𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 || 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

Chapter XLVIII: Dawnbringer

Defy the Fates Pt. 4

A/N: SHIT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN I TELL YOU. SHIT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN!

Also, today, May 29, 2025 is the official first publication anniversary of Everdawn! We're a year into this now guys! Thank you for your support in reading this!

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SOLENE AWOKE from the cold breeze brushing her hair. She squinted her eyes as she opened it, at first blinded by the brightness of the sun that was soon drowned by the clouds around her. These clouds floated like cotton, vanishing into thin air as she tried to touch them.  Then it hit her.

Where am I? Am I dreaming? Am I in heaven?

She was lying on solid ground in the sky. Another floating island perhaps, just like the Spectral Gardens where she and William went for their Valentine's date.

“Lady Solene has arrived!” A soft voice called behind her. Solene turned to see a woman bathed in clouds. Her hair rose like the puffiness of a cloud, her skin fair and glowing, and her eyes blue as the sky. Two other women ran towards her, looking the same as the first woman.

Their beauty posed no threat to Solene, yet she didn’t know how they knew her.

“Who are you and why do you know me?” She asked, quickly getting up on her feet. “Where am I?”

The women giggled. “So many questions, my lady!” Exclaimed the first woman. “We are the Nephelai, cloud nymphs of our beloved goddess. And she has sent us to escort you to her palace—the arrival of her divine daughter.”

Solene felt like she had a bile on her throat as she forced herself to follow the cloud nymphs up a rocky mountain. The view around her was surreal. There were many Nephelai bathing in the shimmering pools nearby, eating grapes and laughing while resting in the shade of mystical trees. They passed through towering columns made of marble, such architecture that was very different to those of the Clover Kingdom. She looked at them with her mouth agape as these vertical columns led her to a golden palace that was twenty times larger than the Golden Dawn base. It was like a temple, or a museum, with perfectly carved designs on the pillars and roof—shining brightly like the reflection of the sun.

“Wow…” Solene breathed in amusement. “This is the biggest, grandest palace I have ever seen!”

The nymphs chuckled beside her. “Welcome to your mother’s home—the Aurorion Palace.”

The gargantuan doors opened before Solene, greeting her with a warm rush of sunlight—not blinding but one like the early rising of the sun.

“This is as far as we can go,” A Nephalae said. “She is waiting for you inside.”

The cloud nymphs bowed at her. Solene’s heart softened at once, for she had never received such respect from incredible creatures, especially those she’d never known or seen before. But there was this sense of familiarity among them, making her feel at ease. She didn’t feel any danger in this place.

And so, she finally entered the palace, marveling at the golden statues and the glimmering treasures displayed on the walls. At the center of the hall was a grand throne, and behind it was the sky and the shining sun gilding it with such majesty and grandeur. A tall woman stood at the back of the throne, looking far away. But once she sensed Solene’s presence, it was as if she had been flashed by the dawn—glinting her eyes with the warm hues of pink and red. And instantly, she fell to her knees.