FIRE IN THE VEINS
Sebastian’s POV
The next morning came too fast.
I barely slept. My mind kept spinning—Evelyn, the trial, the Blood Charm, and whoever was helping Layla from inside the council.
She was being set up again. I could feel it.
I found her already awake when I walked into the kitchen. She wore a tank top and loose training pants. Her hair was tied back. Her eyes were sharp, focused.
She didn’t look afraid.
But I knew better.
“You’re up early,” I said, grabbing a mug.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me either.”
She sipped her tea and looked out the window. The light was soft, golden. Calm. But it didn’t match what we felt inside.
“I need to start now,” she said. “Training. Preparing. No wasting time.”
“You’ve been training.”
“Not like this,” she said. “Not like what’s coming.”
She wasn’t wrong.
The Luna Trial wasn’t just a fight.
It was three trials. Body. Blood. Spirit.
And the last one was the worst.
No rules. No help. No mercy.
I crossed to her and touched her wrist. “You don’t have to be perfect.”
“I’m not trying to be perfect,” she said softly. “I’m trying to survive.”
And that hurt.
Because she shouldn't have to.
Not like this.
But she was already walking away—toward the east wing and Rowan’s court.
No more waiting.
She was ready to bleed.
At The Training Grounds
Rowan didn’t hold back.
She met Evelyn in the stone court with a sharp staff in hand. “Warm-up,” she barked. “Now.”
Evelyn dropped into stance without a word.
I stood at the edge, arms crossed, watching. I wouldn’t interfere. Not today. This was her battle.
They went hard. Staff swings, blocking drills, low kicks, grabs. Rowan was fast, but Evelyn kept up. She was lighter now, quicker. Her strikes had weight.
She got knocked down. Got up again.
Bleeding lip.
Bruised shoulder.
Didn’t stop.
By the time Rowan ended the session, Evelyn was soaked with sweat, gasping for air.
Rowan looked her over with sharp eyes. “Again tomorrow.”
Evelyn nodded, jaw clenched.
“Earlier,” Rowan added.
Then she turned and walked away like nothing happened.
Evelyn bent over, hands on knees. I stepped forward, offering her a towel.
“You good?”
She wiped her face. “Better than yesterday.”
“You’re scaring me a little.”
She looked at me, tired but alive. “Good.”
I smiled.
Evening – Mental Training with Reyna
They used the old greenhouse now—quiet, green, far from the main house.
Reyna sat cross-legged in the middle. Evelyn faced her, eyes closed.
“Again,” Reyna said. “Breathe. Slow.”
Evelyn’s hands were steady. Her pulse was slower than it had been in the morning.
Reyna had been teaching her to center herself.
To quiet the noise inside.
Because the second trial—the Trial of Spirit/Mind/Fear it has different name—didn’t test muscle.
It tested the parts you couldn’t train.
The ones that broke in silence.
The ones no one saw.
“Again,” Reyna said. “Clear your head. Focus.”
Evelyn sat cross-legged, hands resting on her knees. Her fingers were still. But her shoulders were tight.
She closed her eyes and breathed in—deep, slow, through her nose.
When she exhaled, it shook a little.
Reyna didn’t rush her.
Minutes passed. Then Evelyn’s eyes opened.
They looked darker than usual.
Like something heavy had just passed through her.
“What did you see?” Reyna asked gently.
Evelyn hesitated.
She didn’t answer right away.
“I don’t know,” she said. “A room. Bright. Too bright. People clapping. Someone behind me, whispering lies. I tried to speak, but—”
She stopped.
Swallowed.
“I couldn’t move,” she said finally. “I felt like a… puppet. Like I didn’t belong to myself.”
Reyna didn’t press for more.
She just nodded slowly. “And how did it end?”
“I woke up.”
“Scared?”
“No,” Evelyn whispered. “Ashamed.”
That word hung in the air.
I stood nearby, behind one of the greenhouse pillars.
I wanted to go to her. Tell her she had nothing to be ashamed of.
But I knew better.
She needed this space.
She needed to face it, whatever it was, without someone pulling her out.
Reyna moved closer and gently took Evelyn’s hands.
“They made you feel small,” she said. “But you’re not.”
Evelyn’s eyes didn’t blink.
Tears built—fast—but didn’t fall.
She held them back like she always did.
Like letting them go meant something else would break too.
Reyna didn’t let go.
“You own your voice now,” she said. “Use it. Let it anchor you when the trial comes.”
Evelyn gave the smallest nod.
Barely enough to notice.
But it was still a yes.
Even if the cracks were still there.
Two Days Before the Trial
I sat in my office, staring at the report in my hand.
Another coded message had come through.
Same symbols. Same writing. Hidden in a council memo sent by courier.
Only someone with high access could’ve planted it.
The message was short.
"It’s not just her the charm is for."
What the hell did that mean?
A knock at my door.
Dante stepped in. “We have something.”
I stood instantly. “What?”
“Layla. She’s been spotted—near the outer market. Dressed like a healer. Alone.”
I grabbed my jacket.
“Let’s go.”
Outer Market – Abandoned Clinic
We arrived twenty minutes later.
The building was quiet. Dusty. Broken windows. The smell of herbs still hung in the air.
Dante swept the back. I moved through the front hallway.
And then—
I caught it.
Her scent.
Faint.
Familiar.
Layla.
But not fresh.
She’d already gone.
We checked every room.
Only one thing left behind.
A small slip of paper.
I picked it up.
It had four words, written in deep red ink.
“She’ll break for him.”
My throat tightened.
Was she planning to hurt Evelyn?
Or… me?
Both?
Dante walked up behind me. “She’s playing something bigger.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “And it’s almost ready.”
Night Before the Trial – Our Bedroom
Evelyn sat at the edge of the bed, silent.
She stared at her hands again.
I sat beside her.
“You don’t have to be afraid.”
She shook her head. “I’m not afraid of dying.”
“Then what?”
“Failing,” she said. “Being weak. Being laughed at.”
“No one who knows you would laugh.”
She looked up. “But they don’t know me. Not like you do.”
She reached for my hand.
“Will you be there?” she asked.
“Every second.”
She rested her head on my chest.
“You smell like ash,” she said after a while.
“We found where Layla was staying.”
Her body tensed.
“She left a message,” I added. “It wasn’t nice.”
“What did it say?”
I kissed her hair. “Doesn’t matter. She won’t get near you.”
But I was lying.
Because it did matter.
She was getting bolder.
And that charm…
It wasn’t just about power.
It was about control.
What if she was planning to use it during the trial?
What if she already had?
What if someone Evelyn trusted—Rowan, Reyna, someone close—was under its spell?
I didn’t say any of this out loud.
Not tonight.
Not with dawn coming.
She needed sleep.
She needed strength.
But I wouldn’t sleep.
Not until I knew she’d live through tomorrow.
Not until I knew she’d walk out with fire still in her eyes.
Elsewhere – Unknown POV
The charm was hot in her hand.
It pulsed with dark red light.
Blood power.
Ancient.
Wild.
“It’s ready,” the voice said behind her.
The woman—hooded, calm—nodded once.
“She won’t win,” she whispered.
“Not unless someone saves her,” the voice added.
A cruel smile.
“No one’s going to save her.”
They slipped through the shadows.
Carrying power meant for kings.
Now used for revenge.