Darkness came and went in waves.
When Aria finally woke, it was with a sharp inhale that burned her throat. Her head throbbed, not enough to make her scream, but enough to remind her she wasn't dreaming. Her wrists ached. When she shifted, metal scraped softly.
Chains.
She looked down. Thick iron circled her wrists and ankles.
"So it worked," she muttered.
"Aria."
Her gaze snapped up.
Elias stood a few steps away, arms at his sides, posture tense like he was bracing for a blow.
She laughed once, sharp and humorless. "You said stay close. You said you'd explain. Is this the explanation?"
"Lower your voice," he said. "They're still nearby."
She yanked against the chains. Pain shot up her arms. "I don't care. You let them take me."
"I stopped them from killing you."
She froze. "So that was an option?"
Elias didn't answer immediately. His jaw tightened, eyes flicking toward the shadows lining the chamber.
"That's what I thought," Aria said quietly. "You chose them."
"I chose you," he snapped, then exhaled. "Just not the way you wanted."
Before she could respond, slow footsteps echoed across the stone floor.
The figure from the forest emerged into the dim light, his pale cloak brushing the ground. He smiled like this was all amusing.
"Still arguing," he said. "Some things never change."
Aria turned toward him. "You knocked me out. You don't get to say anything."
He smiled. "I like her," he said to Elias. "She has spirit."
"Get to the point," Aria said. "What am I?"
The smile widened. "Straight to it. No fear. Or maybe you're just hiding it better."
Elias stiffened. "Don't."
"Oh, relax," the man replied. "She deserves to know."
Aria's eyes flicked to Elias. Confused, she said "Know what?"
The figure tilted his head. "You're not just Luna. You're not just banished royalty or a tragic mistake."
Her chest tightened. "Then stop talking in circles."
"You're a key," he said simply.
The word echoed louder than it should have.
"A key to what?"
"To power the Council lost generations ago," he replied. "To seals that were never meant to break. To fires that were meant to die."
Aria swallowed. "You're lying."
"I wish I were," he said. "Life would be much simpler."
She turned slowly to Elias. "You knew."
His silence was answer enough.
"You knew," she repeated, her voice shaking now. "And you still followed me. Watched me. Talked to me like I was normal."
"I was sent to find you," Elias said quietly. "That part is true."
"By the Council?"
"Yes."
The word landed hard.
"And everything else?" she asked. "Was that real?"
He met her gaze. "More real than anything I've done in years."
She scoffed. "Funny way of showing it."
"I didn't plan for this," he said. "I didn't plan to care."
The figure clapped once. "Touching. Truly. But irrelevant."
Aria glared at him. "You're enjoying this too much."
"Watching truths unravel always is," he replied. "Especially when they've been buried for so long."
"What happens now?" Aria asked.
"We test you," he said. "See how much of the legend is true."
Her blood stirred, heat creeping beneath her skin. The runes on the chains flickered.
Elias noticed. His eyes widened slightly. "Don't provoke her."
The man raised a brow. "Or what?"
Aria smiled then, slow and dangerous. "Or you'll regret it."
The chains rattled as heat surged through her veins.
The figure's smile finally faltered.
Elias took a step closer. "Aria, listen to me. When the chains weaken, don't attack. Run."
She glanced at him. "Are you giving orders now?"
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
She held his gaze for a second longer, then nodded once.
The air shifted. Another rune shattered.
The figure cursed under his breath. "Interesting," he said. "Very interesting
."
Aria leaned back against the chains, fire burning bright in her eyes. "You should've killed me when you had the chance