The castle halls were quiet the next morning, blanketed in a strange stillness that set Celeste's nerves on edge. The kind of silence that spoke not of peace—but of secrets waiting to be unearthed.
She walked slowly down a side corridor Azrael had said led to the oldest parts of the keep. The air grew colder with each step, the stone under her feet damp with ancient moisture. Torches flickered on the walls, casting long shadows that danced across carvings too worn to recognize.
Something about this wing called to her.
Not loudly. Not even clearly.
But like a breath against her ear.
Come.
Celeste paused before a sealed iron door, its hinges rusted, but the emblem etched in its surface clear—a sun partially eclipsed by a crescent moon.
She raised her hand to touch it, fingers trembling. The metal pulsed beneath her skin, faint but unmistakable.
"Celeste."
She turned, startled.
Azrael stood behind her, his expression unreadable. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know." She hesitated, then looked back at the door. "I felt… pulled."
He stepped beside her, eyes narrowing at the symbol. "This is one of the sealed chambers. Few remember what it was for. Even fewer dare to open it."
Her throat tightened. "Was it Kael's?"
Azrael exhaled slowly. "No. But it might be connected. The old magic that Kael carries—it echoes in places like this."
She faced him. "I need to remember."
Azrael studied her for a long moment, then slowly extended his hand. She didn't flinch this time. She placed hers in his without hesitation.
Together, they pushed the door open.
The air inside was still, heavy with time. Dust motes floated in the beam of light that followed them in, and the temperature dropped several degrees. A round room greeted them, with a cracked mosaic beneath their feet—half sun, half moon.
Bookshelves lined the walls, scrolls and tomes so ancient their titles had faded to time. In the center, an old pedestal held a single object.
A locket.
Celeste approached it, something deep inside her trembling. She lifted it gently, her fingers brushing the silver surface.
It clicked open.
Inside, two tiny portraits stared back at her.
A boy—with storm-gray eyes. Kael.
And a girl, barely more than a toddler, with bright, innocent eyes of soft green.
Hers.
She staggered back, the locket clutched to her chest.
"I knew him," she whispered. "I knew him long before I knew anyone else."
Azrael's jaw tensed. "It's worse than I thought."
She turned sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Kael doesn't just know you, Celeste. He's bound to you. Magic that old doesn't fade. If he still carries this…" Azrael pointed to the mosaic beneath their feet. "It means he never let go. And if he didn't—he might come to claim what he believes is his."
Celeste's breath hitched.
"I'm not his," she said, though her voice trembled with doubt.
Azrael stepped closer, his hand gently touching her shoulder.
"No," he said firmly. "You're not. But we need to find out what kind of bond ties you to him—before it's too late."
Outside the chamber, the wind howled through the castle's towers. And somewhere in the shadows, Kael watched with eyes like stormclouds… and remembered the promise he had made long ago.
"I'll find you again."
Celeste sat in the middle of the ancient chamber, her legs tucked beneath her and the silver locket still clutched in her palm. The portraits stared back at her like ghosts from a time she couldn't remember, yet they stirred something so powerful it made her chest ache.
Kael had known her. Loved her?
The idea didn't settle easily. Her memories remained fractured—whispers and flashes that danced away when she reached for them. But now, with the locket pressed to her heart, she could feel the outline of something real beneath the surface. A forgotten bond. A childhood vow, sealed by magic.
Azrael paced at the edge of the chamber, jaw tight, his crimson eyes darker than usual. "I never wanted you to learn about him this way," he muttered.
She looked up at him, voice soft. "You knew."
He didn't deny it.
"I had suspicions," he finally said. "But when Kael appeared again… when he looked at you like that... I knew there had to be more."
Celeste lowered her gaze. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Azrael's voice was quiet now, but rough with emotion. "Because you're already drowning in things you didn't choose. I wanted to give you peace, Celeste, not more burdens."
She blinked rapidly, feeling her chest twist. "But this… this is a part of me. Even if I don't remember."
He moved closer, crouching beside her. "And we'll uncover it together. But not until you are ready. You're not alone anymore."
The words settled around her like a blanket—warm, heavy, and full of promise. Yet the locket pulsed faintly in her grip, as if urging her forward.
"I need to know what happened between us," she said, her voice firmer now. "If Kael thinks I belong to him… if there's some kind of old bond—then I need to break it before he tries to take me again."
Azrael's eyes glinted dangerously. "He won't touch you."
Celeste flinched slightly—not at him, but at the fierce edge in his voice. The old fear crept back, curling in her stomach. Azrael saw it instantly and softened, brushing his knuckles gently against her cheek.
"I'll always protect you, Celeste. But I won't fight your battles for you. You're stronger than you know."
Her fingers closed around the locket once more, and for the first time… she believed him.
But deep within the shadows of the castle, a pair of eyes watched through an enchanted mirror. Kael stood in a forgotten tower, wind whipping his dark hair across his face as he stared at the girl he had once saved—and lost.
"You've forgotten me," he murmured, his voice low. "But I haven't forgotten you, Celeste. I never will."
He lifted a ring from his pocket, the twin to the one Celeste had worn as a child—now hidden deep within the folds of her past.
"Soon," he whispered to the wind. "You'll remember everything. And when you do, you'll come back to me."
The mirror shimmered… and went dark.