Chapter 18 Magic

Chapter 18 Magic
Aurora’s POV

After Uncle Nicholas left the room, silence settled around me once again.

But this silence felt different now. Heavy. Suffocating. Almost alive.

I sat there on the soft rug near Maa’s bed, still clutching her letter tightly in my hands while my thoughts spiraled endlessly inside my head. The waterfall continued flowing softly nearby, its gentle sounds echoing through the room, but even that calming sound could not soothe the storm inside me.

My eyes drifted toward the portrait again.

Maa looked radiant in it. Happy. Peaceful.

And beside her stood the man with silver eyes.

Ares Valerian.

My father.

Even thinking those words felt strange.

I still could not understand anything. Every answer I received only created bigger mysteries around me. I was not a witch. Maa was a dragon. Someone wanted me dead before I was even born. The Witch Queen was somehow involved. And now apparently my father was dangerous enough to “burn the world.”

I let out a shaky breath and leaned my head back against the bed.

Everything felt unreal.

A month ago my biggest worry had been Christian finding out I was a witch.

Now I didn’t even know what I truly was anymore.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips at the irony.

And as if my thoughts naturally gravitated toward him, Christian’s face appeared in my mind again.

Those blue eyes.

That possessive voice.

The way he held me so tightly that night as if he never wanted to let go.

My chest tightened painfully.

I missed him.

God… I missed him so much.

I hugged Maa’s letter closer to myself and closed my eyes.

“I hate you,” I whispered brokenly. “I hate that I still miss you this much.”

But even as I said the words, tears rolled down my cheeks.

Because it was a lie.

I could never hate him.

Not when my soul itself belonged to him.

Suddenly a soft glow caught my attention.

I frowned and lifted my head.

The flowers near the waterfall were glowing faintly.

I blinked in confusion.

Had they always done that?

I wiped my tears quickly and stared at them carefully.

The soft golden glow slowly faded.

A strange chill crawled down my spine.

Maybe I was imagining things.

After everything that had happened recently, my mind was probably exhausted.

I stood up slowly and walked toward the waterfall area. The room itself was massive, almost like an indoor garden hidden inside the palace. Beautiful vines wrapped around crystal pillars while glowing flowers bloomed near the flowing water.

It felt magical.

Alive.

As I stepped closer, I noticed something strange again.

The flowers nearest to me slowly bloomed wider.

My breath hitched.

No.

That definitely had not happened before.

I moved back slightly.

The flowers stilled.

Then cautiously, I moved closer again.

And once more…

The petals opened.

I stared at them in shock.

“What…”

My voice came out barely above a whisper.

A strange warmth spread through the air around me. The waterfall shimmered softly, and tiny golden sparkles appeared above the water before disappearing again.

I slowly extended my hand toward one of the flowers.

The moment my fingertips brushed the petals—

The entire vine lit up.

I gasped loudly and stumbled backward.

The glow spread rapidly through the room like flowing sunlight. One by one, the flowers began blooming. Crystals embedded in the walls started humming softly while the water of the waterfall turned faintly golden.

Fear gripped me instantly.

“What is happening?” I whispered shakily.

The room felt warm now.

Comforting.

As if it recognized me.

No…

As if it was responding to me.

My heart pounded violently.

I shook my head and backed away from the flowers, but my gaze suddenly landed on the diary lying open on the bed.

The pages were flipping on their own.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

I froze.

A cold shiver ran down my entire body.

The diary finally stopped on a page near the middle.

Earlier, those pages had been blank.

Sealed somehow.

But now words slowly appeared across the paper in shimmering golden ink.

I walked toward it cautiously, my breathing uneven.

“What the hell…”

My eyes scanned the pages quickly.

There were symbols drawn across them.

Circles.

Stars.

Strange ancient markings.

And words.

Balance.

Celestial Gate.

The Child.

The Sleeping Realm.

My pulse quickened.

None of it made complete sense, yet something about those words felt familiar.

Dangerously familiar.

I turned another page quickly.

There were sketches now.

A massive golden gate floating in the sky.

A land suspended above clouds.

A woman surrounded by white flames.

And beside her—

A giant black wolf with glowing golden eyes.

My breath stopped.

Christian.

Or at least… something that looked like him.

The next page made my stomach twist.

A battlefield.

Bodies everywhere.

Fire consuming the sky.

Dragons roaring overhead.

Wolves covered in blood.

The page suddenly trembled beneath my fingertips.

Then—

A black feather slipped out from between the pages and landed softly onto my lap.

I stared at it.

The feather shimmered strangely beneath the room’s golden light.

Without thinking, I picked it up.

The moment my fingers touched it—

Pain exploded inside my head.

I gasped.

The room disappeared.

And suddenly—

I was somewhere else.

A battlefield.

Smoke filled the air.

The ground was drenched in blood.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs as screams echoed around me.

I could see wolves fighting.

Dragons tearing through the sky.

Magic exploding everywhere.

The heavens themselves looked cracked.

Then I saw him.

A man standing in the middle of the battlefield.

Tall.

Terrifying.

Silver eyes glowing like molten metal.

Blood covered his clothes and hands as he looked toward the sky with an expression so cold it made fear grip my soul.

Ares Valerian.

My father.

The scene shifted violently.

Now I saw a woman crying desperately while clutching a baby in her arms.

Maa.

And the baby—

Me.

“Run!” someone screamed.

Everything exploded into chaos again.

A massive golden gate slowly opened in the heavens above.

The light pouring from it was blinding.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

And then—

I saw myself.

Standing before that gate in a flowing white dress while the ground beneath me cracked apart.

Power surged wildly around me.

Uncontrollable.

Destructive.

My eyes glowed gold.

And across the battlefield—

Christian roared my name.

The sound shook the entire world.

“AURORAAA!”

I gasped as pain ripped through my chest.

Then suddenly—

A voice whispered near my ear.

Ancient.

Powerful.

Female.

“The bond has awakened.”

My eyes snapped open.

I sat up violently on the floor of Maa’s room, gasping for breath while sweat covered my entire body.

The feather had turned to ash in my hand.

My heart hammered painfully inside my chest as I looked around wildly.

The room was back to normal.

The flowers were still.

The waterfall flowed peacefully again.

But my entire body trembled uncontrollably.

“That wasn’t a dream…” I whispered hoarsely.

Tears filled my eyes instantly.

I could still hear Christian’s voice.

Still feel the terror from that battlefield.

Still see the golden gate opening in the sky.

My breathing became uneven again.

What was happening to me?

What was I?

I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, trying to calm down, but suddenly a sharp ache pulsed through my chest.

Not physical.

Emotional.

Pain.

Anger.

Possessiveness.

The mate bond.

Christian.

I could feel him.

Faintly.

But stronger than before.

A trembling breath escaped my lips.

“Christian…”

Far away, beyond kingdoms and mountains and oceans—

Someone else woke up too.

Christian’s POV

Christian Black sat upright abruptly in his bed, breathing heavily.

Sweat covered his body while his wolf snarled restlessly beneath his skin.

His chest hurt.

No.

Not hurt.

Burned.

His breathing turned ragged as flashes of images assaulted his mind.

Golden gates.

Blood.

Aurora crying.

Aurora standing in white.

Aurora slipping away from him again.

His claws partially extended as anger surged violently through him.

“Aurora…”

Her name left his lips like both a prayer and a curse.

His wolf growled possessively inside him.

Mine.

Christian clenched his fists tightly.

Something was changing.

He could feel it.

The mate bond between them had strengthened again.

And whatever Aurora was hiding…

It was far bigger than just her being a witch.