Verena opened her eyes, pulling as much air into her lungs as possible. Her blurry vision clearing little by little. Confused, she realized that she was in a destroyed music room. The instruments so broken they could barely be identified. The only thing whole was a black piano.

When the buzzing stopped and her hearing started working again, she began to hear a melody coming from the piano.  The melody she loved to play for Cassian.

Groaning in pain, Verena closed her eyes again, feeling every cut on her body burn. Finally getting up, she approached the piano seeing the keys moving by themselves. Then two hands began to appear. Until a man was sitting on the bench. A transparent image like a ghost. In this man's lap, a little girl. Next to him, a woman.

Her legs feeling weak, Verena knelt on the ground, breathing hard. Recognizing who they were, she began to cry as she clutched her chest tightly. As if she was trying to rip out the pain that was there.

She remembered that day. After losing control of her magic during training and having nightmares at night, her parents decided to cancel their royal commitments and stay with her. Her father picked her up, let her lay her head on his shoulder, and started playing her favorite song. Her mother caressing her hair.

Verena doesn't know how long she stayed there. Reliving that memory. But when it was over and the ghosts were gone, she felt at peace.

Seeing something move out of the corner of her eye, she turned her face to see that the little girl's ghost had returned.  The ghost of herself. And she was walking calmly towards her.

Sadira had her hair down and a tiara on her head. She wore a white dress embroidered in red and gold. Holding out her hand, with a small smile, she waited for Verena to take it.

When she did, Verena felt almost complete. The cracks and holes inside her being filled. The dark room was illuminated by a hot sun shining in a cloudless blue sky. The crystal chandeliers returned to the ceiling. Instruments whole and clean.

Verena was no longer inside ruins. She was in the fairy tale that was once her home. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she saw that she was wearing a gown with flowers in the lace. Entirely white. Her wavy hair falling down to the middle of her back. On her head, a tiara made of red flowers.

Being pulled away, Verena found more ghosts. Remembered and relived memories. She saw moments that happened before her birth. She saw her mother and aunt grow up. Saw them meet Cassian and Oritel. She saw them falling in love.  She saw their wedding. She saw the moment her mother told her father that she was pregnant. Every room, every corner of that place was filled with memories. Happy or sad. Calm or violent. Secrets that were never revealed. Lies that would wreak havoc if discovered.

In the blink of an eye, she was in a dark corridor made of stones. Coming to the end of it, she saw a round chamber with candles being the only source of light. In the center, Dabria was on the floor crying and being held by Cassian.

In her arms, a baby covered in blood wrapped in a blanket.  Her newborn daughter. Her daughter who was born lifeless.  The daughter who would be resurrected by the dragon's flame.

Verena ran. She ran through the castle that collapsed again. The chandeliers fell and their glass cut into her feet that she hadn't realized were bare. Stepping out of the gates, Verena saw the war starting. Saw the first deaths. She heard the first screams. She saw the first drops of blood spill.

Reaching the glass-sand beach, Verena pushed through the growing pain until she reached the salty water that felt like it was burning her wounds. In pain, she screamed for the Selkies to reopen the portal. Growing weaker, she let the sea swallow her this time.

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Waking up disturbed, King Neturno called for his wife who also woke up agitated.

"Are you feeling it?" he asked receiving only a nod.

When they arrived at the hidden cave, they saw Verena writhing on the ground, holding both sides of her head. She was wearing a dress that appeared to have been white. Now it was torn and covered in blood and dirt. Just like the day Andreas found her.

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