The plant was dead.

  It was the first thing Lumi noticed as she stepped onto Lady Sol’s balcony. The venus flytrap, once vibrant and full of life, now sagged in its pot. Its emerald hues had decayed into brittle shades of brown, its sawtoothed traps hung open like gaping mouths gasping for air.

  She poured her drink into that soil the morning before, watched the liquid seep into the roots. Yesterday, the plant had been alive.

  Today, it was a corpse.

  Any lingering doubts slipped away. It was true—Lady Sol was poisoning her.

  “Something the matter?” Sol’s voice drifted through the crisp morning air.

  Lumi tore her gaze from the withered plant, looking upon the child seated at the table. As she fixed their tea, the sun’s rays danced upon her youthful face. It was an unsettling contrast to the centuries-old wisdom lurking in her golden eyes.

  Lumi’s hand twitched at her side. She imagined wrapping her fingers around Sol’s delicate neck, but she forced herself to stay still. Acting on impulse would cost her everything. She couldn’t afford to be reckless—not now.

  She smothered her rage and stepped forward, settling into her usual spot. “I have the information you asked for,” she cut to the chase, no pleasantries, no preamble.

  “Is that so?” Sol’s lips curved into a dimpled smirk, as if Lumi’s directness amused her. She lifted the teapot and poured two cups. “I wondered if you would manage to pry anything out of him. The emperor is a very…private man.”

  “It wasn’t difficult.” Lumi shrugged, “He carries a map with him—a map of the Kingdom of Dracule.”

  At that, Sol paused. Her sly smirk remained, but it tightened, and something in her gaze shifted. “Dracule,” she murmured, her voice dipping into a whisper. “That’s something I haven’t heard in centuries.”

  Her sights drifted toward the horizon. Eyes unfocused, as if she was staring into the void of a long-lost memory.

  A chill crept up Lumi’s spine.

  Dracule.

  The title clung to her thoughts since the moment she saw it scrawled across the brittle parchment she stole. It stirred something within her. A memory she couldn’t quite grasp.

  As if reading her thoughts, Sol spoke again, “Dracule was once the heart of our world. A kingdom so ancient, it existed before the stars lit the sky. But like all empires, it eventually toppled.”

  Before the stars lit the sky…the phrase nagged at Lumi. Rook said something similar the night before. The immortals were the first race to be created, he’d told her—before the sun, before the moon.

  “Dracule…” Lumi tested the name, as if it might burn her tongue, “Is that where the immortals lived?”

  Sol’s sharp gaze snapped back to her, “How do you know about that?”

  “Rook told me,” she said, unsettled by the sudden intensity in Sol’s stare.

  “Rook?” Sol’s lips curled, her eyes glinting with something icy, “On a first-name basis with the emperor, are we? How charming.” She leaned back, chubby, childlike fingers curling around her porcelain teacup. “Yes. Dracule was their homeland. A kingdom so advanced, it rivaled the gods themselves. The immortals wielded technology beyond what you or I could ever comprehend.”

  “Technology?” Lumi echoed, the word foreign on her tongue, “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Advanced systems,” Sol replied with a shrug, as if that were explanation enough.

  Lumi blinked, her confusion deepening, “I still don’t understand.”

  “They built devices that summoned warmth in the coldest of winters. Machines that created light without fire. Contraptions that soared through the skies like iron birds. Tools that allowed them to speak across vast distances. Structures that reached the clouds, defying gravity itself. And then…there were the weapons.”

  Lumi’s stomach hollowed. “Weapons?”

  “Terrible, unthinkable things that could obliterate entire cities with a single flash of light. The immortals were masters of creation—but also of destruction.”

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  Lumi’s mind swam. She struggled to grasp it all. “How could they have such power?”

  “They understood the fabric of existence itself. Perhaps the gods shared their secrets with them.”

  Lumi leaned forward, captivated despite herself, “Where are they now? The immortals?”

  “The kingdom burned,” Sol murmured, “Its people were reduced to flesh and bone. Their machines silenced. Their creations crumbled to dust.”

  “But how?” Lumi pressed, “Why are they called immortals if they could be destroyed?”

  “Every living thing has a weakness,” Sol said, “Even the immortals. The gods saw to that.”

  Lumi’s thoughts scattered as she tried to piece together the fragments. A kingdom older than the stars. Immortals. Technology…Treasure.

  “You’re quiet, Lumi.” Sol’s voice cut through her haze, “What troubles you?”

  “The emperor…” Lumi hesitated, “He’s after treasure.”

  “Ah, yes, the treasure.” Sol’s lips curved into a knowing grin, “Hundreds of years after the immortals died out, Blackbeard rose to prominence.”

  The hairs at the back of Lumi’s neck stood upright. She was suddenly consumed by a peculiar feeling—that she was being watched.

  “I’ve heard of him before,” Lumi said.

  “Yes, darling. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t. He was a notorious pirate. His name carried terror across the waves, his flag a harbinger of death. He ruled the three seas for a time, amassed a fortune so vast it would make nobles weep.”

