The weak morning light seeped through the cabin's window, painting long, distorted shadows across the worn wooden floor. Elsa remained by Aurora's cradle, the chilling weight of last night's vision clinging to her like a shroud.
The cracked earth. The woman with Aurora's eyes. The ground that bucked and threatened to swallow her whole.
The images replayed endlessly in her mind.
What did it all mean? she wondered, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach. Was it a warning? A strange promise? Or a dark curse already taking root?
Before any answers could surface, a sharp knock echoed through the small cabin. Elsa tensed, her heart slamming against her ribs. In Eldergrove, solitude was the norm. Visitors were rare—and rarely good news, especially now that witches watched from the shadows and vampires hunted from the highlands.
She cautiously pulled the door open to find Lumi standing there. A gentle furrow creased her brow, her calm violet eyes holding a hint of concern.
"Elsa, would you like to take a walk around the village?" Lumi asked softly. "We could also find some clothes for you and Aurora."
"Sure," Elsa replied, her voice tight. A small, hesitant smile touched her lips. "That would be lovely."
Lumi raised a brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You're looking like a farmer trying to stop his tomatoes from falling off the vine," she teased. "What's the matter with that look?"
Elsa let out a breath—half a laugh, half a sigh. "I just haven't had much sleep. And I guess… I still feel like the ground might split open beneath me."
Lumi's smile faded a little. "What happened?"
Elsa shook her head, trying to dislodge the images still burning behind her eyes.
"Nothing, just a weird dream." Then her tone shifted, curiosity mixing with something like dread. "By the way… you said something about my aura. What did you mean?"
Lumi hesitated. "Ah, that. Queen Elara was the ruler of this village after her husband died protecting us. During the war between witches and vampires, her daughter disappeared. We… we thought we saw something of her in you."
Elsa blinked. "That's… bitter. And strange."
She hesitated, unsure if she should say what was on her mind. Lumi's calm, reassuring presence gave her the courage.
"I had a dream," Elsa said finally. "The earth cracked open. A voice called to me. There was a pull… like something inside me awakened."
Lumi grew quiet.
"I don't know what it is," Elsa whispered. "But I can feel it—like it's watching me from inside."
Lumi placed a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder. "You're not alone. Whatever this is, we'll face it together."
A silence settled between them, broken only by the wind brushing through the trees. Then Lumi gently took Elsa's hand.
"Come. The village is quiet this morning. A walk might help you breathe again."
Elsa glanced at Aurora, still sleeping peacefully, then grabbed her cloak and stepped outside.
The mist hadn't yet lifted from Eldergrove, casting everything in silver light. The cottages looked older beneath the fog, and the forest whispered secrets the wind dared not repeat.
The village streets stretched before them, quiet and shrouded in morning mist. As Lumi led the way, Elsa noticed how some villagers glanced at her quick, furtive looks followed by hushed whispers. One woman clutched her child closer. A shopkeeper paused mid-sweep and stared until Lumi shot him a look.
"They're scared of me," Elsa murmured.
"They're unsure," Lumi said gently. "Fear and wonder often look the same. You're a stranger… and this village remembers too much."
As they walked, Lumi paused by a stone statue nestled in the village square. It was worn with age its features softened by rain and time but Elsa could still make out the regal curve of the figure's stance. A crown of vines coiled around her head, and her hands were raised toward the sky.
"That's Queen Elara," Lumi said. "Before the war, she protected this village with a kind of magic no one could name. Some say it was love. Others say it was vengeance."
Elsa stepped closer. The statue's eyes, though stone, felt alive like they were searching her.
"Is that why people stare at me?" she whispered. "Because they think… I'm her?"
Lumi didn't answer immediately. Instead, she crouched and picked a blue flower blooming at the statue's base. "She lost everything and still stood tall. Maybe they see that same strength in you."
Elsa's chest tightened. "But I'm not her. I'm not strong. I'm barely holding myself together."
Lumi tucked the flower behind Elsa's ear. "Sometimes, holding yourself together is the greatest strength of all."
