The throne room was a place of power and dread, its high, vaulted ceilings designed to intimidate. Shadows curled and writhed along the walls, the torches flickering as though cowering in the King’s presence.
Adrian and Misery stood before him, the weight of his gaze pressing down on them like a physical force.
The guards entered, dragging Seraphine behind them. Her chains clinked loudly against the marble floor, the sound echoing through the oppressive silence. Though her face was bruised and her steps unsteady, her silver eyes burned with defiance as they locked onto the King.
The King sat on his throne, his form enveloped in an aura of dark magic that pulsed and shimmered in the dim light. His lips curled into a cruel smirk as he surveyed the three before him.
“I know that you dare to defy my will,” he said, his voice venomous and sharp. “And now, you’ll learn the consequences.”
He lifted his hand, and a guard stepped forward, cradling Misery’s infant in his arms. The sight of her child sent Misery’s heart racing. She lunged forward, her desperation overriding reason.
“No!” she screamed, her voice breaking.
But before she could reach her daughter, the King’s magic lashed out, striking her with an invisible force that hurled her back. She landed hard on the ground, a gasp of pain escaping her lips. Adrian moved to her side, his crimson eyes blazing, but the King’s focus was unrelenting.
“You’ll never see your child again,” the King declared, his voice cold and final. “She will be mine, raised to serve my will. You have no place in her future.”
Misery struggled to her knees, her eyes wide with terror and rage. “You can’t do this!” she cried, her voice trembling. “She’s all I have left!”
The King’s smirk deepened. “And now she is mine.”
Seraphine, still kneeling in her chains, scoffed loudly.
“You think this ends with me?” she spat, her voice carrying across the room. Despite her weakened state, her defiance was unshaken. “You’ll fall. Maybe not today, but it’s coming.”
The King’s expression darkened, his smirk replaced by a sneer. He raised his hand, dark magic crackling at his fingertips.
“It does for you,” he said, his voice low and filled with malice.