(Zephirion’s POV)

Something was wrong with Aeris.

The moment she opened her eyes last night, I sensed it.

That smile… It wasn’t hers.

At first, I thought it was just exhaustion. Nightmares could do that—leave a person dazed and lost. But as the hours passed, the unease inside me only grew.

This morning, she was different.

She clung to me.

Not in her usual, sarcastic, half-annoyed way—no huffing, no irritated muttering under her breath. Instead, she wrapped her arms around mine, holding on as if she would crumble if she let go.

It wasn’t like her.

Aeris was many things—stubborn, sharp-tongued, endlessly frustrating—but she was never weak.

Yet now, she acted delicate, fragile… submissive.

And it wasn’t just me who noticed.

Valerion and Caelum were watching her with the same suspicion I felt.

“She’s acting weird,” Valerion whispered, leaning closer to me at breakfast. “I mean—look at her.”

I was looking at her.

She was smiling. Sweetly. Innocently.

Aeris never smiled like that.

She sat with her hands folded neatly, eating her food in small, careful bites. It was unnatural.

Yesterday, she was laughing and teasing Valerion, throwing bread at him across the table. Today, she was… quiet.

Too quiet.

Then it happened.

One of the maids' children ran past the dining hall, giggling as they played with each other. They were the same children she had spent time with yesterday—the ones she had genuinely enjoyed being around.

But this time, Aeris’s expression darkened.

“Get out,” she snapped, her voice sharp, cold.

The children froze.

The little girl, no older than six, turned to look at her with wide, fearful eyes. “B-But Lady Aeris—”

“I said get out!”

The girl flinched. The other children grabbed her hand and ran.

The entire room fell silent.

Valerion and Caelum both stared at Aeris, their expressions shifting.

“Aeris…?” Valerion muttered, his usual cheerful voice laced with confusion. “Why would you—”

“They’re annoying,” she said flatly, looking back at her plate as if nothing had happened.

Aeris.

The same Aeris who had been smiling with those children just yesterday.

The same Aeris who had played with them, laughed with them, held their tiny hands when they were scared.

The same Aeris who, just last night, had trembled in my arms, looking at me with fear and vulnerability she never let anyone see.

This was not her.

I glanced at Caelum. His cold blue eyes were narrowed, unreadable. But I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

Something was wrong.

Aeris wasn’t just acting different.

She was someone else entirely.

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(Zephirion’s POV)

The air in the council chamber was heavy with tension.

Valerion sat on the table with his arms crossed, brows furrowed in frustration. Caelum stood near the window, his cold gaze fixed outside, but I knew his mind was here—calculating, analyzing.

And I… I stood in the center, gripping the edge of the table, trying to piece everything together.

Something was wrong with Aeris.

She wasn’t herself.

“She’s changed,” Valerion was the first to speak. “You saw how she acted this morning. That wasn’t Aeris.”

I clenched my jaw. “I know.”

“She yelled at the kids,” Caelum said flatly, finally turning to face us. “The same ones she was laughing with yesterday.”

My claws dug into the wood. “That wasn’t her.”

Valerion ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. “Then who the hell was it? Because it looked like her. It sounded like her.” He exhaled sharply. “But it wasn’t her.”

I closed my eyes briefly, recalling last night.

The way she whimpered in her sleep. The way her body trembled. The way she smiled at me when she woke up—so wrong, so different.

Then, this morning, she clung to me. That had never happened before. Aeris hated looking weak, hated relying on anyone. And yet, today, she held onto me as if she would disappear if she let go.

And then, the children.

I opened my eyes and met Caelum’s piercing gaze. “It’s not just a mood swing,” I said. “It’s something deeper.”

Valerion groaned. “You’re telling me she’s possessed?”

Caelum was silent for a moment before he spoke. “It’s possible.”

Valerion shot up from his seat. “You can’t be serious.”

Caelum crossed his arms. “Think, Valerion. She is completely different from yesterday. It’s not just her mood. It’s her personality. Her behavior. The way she speaks. The way she moves.” His voice was calm but firm. “Something has taken hold of her.”

I remained silent, my mind racing.

Aeris was stubborn, reckless, and always ready to fight. But today, she was gentle. Too gentle. Her words, her movements—it was as if she had become someone else.

And then there was last night.

The whimpers. The shaking.

The way she smiled at me.

A chill ran down my spine.

She had been fighting something in her dreams. And when she woke up…

She had already lost.

“We need to watch her,” I said finally, my voice low. “No matter what, we don’t leave her alone.”

Valerion frowned but nodded. “Fine. But if this thing tries anything, I’m not holding back.”

Caelum’s eyes darkened. “Neither am I.”

I looked toward the massive doors leading back to the castle halls.

Aeris, whatever was happening to you…

I would not let it take you from me.

To be continued