Just then, a sudden breeze swept through the square. The flower petals trembled. A lantern hanging from a nearby post began to flicker erratically. Birds took off from rooftops in startled flocks.
Elsa stepped back. "Did you feel that?"
Lumi's smile faded. "Magic moves when something stirs it. And you, Elsa… you've started to stir a lot."
Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but the ground beneath her gave a soft tremble barely a quake, but enough to rattle the stones around the statue's base. Lumi grabbed her arm, steadying her.
"That wasn't you," Lumi said softly, more to herself than to Elsa. "That was… something else."
Elsa swallowed hard. "Should I be scared?"
Lumi looked her straight in the eyes. "No,just an unwanted visitor" immediately the words came out of her mouth a pretty blonde lady around her age came out of the mist in front of them.
The woman emerged from the mist like a vision torn from a dream,tall, graceful, her platinum-blonde hair catching the morning light like a silk veil. She wore a deep burgundy cloak that billowed behind her, embroidered with strange silver runes. Her pale lips curved into a perfect, knowing smile.
Hey lumi, my beautiful lovely sister how are you doing". she spoke as she moves her thin fit legs towards them walking majestically with her curve giving her the look of a model.
"Oh now, what do you want, Seraphine?" Lumi's voice was ice. "Last time you came here, someone bled." Lumi replied with a frown on her face clearly indicating she doesn't want her presence here.
Seraphine's smile widened, but it didn't reach her icy blue eyes. "That's no way to greet your family"
Seraphine's eyes flicked to Elsa. "And you must be the mysterious one. The girl who stirs old stones and wakes dead winds."
Elsa swallowed. "Who are you?"
" where are my manners.Hi,I'm Seraphine Lumi's twin. Yes, shocking, I know. We're twins of spirit, not of face."
Seraphine laughed her soul out like she said something funny.
Elsa gave a faint, uneasy smile, uncertain whether to laugh or shrink away. Seraphine's presence was intoxicating but not in a way that brought comfort. Her energy was like silk drawn over a blade: elegant, but dangerous.
Lumi crossed her arms. "What are you really doing here, Seraphine?"
Seraphine tilted her head. "Can't a sister check on her kin? The winds whisper, the ground trembles, the threads of fate tangle. You know I have a nose for... shifts."
"You have a nose for chaos," Lumi shot back. "And you always follow the scent."
Seraphine gave a slow, almost admiring glance toward Elsa. "But this one... she hums like a forgotten melody. I can feel it something inside her is waking."
Elsa took a step back, her hand brushing against the stone base of Queen Elara's statue. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, darling," Seraphine said, her voice a low murmur, "you will."
Her eyes glittered as she leaned in slightly. "Tell me… when you sleep, do the stars whisper? When you breathe, does the forest listen?"
Elsa's throat tightened. The answer terrifyingly was yes.
"She's not your experiment," Lumi snapped, stepping in between them. "Back off."
Seraphine raised both hands in mock surrender. "Touchy, touchy. I forget how dull you've become living among cowards and candle-makers."
"I live among people who still believe in hope," Lumi said, her voice steady. "You left that behind."
Seraphine's gaze narrowed, just for a breath. Then she smiled again sharp and hollow. "Fine. I'll go. But remember this, sister: you can try to chain what's inside her… but magic like that? It doesn't like cages. And it never forgets who tries to bind it."
She turned on her heel, cloak swirling like smoke, and walked back into the mist. Within seconds, the fog swallowed her whole.
Elsa let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Lumi didn't move.
"Was she… serious?" Elsa whispered. "About what's inside me?"
Lumi looked down, her expression heavy. "Seraphine always speaks in riddles. But yes. She sees things just not always how they truly are."
Elsa shivered. "She scares me."
"She should," Lumi said softly. "Because she doesn't come to warn. She comes to watch things fall."
They stood there in silence for a while, the statue of Queen Elara towering above them like a silent sentinel. The blue flower behind Elsa's ear trembled again.
And deep beneath the earth of Eldergrove, something ancient stirred.
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Thanks for reading Chapter 4! What are your theories about Seraphine? I'd love to hear your thoughts or predictions!