The day I truly understood that I wasn't just a child born into power came when they brought me my first lesson.
I was five. Barely able to form coherent words, but still, I had the sight.
Lady Selene stood before me, her presence like a tempest in the quiet of my chambers. Her violet robe trailed the ground like the night sky, and her silver hair gleamed under the light of the floating candles. Her eyes were sharp, focused on me—no longer soft like when she held me as a baby. Now, she watched me like a hawk assessing its prey.
"You're ready, Aria," she said.
I blinked at her. Ready? For what?
"I-I'm ready?" I asked, struggling to shape the words properly.
Her lips quirked upward, and I could almost hear the unspoken thought: 'What a stubborn little thing you are.'
The room shimmered for a moment. Then, with a single flick of her hand, a swirling orb of fire appeared, hovering between us. It flickered like a dying star, pulsating in the air, hot and crackling with power. My heart raced, feeling the heat without even touching it.
"You've always had a strong affinity for elemental magic. But fire is fickle. It can burn, yes, but it can also consume. Do you understand?"
I nodded, watching the flames with wide eyes. The warmth was… comforting. I felt the power surge inside me, a deep, gnawing hunger that I couldn't quite control.
Selene seemed to sense the hesitation in me. "You must command it, not let it control you. Magic doesn't bend to weakness. Only to strength."
I extended my hand, unsure of what I was doing. The flame responded, growing larger, hotter. I winced as the heat pressed against my skin, but something inside me pushed back. A flicker of resistance.
The fire responded in kind—wild and untamed—suddenly curling around my palm, then shooting forward toward the nearest tapestry. The fabric caught fire, the flames spreading faster than I could blink. My heart stopped.
"Control it, Aria!" Selene barked.
I panicked, my hand waving frantically as I tried to stop the blaze. It was as if the world itself had conspired to make me burn.
But then, something clicked.
I focused, really focused, and suddenly the flame stilled. It hovered in midair, swirling like a contained storm.
I froze, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.
Selene stepped closer, her eyes glinting with something that almost resembled pride. "You see? Power is never about strength alone. It's about control. About knowing when to unleash it—and when to hold it back."
The flames flickered again, flickering out entirely as I released my focus.
Her gaze softened, but there was a quiet storm beneath it. "You are no longer just Aria Vale. You are my heir, and the world will see you for what you are. Whether you like it or not."
A part of me wanted to scream. To demand that she tell me what she meant. To ask why she was pushing me into this role.
But another part—one that I couldn't quite suppress—felt something darker inside me. Power. The undeniable urge to grow stronger, to be more. And it terrified me.
The following years blurred together. Every day was a lesson. Magic, politics, the history of the Valemir family. Even the nobility was a game, and I was a piece on the board whether I wanted to be or not.
I became the perfect weapon.
And Lady Selene became my unrelenting teacher.
On my tenth birthday, I was summoned to the grand hall. The marble floors gleamed under the chandeliers, and the high windows looked out onto the vast estate of House Valemir, where the trees seemed to whisper secrets of their own.
It was the first time I saw him.
Lord Malek.
The most powerful noble in the kingdom. A man who had made deals with demons and struck bargains with gods. A man who never smiled, but always had an air of danger about him.
I had heard rumors about him. Some whispered that he could control shadows. Others said he had been cursed by a god, and that no one had ever seen his true face. But I was still a child—too young to grasp the full weight of his reputation.
He looked at me, his gaze penetrating like a blade. He didn't say a word, but I felt the chill in his eyes. Something was off about him, something that made me want to step back, to hide behind Selene's comforting presence.
But I held my ground.
I would not be cowed by anyone. Not by a lord, not by an emperor.
Not even by the gods themselves.