Chapter 136 135: Part, Plan & Predictable

Chapter 136 135: Part, Plan & Predictable

Damien hadn't meant to come.

He told himself he would wait. He told himself he would give her time but patience had never been his strength when it came to Seraphine.

So he walked to her room anyway.

And that was when he saw it.

The door slightly open. A shadow moving inside. And then-

Lucien.

Lucien's hand at her waist. Lucien's mouth on hers.

And Seraphine-

Kissing him back.

Something inside Damien cracked. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just a quiet, splintering sound in his chest.

He didn't storm in. He didn't shout.

He stepped back.

And walked away.

⸻

The path to the four lodge burned beneath his feet. The torches lining the stone corridor flickered violently as he passed, reacting to the storm in his blood.

She said she needed time.

Time for what?

To choose between them?

To test them?

Or had she already chosen?

He clenched his fists.

"Damien."

He froze.

He knew that voice.

Slowly, he turned.

Cressida stood beneath the archway, her expression unreadable in the torchlight.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped. "I told you to stay away from me."

"I know," she said calmly. "But there's something you need to hear."

"I'm not interested in whatever scheme-"

"Come out," she said softly over her shoulder.

Another figure stepped from the shadows.

Elera.

At least... it looked like her.

Damien frowned. "What is this?"

Cressida crossed her arms. "Your friends aren't who you think they are."

His temper flared instantly. "Don't you dare talk about them like that. The only liar here is you."

She didn't react.

Instead, she tilted her head. "Wasn't I the one who told you Kade kissed Seraphine?"

His jaw tightened.

"That wasn't a lie, was it?"

Silence.

"Damien," she continued, lowering her voice, "are you really not questioning why all of them are suddenly chasing her?"

He didn't want to listen.

But the image of Lucien's lips on Seraphine refused to leave his mind.

"...Say what you have to say," he muttered.

Cressida gestured toward Elera. "I think you should hear it from her."

Elera stepped forward.

Her movements were just slightly... off. Too smooth. Too calculated.

"I overheard them," she said quietly. "Talking behind your back."

Damien's eyes narrowed. "Talking about what?"

"Seraphine," she replied. "About her being the Aetherborn."

His heart skipped.

"How do you know that?" he demanded.

She shrugged lightly. "You'd be surprised what people say when they think no one is listening."

Only a handful of them knew.

Him.

The others.

Seraphine.

No one else.

Cold doubt crept into his chest.

"They discovered something else," Elera continued. "A part of the prophecy they didn't tell you."

Damien swallowed. "What part?"

"Whoever she chooses," she said softly, "will be bound to her power, strengthened by it. Elevated."

He stared at her.

"That's not true."

"They didn't include you in that discussion," she replied. "They decided you were too... pure-hearted. That you might tell her."

Anger flared.

"They would never-"

"Wouldn't they?" Cressida cut in gently. "Look at what's happening. Kade. Lucien. Alaric. All are suddenly competing."

Damien's mind replayed every moment.

Kade's intensity. Alaric's quiet possession. Lucien's kiss.

"And that's not all," Elera added.

He looked at her sharply.

"They placed a spell on her."

His breath stilled.

"A spell to narrow her affections. To keep her attention between the three of them. To make sure she doesn't look beyond them."

"That's insane," he whispered.

"Is it?" she countered softly.

And then-

The memory hit him.

The same Lucien who had mocked her for months, always irritating her deliberately, Seraphine insisted she didn't like him.

Yet tonight-

She had kissed him back like she wanted to, like she couldn't help it.

His stomach twisted.

"What can we do?" he asked quietly.

Cressida and Elera exchanged a glance.

"I can help break it," Elera said smoothly. "But I need her somewhere private. My lab."

Damien hesitated. "Why would you even help me, you should be happy Seraphine didn't choose me?"

Cressida sighed. "I used to hate her because she was with you but I've moved on, found someone else and I don't care about that anymore."

She stepped closer.

"But I do care about you being manipulated especially by people you call your friends."

Silence stretched.

Finally, Damien nodded.

"When should I bring her?"

"Tomorrow evening," Elera replied. "During the Moonlight Ball. It will be easier to draw her away."

He exhaled slowly.

"...Fine."

He turned and walked away, unaware of the smiles blooming behind him.

⸻

The moment he disappeared around the bend, Elera's posture shifted.

Her lips curved into something darker.

Cressida let out a quiet laugh.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "He actually believed it."

Elera-no, Melinda within her, smiled coldly.

"Those who want to play heroes are always the easiest to manipulate."

Cressida shook her head. "I thought he'd question it more."

"He wants to save her," Melinda said softly. "That's what makes him predictable."

Cressida's grin widened. "He really thinks he's going to break a spell."

Melinda's eyes gleamed in the torchlight.

"He is go

ing to bring her exactly where we need her."

"And then?"

Melinda’s smile turned lethal.

“And then we use her to release the Aetherstar.”

The torches flickered violently as if reacting to the name.

Above them, unseen—

The wind shifted.

And somewhere deep beneath Aetherborn Academy, something ancient stirred.