SAINTLY _SINFULLY_SINNERS

chapter 1

The Princess of Four Elements

The wind always listened to Ariana.
It had since she was a child.
Even now, as she stood alone on the palace balcony, strands of her dark hair lifted softly around her face as if the air itself recognized her presence. Far below, the golden city of Arizona Kingdom stretched across the valley, its tall towers and crystal domes glowing under the late afternoon sun.
The kingdom was magnificent.
And terrifying.
Every surrounding nation feared the Arizona royal family for one reason.

Power.

The Arizona bloodline was ancient — older than most kingdoms still standing. For centuries they had ruled through their mastery of the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air.
Most elemental users could control only one.
Some rare nobles controlled two.
But the Arizona family…
They controlled all four.
Ariana lifted her hand slowly.
A small swirl of wind gathered in her palm, spinning like an invisible ribbon. With a flick of her wrist, the air shifted again and the stone tiles beneath her feet trembled slightly.
She stopped the magic immediately.
She wasn’t supposed to practice without supervision.
Not after what happened last year.
“You’re thinking too loudly again.”
A calm voice interrupted her thoughts.
Ariana didn’t even turn around.
“I wasn’t thinking loudly,” she said.
Behind her, the tall glass doors opened fully and her mother stepped onto the balcony.
Queen Callie Arizona carried herself with the quiet authority of someone who had ruled for decades. Her silver crown rested perfectly against her dark hair, and the long royal robes trailing behind her shimmered with threads woven from elemental crystals.
“Your magic reacts when your emotions are unsettled,” the queen said, joining her daughter at the railing.
Ariana crossed her arms.
“My emotions are perfectly settled.”
The queen raised one eyebrow.
Right on cue, a sudden gust of wind whipped across the balcony, knocking over a decorative vase.
Ariana sighed.
“…Mostly settled.”
Her mother gave a quiet smile before her expression turned serious again.
“You leave for Arizona Preparatory Academy tomorrow.”
Ariana stiffened slightly.
She had been hoping the topic wouldn’t come up tonight.
“I know.”
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”
“Because I’m not.”
Ariana turned and leaned against the railing.
“Why do I have to go?” she asked. “I can train here.”
The academy was miles away from the palace, hidden deep within the northern mountains. It was the most prestigious magical school in the kingdom, where nobles and gifted students were trained to control their elemental abilities.
But Ariana wasn’t just another noble.
She was the heir to the Arizona throne.
Sending her away made no sense.
“You know the answer to that,” Callie said quietly.
“The court thinks I’m unstable,” Ariana said bluntly.
Her mother didn’t reply.
Silence confirmed everything.
Ariana laughed bitterly.
“Great.”
“You lost control of all four elements at once,” the queen said calmly. “Do you understand how dangerous that was?”
“I didn’t hurt anyone.”
“You nearly collapsed half of the eastern tower.”
Ariana looked away.
That part… was true.
The memory still made her stomach twist.
“You have extraordinary power,” Callie continued, her voice softer now. “But power without discipline can destroy more than enemies.”
Ariana stared out across the mountains again.
“I’m not a child.”
“No,” the queen said.
“You’re something far more complicated.”
Before Ariana could respond, the palace bells suddenly rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The sound echoed across the entire kingdom.
Both of them froze.
That signal was never used lightly.
It meant something had entered the kingdom’s borders.
Guards began shouting orders somewhere below.
The wind shifted suddenly — sharp, uneasy.
Ariana stepped closer to the edge of the balcony and looked toward the distant mountain range.
The sky was changing.
Dark clouds rolled across the horizon unnaturally fast, swallowing the sunset in thick shadows.
And then she saw it.
Something falling.
At first it looked like a streak of fire tearing through the sky.
But as it descended, Ariana’s breath caught.
Wings.
Huge.
Burning.
The figure crashed somewhere deep within the forest beyond the mountains, sending a distant tremor through the ground.
The queen’s expression hardened.
“That’s impossible.”
Ariana’s heart was racing now.
“What was that?”
Her mother didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, Callie turned toward the palace doors.
“Stay inside tonight,” the queen ordered.
Ariana frowned.
“You’re not going to tell me what that was?”
Callie stopped at the doorway.
For the first time since Ariana could remember, the queen looked… unsettled.
“If what I think it is has truly returned,” she said slowly, “then sending you to the academy tomorrow might save your life.”
Ariana blinked.
“From what?”
The queen met her eyes.
“From the Fallen.”
A cold wind rushed across the balcony.
And somewhere beyond the mountains…
Something with broken wings had just landed in Ariana’s world.