Three months prior...

The Daughter of Dawn smelled the familiar breeze of the Dawn Court, feeling her heart tighten in her chest.

It had been months since she left her home, along with her duties. She knew that there would be stacks of papers accumulated on her desk as soon as she entered her room. She rolled her eyes just thinking about it.

Wadsworth had winnowed her back home, standing at the threshold of the Dawn Palace. He stared at her, his face scanning hers for any sign of difference. She stared back at him, seeing that he had bags under his eyes, exhaustion racking him more than usual.

"Has my father given more work for you to do? It seems that you lack sleep, Wadsworth." She tells him.

Her personal guard scoffs, "It has been hard without you and the Son of Dawn. But I assure you, Auriella, I am fit to be at your side at this moment. I have never failed you, nor do I plan on starting today." He says to her.

Auriella gives him a single nod, "I appreciate that, Roth." She says.

As she enters her home, chills start making their way up her body. She was enveloped in the cold, feeling a shift in her mind. It was as if she didn't recognize this place - her home where she grew up in, where she was raised to be the woman she was today.

But for some reason, it didn't feel that way anymore.

The Daughter of Dawn turned to Wadsworth, "How were my fathers during our absence? I hope that they didn't give you and the others much trouble." She says.

He shakes his head, "The High Lord and the Captain have been most generous to us. Yes, they have missed you and your brother dearly, but they also have a court to look after. They were worried about the both of you every day that passed. Thesan wanted to drag you both back home on the first day." He reveals.

Auriella chuckles, "I don't blame him. He has never spent a day without us."

As they walk down the corridor to the throne room, Roth takes a deep breath, "Daughter of Dawn, before we see your fathers, may we speak for a moment?" He asks.

She narrows her eyes, facing him, "Is there something weighing on your mind?"

Wadsworth looked both ways before speaking, "Auriella, your fathers will tell you things that may not seem believable at first, but are very much true. Ever since you were born, I have looked out for you, protected you from any harm that came your way. But, I have also heard the truth about who you really are." He tells her.

Auriella crosses her arms to her chest, "What the hell are you talking about? Yes, I am the Child of Night, but only you know that, along with the Night Court. I haven't told my fathers anything, not yet anyway. I believe that Damian has said nothing too." She says to him.

He takes a deep breath, "Auriella, there is so much you don't know. Your fathers have been keeping secrets from you; secrets that they will reveal to you and your brother today. I am just trying to warn you." He says.

She takes a step closer to him, "What have they hidden from us?" She whispers.

Before he could speak, a loud voice yells from the throne room, "HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM US!"

Damian.

Auriella immediately runs to the doors, opening them wide.

Her family is gathered in the room. Thesan sits gracefully on his throne, with Zephyr standing beside him. Two other guards are stationed at the corners of the room, gripping their sharp staffs. Damian stares at his fathers, seething from his teeth. Lara is right beside him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What is going on?" Auriella asked, her voice echoing.

Her brother turns his head, making his way towards her. Auriella approaches him, taking his hand, "What happened? Why are you fuming?" She asks him.

He shakes his head, "Liars. They have done nothing but lie to us, sister." Damian says.

Thesan stands from his throne, "You dare call me a liar, boy?" He yells, "I have told you only part of the truth and yet, you are quick to accuse me! Remember, you are my son! You will know your place!"

Damian scoffs, "You have done nothing but lie to me and my sister for our entire lives! You fabricated the story of how we ended up here, made us believe that we were powerless all this time! Even when we were desperate for answers, looking to other courts to help us, you still kept the truth from us! That makes you, father, a liar!" He yells.

"ENOUGH!" Auriella screams, bringing the room back into silence.

She walks up to her father's throne, staring up at him, "I speak to you now as your daughter, with respect and honor. Father, ever since the war, we knew that you were keeping something from us. We have waited for you to reveal it to us for a long time. I don't know what you have told Damian, but I'd like for you to tell me the truth." She tells him.

Thesan looks down at his daughter, staring at her with rage in his eyes. She could see him thinking, calculating how he will reveal the truth to her.

Auriella sighs, "Tell me. Please." She pleads.

The High Lord of Dawn doesn't say anything for a moment, briefly looking at his son before sitting back down on his throne. Auriella could feel his silent rage, seeing that he also carries a weight that burdens him.

