Chapter 1

My sister died in a brutal war, leaving behind a newborn child fathered by the King of the Shadow Realm. For the sake of that infant, the powerful Shadow King, Silas Blackwood, married me.

I was nothing but a low-rank wolf with no noble blood. Yet, to ensure my sister's son was my only priority, I endured the agony of a ritual to hollow my vessel every single year.

For a century, I gave everything I had to Silas and the boy, Caspian.

But Silas was like the ice on a mountain peak. He never granted me a single shred of warmth.

The end came when I returned to the Temple of Souls, screaming in agony as my essence was severed once again.

Silas walked in and mistook my pain for a desperate attempt to conceive. He was livid. "Your sister's grave is barely cold, yet you're trying to seduce your brother-in-law to secure your status through a child!"

I was already dying from a lingering frost venom. Instead of comfort, he threw me into the bone-chilling waters of the River of Souls.

The child I had poured my life into only sneered. With a wave of his hand, he turned the river into solid ice.

A hundred years of guarding them, a hundred years of obsession... it all lost its meaning in an instant.

I returned the Soul-Bond Locket and walked out of the Shadow Palace.

He sat on his high throne, his expression cold and indifferent. "Seraphina, you can never leave the Shadow Realm."

Soon after, word spread throughout the realm. To break the Soul-Bond, Seraphina had carved out her own heart and leapt into the Vortex of Reincarnation.

From the heavens to the abyss, we would never meet again.

1.

The night before Silas married me, I endured the ritual to sever my womb in the Temple of Souls.

The pain lasted all night, leaving me in a pool of my own blood.

But when I thought of young Caspian, I felt a sense of peace.

The essence of a supernatural being can regenerate. That meant I had to return to the temple every year to endure the same bone-deep agony. I did it to ensure I would never have a child of my own, so I could love Caspian with all I had.

Silas caught me while I was still clutching my abdomen, trembling before the Goddess of Life. He was furious. "Seraphina, I only married you for Caspian's sake. Your sister is barely gone, and here you are, trying to replace her."

I shook with pain. When I reached out to him, he stepped on my fingers with his heavy boot.

He let out a cold laugh. "Go stand guard at your sister's shrine tonight. The River of Souls is cold. Go keep her company and beg for her forgiveness."

After Silas left, the Goddess of Life sighed. "You gave him your whole heart. How could he not even listen to your explanation?"

I looked down at my bruised, swollen fingers and smiled bitterly.

The sweet whispers he once shared in bed seemed like a lifetime ago. His affection was so shallow it couldn't survive even a hint of doubt.

He didn't believe me. Explaining was useless.

Silas, do you even remember that I once took a poisoned blade for you? My body is still riddled with frost venom.

The River of Souls is freezing. How am I supposed to survive the night?

My blood turned the dark river water a sickly crimson. As my consciousness began to fade, I saw Caspian walking toward me.

My eyes stung with tears.

I had raised this boy with my own hands. He used to be so devoted to me. If I so much as scratched my finger, he would cry while bandaging it.

I forced myself to stay awake. "Caspian... I'm okay. Don't worry..."

He stepped closer, but there was no worry on his face.

"Why would I ever worry about you?"

I froze. As I struggled to swim toward him, Caspian stepped back with a look of disgust. He cast a spell, turning the water around me into jagged ice. "I think the river isn't cold enough. You need to wake up and see what you are."

The boy who used to cling to my knees felt like a complete stranger. "Caspian, when did we end up like this?"

He mocked me. "You're just a liar. You were only good to me to get to my father. Now that the truth is out, stop acting like a loving mother."

He didn't look at me again as he turned to leave.

The river froze inch by inch. Shards of ice pierced my skin. I lost my strength and began to sink into the dark depths.

Just as I reached the bottom, I saw Caspian running back, his eyes red.

My throat tightened. I used the last of my strength to swim toward the surface. But his gaze didn't even flicker toward me. He was carefully holding a woman, feeding her a healing potion.

The cold was in my marrow, but suddenly, I couldn't feel anything at all.

"Auntie Vivienne, I've already messaged Father. He'll be here soon. Just hold on."

Vivienne opened her eyes weakly. Silas arrived a second later, looking frantic.

"What happened?" He rushed to Vivienne's side, pouring his power into her body to heal her.

Caspian sobbed. "It's my fault. A rogue attacked us, and Auntie Vivienne got hurt trying to protect me."

Vivienne was Silas's childhood sweetheart. They had been engaged once.

Silas scooped her up in his arms. "Hang on. I'm taking you to the Moon Altar."

The Moon Altar was a sacred healing ground. It had the best medicine in the realm, but its doors had never opened for me.

Caspian followed closely behind, whispering comfort to her.

As they passed the river, Silas saw me, pale and broken. He spoke as if he were giving a command to a dog. "Seraphina, go home. Stop being an eyesore."

Their figures disappeared. I dragged my lifeless body to the shore and collapsed. I couldn't hold back the sobbing anymore.

I clutched the skin over my heart, leaving a trail of blood as I walked away.

Behind me, my husband and child were surrounding Vivienne with love.

The low-level spirits and guards didn't bother hiding their mockery. They laughed at me like I was a stray dog.

"She stole her sister's husband. She should have known this day would come."

I lowered my head and laughed at myself. A thought finally became clear. "Seraphina, was it worth it? Giving up everything to stay in this hell for two men who will never look at you?"

No. It wasn't.

I looked at the glowing Vortex of Reincarnation in the distance. My nails dug into my palms, but my mind was finally calm.