Chapter 1: Shadows Beneath the Sun
The sun blazed high, merciless in its grip on the castle grounds. The stone walls absorbed its intensity, radiating warmth into the air, thick and dry. Sweat clung to the skin of those who passed, their movements sluggish under the relentless heat.
But Ember thrived in it.
She perched atop the wooden beams near the training yard, golden eyes gleaming in the sunlight, her fiery-red hair catching the light like flickering flames. While others sought refuge in shade, she embraced the warmth, let it soak into her skin, let it fuel her.
Heat never suffocated her—it lived within her.
She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, savoring the burn in the air. The warmth curled around her like an old friend, steady, familiar.
Then—
“Ember!”
The voice snapped her out of her trance.
She turned to see Kasey rushing toward her, dark curls bouncing, frustration evident in her expression.
“Are you mad? This heat is unbearable!”
Kasey stopped short, hands on her hips, chest rising with sharp breaths.
"You could have met me at the well—why are you up there like some cursed hawk?"
Ember smirked, unfazed. "It’s not so bad."
Kasey scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Not so bad? We’re practically melting!”
Ember stretched lazily, letting the sun settle against her skin. “That’s why I like it.”
Kasey shook her head. “…Sometimes I wonder if you’re even human.”
Ember laughed but said nothing.
She climbed down from her perch, landing lightly beside Kasey, brushing ash from her fingertips. As they made their way toward the castle gates, Ember glanced toward the distant horizon, feeling the warmth pulsing in her veins, steady, unrelenting.
“Ember!”
The voice snapped her out of it.
She turned to see Kasey running toward her, her curls bouncing, looking frustrated and concerned.
“Why are you up there in this heat?” Kasey asked, hands on her hips, breathing hard.
Ember grinned, unbothered. “It’s not that bad.”
Kasey rolled her eyes, then glanced at the woods.
“…You keep looking over there. What’s going on?”
Ember hesitated.
She wanted to tell her.
Wanted to say the horizon felt different, like it was waiting for her—but instead, she shrugged.
“Nothing. Come on, let’s go before my mother loses it.”
She jumped down, landing easily beside Kasey. As they walked toward the castle, she knew—
The feeling wasn’t going away.
Something was coming.
"I swear, I was meant for another family."
Ember kicked a loose rock, walking beside Kasey.
Kasey laughed, nudging her. "If you had a choice, you’d be my sister instead."
Ember smiled, but her chest felt heavy.
Kasey grabbed a strand of Ember’s hair, studying it in the sunlight.
“Your hair is weird, you know?”
Ember pulled away, rolling her eyes. "Thanks for that."
Kasey shrugged. "No, I mean it. It’s… different. Like something out of a legend. No one else looks like you."
Ember’s smile faded.
She knew that.
It wasn’t just her hair.
Her golden eyes, her skin, the faint marks on her arms that looked like feathers when the firelight hit them—
She had spent years staring at the silver mirror in her chamber, realizing she didn’t look like anyone else.
The moment she stepped inside, Ember felt it.
The air was wrong—tense, colder, heavy despite the heat outside.
Then—a hand grabbed her, pulling her by the hair.
“What took you so long?”
Her mother’s voice was sharp, unforgiving.
Before Ember could speak, she was shoved forward, landing hard against the wooden floor.
Her pulse pounded, the stone walls looming over her.
She knew what was coming.
"I was with Kasey," Ember said carefully.
Wrong answer.
Her mother’s eyes darkened, fury twisting in the air.
“Did I not tell you to stay away from that girl?”
Ember swallowed. “She’s my friend—”
Slap.
The sound echoed, sharp and cold.
Her cheek burned, but she refused to flinch.
Not this time.
Her mother glared down at her, unimpressed.
“To your room. You don’t leave until dawn.”
Ember bit the inside of her cheek, holding back the words she wanted to say.
Ember sat in silence, the candlelight flickering, casting long shadows against her chamber walls.
She reached for her parchment, trying to focus, to forget.
But then—a pull.
A whisper.
She looked up—toward the silver mirror against the far wall.
And then—she saw her.
A girl.
But not her.
Hair like frost. Eyes like ice.
The stranger in the mirror smiled, calm, knowing.
Ember’s body froze, her heart hammering.
Who was she?
Then—a crackling sound, like glass splintering, yet the mirror was whole.
The air changed—thicker, heavier, pressing down like a weight on her chest.
Then—a voice.
Not spoken. Felt.
You are not ready.
Ember gasped, gripping the edge of her desk as the words wrapped around her like a tight grip.
Not ready? For what?
Her hands shook.
She had never been ready for anything.
The girl’s smile widened, the frost in her hair glowing brighter, colder, the air plunging into a deep chill.
Then—darkness crashed into her, swallowing her whole.
Something Has Changed
When she woke up, the room was still, wrapped in a thick silence that felt almost suffocating.
No wind rustled the curtains.
No frost clung to the windowpanes.
And most importantly, no girl lingered beside her, not even in a dream.
But the cold still seeped in, sinking deep into her bones, a chilling reminder that something was off.
She snapped her gaze to the mirror across the room, her heart pounding in her chest as if trying to break free from the confusion that wrapped around her like a fog.
Her reflection appeared normal at first glance—just the familiar image of a girl in a simple nightgown with tousled hair and pale skin. But something felt distinctly amiss.
As she studied her face, her golden eyes flickered unexpectedly, shifting for just a breath into something else entirely.
For a fleeting moment, they sparkled with a flash of ice-blue, a stark contrast to the warm hue that usually defined her. It was gone before she could even blink, leaving her questioning her own sanity.
Was it just a trick of the light?
Or something more—a warning perhaps, whispering a truth she wasn't ready to confront?
Whatever had just happened, she felt a weight settle in her chest, suggesting that this wasn’t merely an anomaly to be ignored.
This feeling of unease lingered in the air, thick and ominous, like a storm just waiting to break.
It wasn’t over.
Not yet.
The sensation was tangible, a pulse of energy that vibrated beneath her skin, urging her to take action. She couldn’t shake the unsettling thought that whatever had occurred was just the beginning—a prelude to something larger that loomed just out of reach.
With a deep breath, she stepped closer to the mirror, peering into her own eyes, searching for answers within. The familiar reflection stared back, yet now it felt like it was hiding secrets, holding on to mysteries that were about to unravel.