Yet, before Lethyxia left the room, someone who had been hiding in the shadows witnessed everything. Queen Saraphina, holding a delicate basket of cookies she had prepared, stood frozen just outside the doorway. Her eyes widened with horror and disbelief as she took in the brutal scene that had unfolded before her: the blood-stained marble, the shattered expressions of the terrified maids, and the colossal shadow creature that Lethyxia commanded with ease.

Saraphina’s heart raced, her breath catching in her throat. The cookies in the basket trembled with her shaking hands. She had intended to surprise her stepdaughter with a gentle gesture of kindness, but what she had stumbled upon was far from anything she could have imagined. The princess she had once tried to care for had revealed a dark, merciless side that left her questioning everything she knew.

Carefully, Saraphina stepped back, retreating into the shadows to avoid being seen. Her mind spun with the implications of what she had just witnessed. ( How had Lethyxia become so terrifyingly powerful, so remorselessly cruel?) The queen swallowed hard, her resolve strengthening as she realized the difficult choices that lay ahead.

(This darkness...) Saraphina thought, gripping the basket tighter, (must be addressed... before it consumes the entire empire...) She sighed deeply, her breath catching with the weight of the situation. Just as she began to compose herself, a vivid and unsettling memory flashed through her mind.

(The prophecy...) Her heart skipped a beat, panic gripping her chest. No, it can’t be... The ancient oracle's prophecy echoed clearly in Saraphina’s mind: " ᜏᜒᜈ ᜐᜇᜓᜏ᜔ᜐ ᜇᜈ᜔ᜐ ᜂᜈ᜔ᜇᜒᜇ᜔ ᜆᜒ ᜊᜓᜎᜓᜇ᜔ ᜋᜓᜈ᜔, ᜆᜓ ᜐᜓᜎ᜔ᜐ ᜏᜒᜆᜒᜈ᜔ ᜂᜈ ᜊᜓᜇᜒ ᜐᜑ᜔ᜎ᜔ ᜍᜒᜐ᜔. ᜆᜒ ᜁᜉ᜔ᜋᜒᜍ᜔ ᜉᜆᜒ ᜏᜒᜎ᜔ ᜍᜒᜐ᜔ᜆ᜔ ᜂᜈ ᜆᜒ ᜑᜈ᜔ᜇ᜔ᜐ ᜂᜉ᜔ ᜐᜒ ᜑᜓ ᜃᜓᜋ᜔ᜋᜈ᜔ᜐ ᜇᜇ᜔ᜃ᜔ᜈᜒᜐ. ᜐᜎᜓᜊ᜔ᜐᜓᜈ᜔ ᜂᜍ᜔ ᜍᜓᜒᜈ᜔—ᜑᜓᜍ᜔ ᜐᜒᜑᜓᜇᜒ ᜀᜎᜓᜈ᜔. ᜆᜒ ᜍᜒᜇ᜔ᜑ᜔ ᜐᜓᜎ᜔ ᜐᜑ᜔ᜎ᜔ ᜊᜍᜒᜈ᜔ᜄ᜔ ᜐᜎᜓᜊ᜔ᜐᜓᜈ᜔; ᜆᜒ ᜂᜆᜒᜍ᜔ ᜏᜒᜎ᜔ ᜇᜒᜎᜒᜊ᜔ᜌᜓᜍ᜔ ᜇ᜔ᜌᜓᜄ᜔ᜇ᜔ᜈ᜔. "

Saraphina’s fingers dug harder into the woven handle of the basket, her knuckles turning white with tension. (Oh, moon... what should I do?) she wondered, her gaze lifting to the sky, desperate for any sign of hope. (How am I supposed to find her... your real daughter?)

But the gentle light of the moon above seemed distant, almost indifferent, as though even the celestial body had turned away from the grim reality unfolding in the empire. Its silvery glow, which had once offered her solace, now felt remote and cold, amplifying the sense of impending doom.

Fear gnawed at her, but Saraphina knew she could not allow herself to be paralyzed. The weight of the prophecy loomed over her, and time was running out. If she didn’t act soon, the empire’s fate could be sealed forever.

(I must find her...) Saraphina resolved, her heart heavy with the responsibility she bore. Steeling herself, she stepped back into the shadows, the basket of cookies in hand, knowing the path ahead would be fraught with danger and difficult choices.

