---
The dream began in fire.
Not fear.
Not pain.
But fire—alive and golden, curling around me like silk. I wasn't afraid. I stood in the middle of the inferno, untouched, dressed in robes of silver and white. My hair floated behind me like starlight, and in my hand…
His hand.
Ravon.
But not as he was now.
Not the bitter, broken creature wounded by war and cursed by centuries.
This Ravon had no horns.
His wings were feathered, not shadowed.
And his eyes—gods, his eyes—shone like the skies before dawn, bright with love and the kind of sadness that only comes from knowing a goodbye is near.
> "We don't have much time," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek.
> "Then don't waste it," I replied.
I felt it all so clearly—the warmth of his fingers, the beat of his heart, the ancient oath unspoken between us.
> "You remember, don't you?" he said, voice trembling. "You remember who you are."
And as he leaned in, lips nearly touching mine—
---
I woke up.
Gasping.
Drenched in sweat.
Heart hammering like war drums.
I shot up from the ground, blinking at the forest shadows. The fire was gone. Ravon was sleeping just a few feet away, his chest rising and falling steadily. I placed a hand to my chest.
What… was that?
A dream?
A memory?
A warning?
I stood and backed away slowly, unsure of the storm brewing in my soul.
---
Meanwhile… far across the kingdom…
In a high tower bathed in moonlight, a priestess in gold and crimson robes knelt before the Great Mirror of Truth.
Her eyes glowed silver.
Her voice was poison wrapped in silk.
> "Show me the girl."
The mirror shimmered, revealing me—Seraphina—beside the demon lord, our magic tangled like vines, glowing together.
The priestess hissed.
> "She's awakened. The lost soul… she remembers."
A temple knight behind her stepped forward. His armor was lined with celestial runes, and a cruel blade hung from his hip.
> "Shall I retrieve her?"
> "No," the priestess said coldly. "You shall kill her."
---
Back in the forest, Ravon stirred. He turned toward me, blinking slowly. His voice was hoarse.
> "You were crying in your sleep."
> "I saw you," I whispered.
He stilled.
> "Not the you I know now. The real you. Before… all this."
His eyes darkened. "That version of me is dead."
> "Then why did I remember it?"
He stood now, towering, dangerous—but there was fear in his voice.
> "Because," he said, "the bond between us isn't just new."
> "It's ancient."
> "We were lovers once… in another life."
---
I felt the world tilt.
> "So what happens now?"
He looked at me like I was breaking him.
> "Now? We run."
> "Why?"
> "Because if you're remembering… so is the Temple."
> "And they'll kill you?"
> "No," he said grimly. "They'll kill you."
> "Why me?"
His gaze softened—full of dread and sorrow and a love he never meant to show.
> "Because you're the only one who's ever made me want to be good."
---