Thesan takes a deep breath, "You and your brother did not show up to my doorstep all of a sudden. You both were brought to me by two people. They needed you hidden in plain sight, saying that someone wicked was going to come after you. You weren't safe. Ever since you both were born, you already had your abilities, but those two people cast an enchantment upon the both of you. I had no say in it."

"Those people didn't reveal much, mainly because they couldn't without putting your birth mother in danger. They didn't tell me her name or anything about her. But what I do know is that she is of the Night Court. As for your birth father, I know nothing." He tells them.

Auriella narrows her eyes, "Who are these people you refer to?" She asks.

Thesan shrugs, "They cast an enchantment upon us too. We could not remember what they looked like. In my mind, they are faceless. Their figures are a blur. They said it was for our protection, to reveal themselves to you both when the time was right." He says.

Damian scoffs, "Why did our abilities show on the battlefield if we had an enchantment cast upon us? Did they somehow show themselves at the right time?" He asks.

Auriella remembered how it happened. Darkness surrounded her, brightening as her shadows revealed themselves. It gave her temporary power, making her unstoppable for a certain amount of time. She had killed dozens of soldiers, blood splattering on her face.

But that was after...

Her eyes widen, "The Cauldron," she breathes, feeling her heart stop.

Damian turns his head to her, "What did you say?" He asks.

She looks at him, "The Cauldron broke the enchantments." She tells him.

Her brother looks at her as if he had seen a ghost. She continues, "After the blast from the Cauldron had sent us back, that's when our abilities had made themselves known. They didn't appear because we needed them. They appeared because the enchantments were too weak to hide our powers anymore."

Auriella looks up to her fathers, "Where were our abilities when I was taken Under the Mountain and tortured by Amarantha? They were hidden. Where were they when Hybern exploded the wall? They were hidden. During the war, Damian had said that he saw a glimmer of his power. The enchantment was already wearing off. It just needed a power strong enough to break it." She explains.

Zephyr shakes his head, sending his guards out of the room. He looked back to his daughter, "Why do you believe the Cauldron has a place in this?" He asks.

The Daughter of Dawn remembers the vision she had seen. She had thought of it for a long time, knowing that it was her birth parents. She had kept it to herself for a while, feeling as if it was too important to share with others. Not even her mate had known about it, even though she promised she would tell him.

Even now, her heart hammered in her chest. The truth had been with her for months, but she had refused to accept it; to accept that she and her brother were...

"I believe that Damian and I are Cauldron-made." She reveals.

It was as if everyone had stopped breathing; as if the world had stopped moving all at once. No one dared to move or speak another word.

But after a few moments, Auriella continued speaking, telling them about the recurring vision she had been having. She let them know in full detail, never holding back. Her fathers let her speak without interruption, but it seemed that they were mostly in shock, even if they didn't fully show it on their faces.

Even Damian was held in place at her words.

She turned to him, wondering if he would laugh or tell her that she was crazy for thinking about such a thing. But she could see the gears in his head turning, wondering if she could be right.

"That is absurd. That vision doesn't mean anything. Maybe it was just showing you fear or that woman was pushed into some other liquid other than the Cauldron. There has to be some sort of other explanation!" Zephyr yells, his chest heaving.

Damian takes his sister's hand, "Ella, do you actually believe this? Do you think that we are Cauldron-made, like the two Archeron sisters that the King of Hybern forced into the Cauldron?" He asks her, his face holding nothing but curiosity.

Auriella purses her lips, "I don't know what to believe, Damian. After seeing this vision so many times, I can't help but believe that it's true, that you and I gained our powers from the Cauldron while we were still in our mother's womb. Whoever she is, if she is still alive, then she could answer our questions. Why were we chosen to be the Children of Day and Night?" She says.

At that, Thesan stands once more, his face growing pale. He stares at his children in disbelief as if they were both unknown to him. "What did you say?" He asked.

The Daughter of Dawn mentally curses herself, remembering that her fathers knew nothing about who they really were. She lets out a breath, looking back at Thesan, "The Being had called me the Child of Night. Before she did, Amren had explained that the Children of Day and Night were the ones who defeated the powerful one, which is The Being. It does explain why we slaughtered a number of Hybern's soldiers on the battleground within seconds."

