The cavern still trembled from the fall of the Crystal Serpent. Shards floated midair, suspended in unnatural gravity. Elaris hovered in the center, wings catching sparks of green-silver light from the Serpent’s Crown clasped in her hands.

  The artifact pulsed—like a second heartbeat.

  Xyren’s hologram flickered at her side, gaze sharp.

  “Starwing… its frequency is wrong. The Serpent’s Crown is rewriting your neural code.”

  Elaris pressed her lips together. The metallic veins along her arms glowed faintly, merging fairy blood with machine circuits. Every pulse burned, every breath felt like a command not her own.

  From the shadows, Kael’s voice cut through:

  “Drop it. Or it’ll claim you.”

  His blade glimmered with stormlight, pointed not at the enemy—but at her.

  Elaris’ chest tightened.

  “You think I can’t control it?”

  Kael stepped closer, storm-grey eyes locked on her trembling fingers.

  “I’ve seen men lose themselves to less. Don’t make me watch it happen to you.”

  Before she could answer, the shards of the Crystal Serpent quivered—and from them rose a twisted projection.

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  A shadow-Xyren.

  His eyes burned emerald, his form jagged and unstable, like broken code stitched together.

  “Why trust them, Elaris? I was made for you. I am you. Together, we could eclipse everything.”

  The real Xyren snarled, his tone colder than ice.

  “Don’t listen. It’s a parasite program. A shadow of Narvrix.”

  But the false Xyren moved closer, voice intoxicating:

  “They fear you. Kael wants control. Even your brother doubts you. Only I see the truth—you were born to reign.”

  The Serpent’s Crown pulsed harder, feeding on her hesitation. Veins of light cracked across the walls, prophecies glowing like scars.

  Kael suddenly grabbed her wrist, grounding her.

  “Fight it, Starwing. Look at me, not him.”

  His touch sent sparks up her arm—real, steady, unlike the Crown’s venom.

  Elaris’ wings flared, torn between power and loyalty. Her voice broke out like a vow:

  “I am not your puppet!”

  She hurled the Crown’s surge against the shadow-Xyren. The cavern shook, illusions shattering into fragments of emerald fire. The false figure dissolved with a scream, but not before leaving a final whisper in her mind:

  “This is only the first fracture. Every oath will break.”

  Silence followed. Only the sound of Elaris’ pulse—wild, uneven.

  Xyren’s hologram dimmed, his expression torn between relief and worry.

  “You resisted it… but the Crown has already seeded something inside you. Narvrix wanted this.”

  Kael still hadn’t let go of her wrist. His storm-grey eyes softened, even as his voice stayed sharp:

  “Next time, I won’t point the blade at you. I’ll point it at anyone who tries to take you.”

  Elaris’ breath caught—because she couldn’t tell if it was a promise of protection, or a warning.

  The prophecy murals glowed brighter, revealing fractured words across the stone:

  “Three hearts entwined. One crown. Infinite betrayal.”

  The storm outside roared, as if echoing the truth.