Sara stood frozen in front of the mirror.
Her reflection blinked — and changed back. No more glowing eyes. No crown of fire. Just her pale face and wide, scared eyes.
But the image haunted her.
It felt like a memory… not a vision. Something ancient, buried deep within her soul. Something waiting to be remembered.
The next morning, she sat with Arya in the garden behind the cottage. The air was quiet, filled with soft rustling leaves and the scent of lavender.
"I saw something in the mirror," Sara whispered.
Arya looked up from the herbs she was crushing. "What did you see?"
"Myself… but not like this. Stronger. Wilder. It felt like another life."
Arya set down the bowl slowly. "Some beings are reborn. Pieces of them carry forward. Especially those with powerful bloodlines. It's possible you saw a past version of yourself."
Sara's eyes widened. "You mean… I lived before?"
"Maybe," Arya said gently. "Some call it soul memory. Usually, it comes only when great danger or destiny stirs it awake."
Sara nodded slowly. "Then it's starting."
That evening, Sara sat by the riverbank alone, holding the silver necklace from Diviya. She closed her eyes and let the cool water flow past her fingers.
Suddenly, her body tensed.
A memory hit her — sharp, like a flash of lightning.
She was running through a battlefield. Her arms covered in blood. The sky dark with smoke. Screams echoed everywhere. She turned — and saw Lucien.
You again.
Only… not as he was now. Younger. With armor made of bone and ash.
He called her name — not Sara, but something else.
"Saelara."
The memory shattered.
Sara gasped, pulling her hand from the water.
That name still echoed in her head.
Back at the house, she told Arya and Rohan everything.
Rohan frowned. "Saelara?"
Arya stood up suddenly. "That name hasn't been spoken in centuries."
"Who was she?" Sara asked.
Arya hesitated. "A legend. A warrior born from a vampire and a wolf. The first of her kind. She led the clans against the Noctis in the first great war. She vanished after the final battle. Some said she died. Others said… she was reborn to return when darkness rises again."
Sara's mouth felt dry. "You think I'm her?"
Arya looked at her with quiet awe. "The dreams. The visions. The power. The name. Yes… I believe you are Saelara reborn."
Rohan whispered, "That's why Lucien wants her. He fought her before. And now she's back."
In the shadows of the old ruins, Lucien slammed his fist into a stone wall.
"She remembers."
The cloaked Noctis beside him bowed. "What shall we do?"
Lucien's eyes turned black. "She is more dangerous now than ever. We must attack soon. Before she becomes what she was."
The figure hissed. "Shall we go after the vampire mother?"
Lucien grinned cruelly.
"Yes. Hurt the ones she loves. Break her spirit. That's how we win."
That night, as Sara slept, the winds changed again.
A new storm was rising.
And this time… it was coming straight for her family.