The High Lord of Dawn shakes his head, "No," he breathes.

Their father reaches into his pocket, taking out two crumpled pieces of paper. The twins become confused, as is Zephyr, as his High Lord unfolds the slips. He stares at them for a few seconds, contemplating if he should tell the entire truth.

But after a moment, he looks back down at his children, starting to descend the steps, walking towards them. "When the two people left you here, these slips were tucked in the blankets you came in. It was the only clue as to what you both truly were. You both are not the Children of Day and Night. You are their protectors." He says.

Before Auriella could speak, Thesan held out the slips of paper to his children. He doesn't look at them when they take it. Instead, he takes a step back, as if he was ashamed of what his kin was about to know in a few moments.

The Daughter of Dawn turns the slip over, reading the words.

Auriella narrows her eyes, "This can't be right. I don't know what this means. I am not protecting anyone from the Night Court. There is no..." she trails off, feeling her world crashing beneath her feet as she comes to the realization.

No, she thought, I have been protecting them all along.

Rage immediately simmered under her skin, feeling it take over her body as if she were in flames. She was trembling, tears streaming down her cheek, fisting the slip of paper in her palm.

She slowly looked up to her father, "Is it who I think it is?" She asks Thesan.

The answer was written in his eyes, Yes.

Auriella exploded, "Do you know what you have done! You have stolen years of my life doing meaningless work when I should have been preparing myself for this moment! You have put millions of lives in danger, including mine! If I had known from when I was old enough, then I could have become much stronger than I am now!" She yells at the High Lord of Dawn.

Thesan sighs, "I didn't want you to have that burden on your shoulders, Ella. You deserved to be a child, to be raised in a life that didn't have violence. I thought that if I kept this from the both of you, then there would be someone else who could come and take care of it. I did this because I love you both." He says.

Damian scoffs, throwing the paper at his father's feet, "You fucking liar," he breathes, tears streaming down his face, "All of this time, you had the answers in your pocket! We were chasing ducks when you knew the truth! Auriella and I already bear burdens on our shoulders! We already have been through hell and back! But you know what, this is the fucking topping of the cake!"

He continues, taking a step closer, "I am the protector of the Child of Day. I can promise you one thing, Thesan, I will make damn sure that nothing happens to them. You have crossed the line far enough. As of today, my priorities are no longer focused on the Dawn Court. I will be protecting the Day Court from now on, along with the Child of Day."

After Damian finishes, he walks away with Lara at his side.

Auriella doesn't stare after him, nor does she look anywhere else. She continues looking into the eyes of her father, who clearly holds regret. Zephyr steps down, walking closer to her, but her words stop him.

"You will supply Damian and me with soldiers that will follow our commands. We will take down the creatures that try to invade the court borders, especially of the Day and Night. We will also stalk Under the Mountain for any of the corrupted sisterhood or any weak points. You will not intervene. You will not try to take control. You will stand by and let this happen. You both have already caused enough damage between us. Do not cause anymore." She tells them.

Thesan nods at his daughter's words, "I will provide you with whatever you need. I understand that forgiveness will not come easily, but I will do my best to make it up to you." He says to her.

Auriella ignores his words, "Tomorrow, send out a letter to the Day Court and the Night Court. I want you to tell them that Damian and I will not be returning to them. We have to prepare ourselves without any distractions. It's time to use what we have learned to the best of our abilities." She says.

"What about Perseus?" He asks.

She shakes her head, "Leave him where he is. The Spymaster will take care of him for me. I know he will. Also, Perseus has grown attached to the Inner Circle. He will be cared for there. He will also protect them." She says.

Auriella feels her heart sinking in her chest, knowing that she has to leave her mate so soon without any explanation as to why she did. Her shadows curled around her like they were embracing her after making such a bold decision. Tears made their way into her eyes once more, but she blinked them away.

"Why do I feel like there is something you aren't telling me?" Thesan asks.

She scoffs, "There are so many things I'm not telling either of you. They aren't as important as yours. You both haven't only kept secrets. No, you both have destroyed this family. Pray to the spirits that it isn't beyond repair, father, because as of today, the Daughter and Son of Dawn no longer serve you." She sneers.

The Daughter of Dawn turns away from her fathers, walking out of the room with tears streaming down her face and with the truth repeating in her mind.

Protector of the Child of Night.