The sound of bells echoed through the royal palace. Nobles dressed in their finest attire gathered to celebrate the tenth anniversary of King Adrian's coronation. No one knew this would be the last peaceful night they'd ever know.
Elena stood atop the highest balcony, clad in black. Her long hair danced in the cold wind, and her eyes—void of warmth—gazed upon the throne that once belonged to her father.
"Ten years I was forgotten... but I never forgot any of you."
An explosion thundered across the courtyard, flames erupting in a violent blaze. Screams filled the air, mingling with the inferno. Amid the chaos, Elena's voice echoed through the event's speakers.
"Remember this… I will burn heaven to ashes—and drag you all to hell with me!"
Her figure vanished into the smoke, leaving behind only a name that would once again shake the entire kingdom
Chaos erupted across the palace grounds. Guards scrambled frantically to protect the royals, but the flames spread too quickly to control—everything seemed to have been planned in advance.
Screams of terror and cries of pain filled the air as people trampled each other in their desperate bid to escape. Blood mixed with spilled red wine, staining the marble floors.
What was once a grand celebration had turned into hell in an instant.
In the middle of the chaos, King Adrian stood frozen, as if his feet were nailed to the ground.
The name "Elena"—a name that should have been forgotten, a name buried under ten years of lies—now echoed louder than the explosion itself.
"She should be dead…" he murmured softly, his voice trembling slightly.
Queen Marienne turned to him, her eyes wide in shock. She clutched her chest tightly. "She knows… Adrian, she knows everything!"
Far beyond the palace walls, amidst the flames and black smoke, Elena stood silent in the shadows, her eyes emotionless as they gazed upon the burning city.
But inside her, there was no satisfaction.
Only silence.
And rage.
"This is just the beginning…" she whispered.
From the shadows behind her, a cloaked figure stepped forward. "What should we do next, my lady?"
Elena turned slowly, her voice as cold as steel.
"Wake the dead, and take our throne back."
Elena stepped out from the shadows, her figure once a mere ghost in the memories of people, now returned to life and more real than ever.
Her tall, slender form was draped in a long black cloak as she moved forward—calm in appearance, but with a raging fire of vengeance burning within her.
The sound of her footsteps echoed softly across the ground, now littered with the debris from the explosion.
"They won't let us be…" The voice of the cloaked man spoke softly but firmly.
Elena stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Her eyes were cold as ice, her posture still and composed, but her voice carried a sharp edge.
"If they harm us, we will make them remember… No one will escape the consequences of what they did to our family."
The cloaked man nodded, his tone filled with respect. "They will pay for everything they've done."
Elena turned her gaze back to the burning city. The flames from tonight's fire had not yet faded, and they were merely the signal of what was yet to come.
"Tonight, we open war against the royal family... but what will truly terrify them isn't the flames we've set. It's knowing we're still alive... and that we will destroy everything they hold dear."
The night sky was pitch black. The sound of thunder and the ominous flashes of lightning made the image of the burning city appear even more haunting than a normal night.
The only sounds that could be heard were the howling wind and the quiet steps of someone walking forward with purpose.
"My lady…" The cloaked man asked cautiously. "What should we do about those who have escaped?"
Elena stopped and turned her gaze toward the darkened sky. Her eyes carried determination, and her voice was steady when she spoke.
"They won't have a place to hide… If they think we're dead, they are sorely mistaken."
The wind blew, making her cloak flutter, but her cold, unmoving face remained untouched by the chaos outside.
She continued walking down the silent street, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.
"We won't stop until the royal family feels the pain we endured… They must pay the price."
The voice of the cloaked man echoed again, firm with resolve. "And where shall we begin?"
Elena stopped once more and turned to look at him, her eyes gleaming with the fire of determination.
"From the palace… The place where the betrayal began."
The royal palace had now become a cursed place. The scent of smoke still lingered in the air. The soft sobs of the survivors echoed from the shadows.
Some nobles lay severely wounded, while others never even had the chance to utter their last words.
King Adrian sat on his throne with a darkened expression, his body trembling slightly from the swirl of anger and fear.
The voice of his advisor whispered beside him, "Your Majesty… they've begun to whisper the word rebellion."
Adrian clenched his jaw tightly. He had once believed Elena was dead. For ten years, there had been no trace, no news, no body—only silence.
And now, she had returned—with fire, and with a vow to "burn heaven to ashes."
"Call an emergency council meeting… We will not let that woman bring down this royal bloodline."
His voice was sharp, though his heart still trembled.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city…
Elena stepped into a hidden underground chamber filled with maps, journals, and old photographs of nobles.
She placed her hand on an old wooden table, her fingernail lightly dragging across the surface with a quiet scratch.
"It's time they learned… that the 'shadow' they once trampled is now rising to crush them instead."