"Sigillum ostium."

The door slammed shut behind me as I walked into the tunnel, runes familiar to me as breath illuminating my path as I tread carefully among the stones. Ancient voices whispered and beckoned as I followed the trail only one other had before, illusions of ghostly hands reaching up from the cracks in the rocks to pull me down to the depths. Keeping my eyes firmly focused on the light ahead, I picked up my pace slightly, my mind rattling.

I thought Revelia had been joking when she had told me to be vigilant in these halls. Now here I was, usually steadfast and strong, gripping my staff like it was a lifeline.

"lux tenebras confringet; lux manebit," I said, repeating the old Startouch phrase over and over like a mantra until it was sealed within me. By now the stone path had widened, and I could see the main hall more clearly up ahead. Restraining myself from running straight to the doors, I walked to the entrance, my hand grasping the golden handle and hesitating slightly.

The moment I opened these doors, everything would be clear; my parentage, my history, my ruined memories, all of it. And yet, something in me screamed against it. It had been a never-ending battle for years, fighting against my own past to regain what I lost. What my father had lost. It had taken everything in me to make this journey alone, and now here I was, at the end of it all, one single step away from all the answers I could possibly seek, and I wanted to walk away.

"Stop it, Astraea. Stop. You can do this—just one step. One more step and all of this will be over," I whispered, my hand beginning to lose its weight on the handle. Swallowing back every doubt and fear clawing their way up my throat, I shook my head and pushed. The door creaked open, echoing through the walls like a desperate wail. Stepping into the hall, my eyes widened.

There was nothing here. The room was barren and cold, save for an old throne overlooking the wasteland I had traveled to get here.

"This can't be it. No, it has to be some sort of…illusion…" I said in distress, my knees buckling as I fell to the floor.

"Such a pity, really. Astraea, the daughter of Archmage Aaravos himself, the first Dragonmage in what, a millennium? And you cannot even see beyond the Veil. Pity that your father cannot be here to see me destroy you."

My gaze snapped up to meet the smoldering eyes of Faevenel, my shock all but forgotten as rage exploded within me.

"YOU! You killed my mother!" I shouted, my eyes sparking as the stars on my skin burned. I should have known this was a trap from the beginning. Ibis was right; everyone was right, but instead, I listened only to myself, as usual. And now, here I was, face to face with the murderer who had stolen everything from me.

"Tsk, tsk. You only see what's on the surface, my dear. Always have. But that's typical, I suppose, given the fact that your mother was a human," Faevenel sneered, spitting the last word like it was dirt on his tongue.

"How dare you," I said softly, anger pouring in my veins lik dragon fire as I roared, running towards the Darkmage.

"FRACTIONIS STELLA ET ANIMA!" Faevenel shouted, pain coursing through me as I fell to the floor, back arching in agony. I scrabbled for my staff, but Faevenel kicked it out of my reach.

"Really, such a pity. What you could have been, Astraea," he said as he stood above me, my eyes rolling back as I fell into darkness.

Latin Translations:

Sigillum ostium-seal door

lux tenebras confringet; lux manebit-light shall break the darkness; the light will endure

Fractionis stella et anima-breaking of star and soul

Author's Note:

It's been a hot minute since I've written any fanfictions regarding The Dragon Prince (as in about three years), but since season four is coming out in less than a month (26 DAYS IM SO EXCITED), I decided to bring out this story I've had in the works for about a year now. I'm so excited to show you what I have planned! This story mainly focuses on Astraea and her journey, but will also have many scenes with The Dragon Prince characters we all know and love. I've decided to expand on the lore and added some details on Aaravos and his life, as well as the dragon's lore. I hope you all enjoy it!