  Lumi’s unease deepened, “What does he have to do with Dracule?”

  “Legend has it Blackbeard sought the secrets of the immortals. He wanted their knowledge. Their power. He ventured into the ruins of Dracule in search of it. The island swallowed him whole.”

  Lumi’s pulse quickened, “He died there?”

  “So the story goes. They say his bones rest among the ruins, along with his treasure—if it exists at all. Many have gone to seek it. None have lived to tell the tale.”

  Lumi leaned back in her chair as Sol’s words settled over her.

  “I notice you’re not drinking your tea.” Sol arched a brow, “Is everything alright, Lumi?”

  Lumi eyed the porcelain, liquid full to the brim, undisturbed on the tabletop. She made no move to reach for it.

  “I gave you the information you asked for,” her voice was steady, though she felt anything but, “I’d like my memories now.”

  Sol expelled a low, throaty laugh, “Oh, Lumi. So fierce. So quick to make demands.”

  Leaning forward, Sol stretched her hand across the table. Lumi’s muscles tensed. Her instincts screamed at her to recoil, but she kept still as the back of Sol’s hand traced a featherlight path along her cheek.

  “Indeed, you’ve done as I asked. But the information you’ve supplied does not equal the sum of all your memories.” Her fingers ghosted over Lumi’s temple. “How about I give you one. Just one.”

  She applied pressure to Lumi’s temple.

  The world cracked.

  The breath whooshed out of her lungs as the balcony dissolved around her, shattering into a kaleidoscope of colors and shadows. Reality folded in on itself, bending and twisting until it spat her out somewhere else entirely.

  Lumi stood on the helm of a vast ship. The wind tore at her hair, carrying the salty tang of the sea. Flowers adorned the vessel in delicate, white blooms.

  Lumi’s gaze dropped. She blanched.

  Bodies.

  Limbs lay scattered like broken doll parts. Flesh and bone, teeth and eyeballs, cartilage and clumps of hair. All tangled together in a grotesque display. The air reeked of blood, so thick she could taste it on her tongue.

  The white of her dress was drenched in it. Her fingers trembled as she touched the stained lace. The carnage made her head spin.

  And she knew. She knew she had done this.

  A sob tore from her throat as the universe crumbled around her. Sol’s touch withdrew, and reality slammed back into place.

  Lumi was back on the balcony. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she gripped the arms of her chair for balance.

  “What the hell did I just see?”

  “A memory.” Sol sipped her tea with infuriating composure, “Not long before you ended up here.”

  Lumi tried to make sense of the fractured images. The ship, the flowers, the dress, the blood, the bodies.

  “A wedding,” she whispered.

  Sol’s eyes twinkled, “That’s right. You made such a lovely bride. Too bad it ended so…abruptly.”

  “Those people…” Lumi forced the words out, though she wasn’t certain she wanted to know the truth. “What happened to them.”

  “You already know.”

  Lumi felt faint, “I did that?”

  “Indeed.”

  “Why?”

  Sol’s gaze bore into her, unblinking, “After your little adventure this morning, I’m certain you have some idea.”

  Lumi flinched, “You knew.”

  “Of course, darling.” Sol tilted her head, as if she found Lumi peculiar, “I’ve always known. I know everything about you. Your past, your present, your future. It’s all written in blood. Why do you think I’ve been so diligent, preparing your tea every morning. And I haven’t gotten a single thank you.”

  “You’ve been poisoning me.”

  “Poisoning,” Sol clutched her heart in mock shock, “No, child, I’ve been helping you. The tea has kept your…urges in check. One day off it and you’ve already gone on a killing spree through town.”

  “Speaking of which.” Sol gestured to the cup with a flick of her wrist, “You should drink. It’s for your own good.”

  Lumi didn’t move. “What’s happening to me?”

  “It’s not time for you to know.”

  “Not time?” Lumi’s temper flared, “I deserve to know!”

  “You deserve nothing,” Sol said with a cold finality, her smile never faltering.

  Lumi’s vision blurred with rage, but before she could lash out, footsteps approached. Rico stepped out onto the balcony, “My lady, the emperor is here to see you.”

  Sol’s gaze flicked to him, then back to Lumi. Her smirk widened with something cruel. “The emperor, hmm? I wonder what he wants.”

  The insinuation was laced with mockery. The emperor had returned to the slums, no doubt to request another night with Lumi. Why else would he darken the door of the pleasurehouse so soon?

  “Bring him in,” Sol blinked to Lumi, “And you—dismissed. Though, really, Lumi, you should drink your tea. It would be such a shame if you lost control again.”

  Lumi’s eyes darted to the cup again. It’s surface rippled, the dark liquid almost alive. “No.”

  Sol’s amusement only deepened, eyes dancing with mirth, “It’s up to you. But remember, darling. This was your decision.”

  a/n: if you liked this chapter don't forget to leave me some love in the comments! chapter 50 just went live on patreon and its a spicy one. you can unlock early access to chapters there (:

  happy reading!