Chapter 18 Beneath the Surface
The hallways of Chandlok felt colder after the last council meeting.
Sana walked through them with her head high, veil firmly in place, but her heart uncertain. Her days in the western wing were calm, but not peaceful. Not when whispers followed her like shadows.
Not when the Queen was still watching.
Not when Hatim, the man who kissed her without ever seeing her face, was now drifting between distance and nearness like a tide she couldn’t predict.
But something else simmered underneath it all—something only Hatim seemed to feel.
---
That morning, in the training arena, the air had changed.
Three guards were sparring, unaware that the prince had entered. When he walked in, the swords stopped mid-air.
“Continue,” he said flatly.
They obeyed, but with clear fear.
Hatim stood still, hands behind his back. But then, in the blink of an eye, the ground beneath them trembled. The steel in their swords began to frost over—followed by sudden heat that made the air shimmer.
None of them had seen him move.
One of the younger knights dropped his blade. “I—I can’t breathe.”
Hatim blinked, and the distortion vanished.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “It’s… hard to control, sometimes.”
His mentor, General Kael, who had been watching from a distance, approached with a knowing gaze.
“You’re losing balance,” he said.
Hatim looked away. “I’m holding back.”
Kael nodded slowly. “Because of the girl.”
Hatim didn’t respond.
“She grounds you,” Kael said quietly. “But when she’s threatened... you forget who you are.”
“I remember too well,” Hatim murmured, and the earth under his feet rippled again—just for a moment.
---
Later, in the west wing, Sana watched the clouds shift from her balcony.
She hadn’t told anyone about the strange dreams lately. The shadows. The echo of voices in her ears. The pull toward forgotten ruins.
Even her reflection had started to flicker sometimes—like she wasn’t entirely human anymore.
She thought of Hatim’s voice, the way it softened only for her.
And yet…
> “He doesn’t know what I am becoming.”
---
Meanwhile, Queen Roshni stood in the Star Chamber, surrounded by old scrolls and ancient bindings.
“He’s losing control,” she said.
The High Priest bowed. “His strength is divine, My Queen. Not even the Gods would dare challenge him now.”
“That girl is feeding it,” Roshni spat. “She is a parasite. She needs to be removed before he truly awakens.”
---
That night, the palace walls shook faintly.
A spy from the bordering kingdom had been caught. And not just caught—immobilized.
When the guards brought him into the chamber, he was frozen… mid-breath. His eyes wide. Body stiff. Not a single pulse.
“What magic is this?” one of the generals asked.
Hatim stepped in. His voice was low.
> “It’s mine.”
He walked to the prisoner and placed two fingers on his forehead.
> “You threatened her. You stepped foot near the west wing.”
The air around him rippled with a cold fire. The guards took an unconscious step back.
“Your punishment is mercy,” Hatim whispered.
The prisoner collapsed, finally free of the magic—but broken.
Roshni, who had watched it all from behind a column, now truly understood:
> “My son is the most powerful being in this world… and that girl is his anchor.”
---
In the west wing, Sana tossed in her bed. Her dreams showed Hatim—eyes glowing, voice wild, magic swirling around him like a tempest.
> “You are the storm,” the dream whispered to her. “And he… is the end and the beginning.”
She jolted awake.
Something was changing.
In him.
In her.
In everything.
---
?? Author’s Note:
Chapter 18 is giving SUPREME ENERGY VIBES ???? Hatim is HIM — like actually, cosmically HIM. And Sana? Our queen is starting to feel the pull of her fate. Magic. Power. Pain. All of it is coming.
Also… did you feel that moment when he froze the spy for threatening her? ?? You just know he'd burn kingdoms for her.
Chapter 19 is gonna hurt. In the best way. Stay close ????