Thirty years had passed, but sometimes, in the stillness of his office, the memories returned with haunting clarity.

The emperor closed his eyes, and the shadows of Willow Forest unfurled in his mind. A younger version of himself stumbled through the underbrush, dirt-streaked and bruised, a thick rusted chain clinking around his neck. 

His bare, bleeding feet pounded against the forest floor as he fled, clinging to the delicate Queen of the Night flower, the only fragment of hope he had left. The monster pursued him, a grotesque specter with sickly yellow eyes, gliding silently through the trees.

“Foolish child,” it had whispered, “beauty in the dark always comes with a cost... Are you willing to pay it?”

The boy’s desperate voice still echoed in the emperor's mind: “If it means saving her... then yes.”

A heavy knock pulled him back to the present, shattering the dark recollection. The emperor opened his eyes, his heart still pounding as if he had just escaped the nightmare all over again.

“The door swung open, and his secretary, Knoxville Tennessee, stumbled inside. His usually composed demeanor was shattered, his face pale and his hair disheveled, as if he had just witnessed something terrifying.

“Your Majesty,” Knoxville breathed, his voice urgent and trembling, “the priestess!... She's already here.”

"She's here?" The emperor's brow furrowed in surprise. "If so, let her in, and we'll go to La Maison Fleur."

The door swung open, and his secretary, Knoxville Tennessee, stumbled inside. His usually composed demeanor was shattered, his face pale and his hair disheveled, as if he had just witnessed something terrifying.

“Your Majesty,” Knoxville breathed, his voice urgent and trembling, “the priestess!... She's already here.”

"She's here?" The emperor's brow furrowed in surprise. "If so, let her in, and we'll go to La Maison Fleur."

Knoxville nodded quickly, composing himself as he backed out of the room to fulfill the command.

In the hallway of the main palace, where the priestess was walking, she saw Queen Saraphina. The priestess offered a formal bow, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Your Majesty,” the priestess said, “what a delightful honor to be in the presence of such... unparalleled grace.”

Queen Saraphina’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, Priestess,” she replied, her tone equally mocking, “how fortunate I am to receive such glowing admiration from someone so… spiritually enlightened.”

The priestess tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I do my best, Your Majesty. After all, with such divine inspiration around me, how could I not?”

Saraphina folded her arms, her voice dropping to a sharper edge. “And yet,” she mused, “with all this divine inspiration, I can’t help but notice a rather unsettling aura. Surely it isn’t coming from you?”

The priestess let out a soft, humorless chuckle. “Perish the thought, Your Majesty,” she said smoothly. “It must be the air reacting to your… overwhelming presence.”

Queen Saraphina’s eyes narrowed, and her smile grew colder. “Overwhelming, is it?” she said, her voice deceptively calm. “How fascinating that even the air knows how to show proper respect. Perhaps I should take notes from it.”

The priestess’s lips twitched, her amusement barely concealed. “Or perhaps,” she retorted lightly, “the air is simply trying to make room for the immense power you so effortlessly exude.”

Saraphina took a deliberate step forward, her gaze fixed on the priestess. “Power is a curious thing, Priestess,” she said, her voice low. “It can protect, or it can destroy. Which would you prefer to witness today?”

The priestess’s smile faltered for a split second before she composed herself. “I’m sure destruction would be... quite the spectacle,” she replied, keeping her tone airy. “But I have faith that your grace knows when to wield such power wisely.”

Saraphina’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Faith, you say? How charming. Let’s hope that your faith isn’t misplaced.” She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Because once it is… even the gods may not save you.”

The priestess met her gaze, a spark of defiance flickering in her eyes. “Then I suppose,” she murmured, “it’s a good thing I have my own connections to the divine.”

The tension hung thick in the air, both women locked in a silent battle of wills. Finally, Saraphina pulled back, a slow, calculated smile curving her lips.

“Be sure to use them wisely,” she said, her voice lilting with a final note of mockery. “You never know when a simple hallway encounter could become something... far more entertaining.”

With that, she turned and walked away, her presence lingering like a shadow. The priestess exhaled slowly, the weight of the queen’s words pressing on her heart. Yet her own smile returned, sharper than before.

“Entertaining, indeed,” she whispered to herself. “Let’s see who finds the next performance more amusing.”