Chapter 285: Is there a price?
Seraphina’s POV
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a man with wings.
Not just small, feathered ones, these were wide and glowing, like nothing I had ever thought I’d see before. He wasn’t standing far from me, and even though I didn’t recognize his face, something about him felt oddly familiar.
A few steps behind him, there was another man sitting on what looked like a throne. He had wings too, darker in color, and his entire presence screamed power. I couldn’t explain how, but I had the strange feeling that I had seen him before. Somewhere, and somehow, but I wasn’t afraid.
That was the weirdest part.
Even though I didn’t know where I was or who these people were, I didn’t feel scared. My heart wasn’t racing, and my hands weren’t shaking like they usually did when things didn’t make sense. It felt... calm, almost like I was meant to be here.
Still, I blinked and sat up slowly, glancing around the space that almost looked like it was made of light and fire.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice coming out rough and soft. "And where am I?"
The man standing closest to me stepped forward with a slight smile, and his wings flickered behind him like they were alive. I noticed his hair and how it shimmered, almost like strands of gold and silver twisted together. He looked too perfect to be real, honestly.
"It’s good to see you again, Seraphina," he said.
The moment he spoke, something clicked inside me.
That voice.
I had heard it before.
In my head, whispering and messing with me when I didn’t understand what was happening. It was the same voice that had told me to go along with the switch and to take Electra’s place. That voice.
My mouth dropped open slightly as the realization hit.
"It’s you..." I breathed. "You’re the voice, the one that convinced me to switch lives with Electra."
The man let out a soft laugh, not at all apologetic.
"Yes," he said, still smiling. "That was me."
I narrowed my eyes at him, suddenly feeling very awake.
He placed a hand on his chest like he was introducing himself on stage. "My name is Azaryon."
Azaryon. Of course, he’d have a dramatic name to go with the wings and glowing everything.
He gestured toward himself. "Now that you’re officially Electra’s vessel, you’ve earned the right to see me like this. My true form."
I gave him a look. "Oh, lucky me."
He chuckled again, clearly enjoying this way more than I was.
"Let me guess," I said, folding my arms. "Now you want to trick me into doing something else?"
Azaryon raised a brow, but his smile didn’t fade. "No tricks this time."
"Right," I muttered. "That’s what they always say."
He tilted his head slightly. "You really don’t trust me."
"Gee, I wonder why," I snapped.
Azaryon laughed. "I have to admit," he said, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, "as much as I enjoy our back-and-forth, we don’t really have time to keep trading jabs. You’re not here just for a friendly chat, Seraphina."
I raised a brow. "No? What a shame."
He ignored the sarcasm and went on, his tone shifting slightly and becoming more serious.
"You’re here because the bond between you and Electra is complete, fully and thankfully so. That alone is something to be grateful for. You both survived, and that’s more than most ever get to say."
My breath caught.
I didn’t like the way he said it, "thankfully." As if survival wasn’t guaranteed, as if something worse could’ve happened, and as if it still might.
I stood a little straighter and met his eyes. "Okay... so then why am I here, Azaryon? What does this mean?"
He stepped closer, and his expression, though still calm, carried a kind of seriousness that made my skin prickle.
"Now," he said, "it’s time you understand what being a vessel to a phoenix truly means."
My heart skipped. Literally. I felt it, a single, sharp pause in my chest.
The warm light of the place suddenly felt too bright and way too hot. My palms went clammy, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe properly.
"I—" My voice came out too soft, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "You’re scaring me."
Azaryon didn’t blink. He just watched me, waiting.
"Is something going to happen to me?" I asked, quietly now. "Am I going to die?"
There was a pause, just a heartbeat of silence, and then he asked me a question instead of answering mine.
"If I told you yes... if I looked you in the eye and said that this bond would eventually kill you... would you regret choosing to save her?"
I froze.
The question hit harder than I expected.
Not because it shocked me, but because it forced me to confront something I hadn’t let myself think about since this whole situation started. As much as I wanted to stay alive, I was, and still am, more concerned about anything happening to Electra.
I sighed and looked away, just for a second, before speaking.
"I don’t want to die," I admitted softly. "But..."
I looked back up at him, my voice firmer now.
"But I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if Electra had died. I would’ve spent the rest of my life asking myself if I could’ve done more, if there was something I could’ve done to stop it, and I wouldn’t have survived that kind of guilt."
Azaryon studied me. His expression didn’t give much away, but I saw something shift in his eyes. Maybe it was approval, or maybe he was just surprised.
"I have no regrets," I said firmly.
"Even if you don’t wake up?" he asked.
The words knocked the breath right out of me.
I swallowed. "So... that’s why I’m here?"
"To be told that I’m not going to make it back? That I’m going to die in my sleep while Electra wakes up alone?"
I paused, my chest tight, then asked quietly, "Is she okay? Is she... is she fine now?"
Azaryon let out a long breath through his nose, and something about his expression softened.
"She’s alive," he said. "And she’s stronger than ever."