaelis, obsessed even, but this was just who he was.Someone who entertained others, charmed without trying, and possibly couldn’t help it even if he wanted to. He didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and was just the nice guy.“So,” Trinity said, leaning forward. “Are you excited?”Nate blinked. “Excited for what?”Trinity rolled her eyes, then curled her lips into a smirk. “For Kaelis, who will be here soon,” she said. “Your mate? The love of your life, remember?”
VioletEverything was spinning…I breathed harshly, staring at the ceiling as sweat dripped down my temples. Everything burned. My lungs burned, my legs felt like they were made of sand, and I couldn’t believe there was a time I really thought my life today would be better than it was two months ago.I would rather go through all of it again.Lyperia, Baelor, the trial, all of it.If it meant I could avoid this exact moment.Then again, maybe if I hadn’t neglected my body the way I did, maybe if I had focused more on strength instead of…other things, I wouldn’t be in this position right now.I fought so hard, and for what? It wasn’t like we were living in peaceful times either. We were still sitting on a ticking time bomb while Kian was out there somewhere with Camille. No one knew where, not even the Lyperian guards, who had quietly been looking for him to avoid humiliation.No one had heard anything. It was silent, the same as it was in this moment.The kind of silence that made you
6.30 PMHours had passed, and the flight back was more peaceful than I expected. After all the exhaustion, I was determined to remain on these plush leather seats and never move again.I leaned against Kylan’s side, my head on his shoulder. He released a yawn. I guess the exhaustion of these past few days had caught up with all of us, including Jumpie and Thorne.Laughter came from all the way in the back. Nate sat squished between Dylan and Trinity. Not too strange, considering the three had been attached at the hip the entire time.As I looked behind me, I caught Nate pressing a kiss to Dylan’s cheek, making Trinity burst into fits of laughter while Dylan aggressively wiped away the evidence.A soft laugh escaped me.“What are they doing?” Kylan murmured against my hair.“Nothing. Just…” I gestured vaguely behind us. “Nate kissed Dylan.”A frown crossed Kylan’s face. “Who kissed who?” he asked before releasing a deep breath.A laugh escaped me. “Don’t even ask,” I murmured. “I guess
Cecilia let out a small breath, her eyes moving to the scarf again. Yes, she definitely knew.“I’m going to ask you something,” she said calmly. “And I want you to be honest with me.”Kylan chuckled. My throat bobbed. “Okay.”“Did you…” Her eyes squinted. “May I?”I nodded before I could talk myself out of it.Her fingers were gentle as she reached for the silk, pulling it aside just enough to see what was underneath. A soft wince escaped me as she pressed against the fresh mark.I watched her face for any sign of anger or disappointment, but there wasn’t any. Her expression hadn’t changed much.“I knew it would end like this,” she murmured. “After all, Kylan wouldn’t be Kylan if…”She took a breath.“Mom—” Kylan started.“Quiet.” She let the scarf fall back into place but kept her hands on my shoulders. A tender smile spread across her face. “Let me look at my flower.”My throat closed up. Flower…That’s the name she gave me when we first met. Kylan and I had both been absolutely ter
10.35 AMMy eyes scanned the empty room and our suitcases while Kylan moved around behind me, gathering the last things.So this was really it…Jumpie was perched on Thorne’s back, both of them resting on top of one of Kylan’s suitcases near the window. They were being civil today. A miracle, honestly.My mind drifted as I stared at Kylan’s back, a soft smile forming on my lips. He looked so calm in that moment, and it was everything I wanted. For him. For us.To finally breathe.I truly believed leaving Lyperia would be for the better because too much had happened since we got here.The mountains, the trial, Baelor, the king locked away in the dungeons refusing to tell us about the box, Chrystal, Kian disappearing with Camille… too much.It had all been so intense that we hadn’t really talked about it. At least not properly. Maybe we all just needed to breathe first. There was still a lot that was uncertain, but at least one thing wasn’t. I would be going back with a mark, and no one
VioletEsther…I had never seen her like this before. Not through Adelaide’s eyes, and not even through my own. She looked so powerful in a way I could’ve never imagined.Her hair was tied up in her usual bun, but it was no longer gray. It was dark brown, the exact shade I had seen through Adelaide
VioletMinutes passed, and still no words were exchanged.We all sat around the same wooden table of my childhood home, where we had sat with Dad the first time we came here. Except now, dad wasn’t the one sitting on the opposite side of me, but mom, and Little Violet had been sent upstairs.Mom ju
VioletAfter a very long and exhausting day, all I wanted was a bed, a blanket, Kylan…And he was here, but it wasn’t just him. The whole group had gathered in the library exactly like we had planned.Us, Dylan, Nate, Trinity, Lian, and Sora.It was clear most of us had a tiring day, because we all
VioletMom closed her eyes for a moment. Her lips moved a little, like she was choosing her next words carefully. When she opened them again, they were just as frightened as they had been before.Not much had changed, and seeing that expression on her face made me wonder if that was what everyone e







