The stone-cold winds of the execution square cut deep into Elena Fellarios' skin, but she didn't flinch. Her wrists were bound in thick iron chains, and her once-soft features were marred by dirt and blood. The crowd, packed into the square, waited impatiently for her death. She could hear their jeers, their curses—voices that had echoed through her life ever since she could remember.

The forsaken witch.

The cursed daughter.

The traitor.

She had never once harmed these people, but to them, she was the perfect scapegoat. Her weak magic was of no use in a world that valued power, and her kindness had been seen as weakness. Elena had been born into a world that hated her, and today, they would end her life for a crime she had never committed.

"Bring forth the executioner!" The voice of the magistrate rang out, filled with righteous authority. The crowd roared in approval, their bloodlust insatiable.

Elena lifted her head, the chains rattling as she moved. She wasn't afraid of death. It would be a release from the cold and empty life she had been forced to live. Her only regret was that she had never been given a chance to prove herself. No one had ever loved her. No one had ever believed in her. The weight of her loneliness pressed down harder than the chains that bound her.

As the executioner approached, his blade gleaming under the darkened sky, Elena felt a deep ache in her chest. It wasn't just the fear of the end—no, it was something else. A distant pull, like the world itself was calling out to her. It was a sensation she had never experienced before, and for the first time, doubt crept into her mind.

Far away, across dimensions, Aileen Fellarios sat in her cozy apartment, looking out over the city skyline. The evening lights twinkled below, but her mind was elsewhere.

She had everything anyone could want—beauty, intelligence, friends, and success—but there was always a nagging emptiness she couldn't explain. It was as though something fundamental was missing, something just beyond her grasp. She ran a hand through her hair, staring at her reflection in the window. The face that stared back was flawless, but Aileen couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't truly her own.

As she stood there, a strange sensation washed over her. Her heart raced, and the world around her seemed to blur for a moment. She grabbed the edge of the desk, steadying herself, but the pull grew stronger, more insistent. Aileen gasped as her vision was consumed by darkness.

And then, it all became clear.

The faces of two women—one loved, one hated—merged into one. Their thoughts intertwined, their souls collided, and suddenly, Aileen wasn't standing in her apartment anymore. She was in a cold, stone square, staring through someone else's eyes. She could feel the chains, the dirt beneath her feet, the crushing despair.

*Who... am I?*

The question echoed in both minds as the connection between worlds solidified. Elena's and Aileen's memories collided—one life of pain, one life of success, yet their faces, their souls were the same. They had always been the same.

The crowd chanted, their voices a vicious storm. Elena's executioner raised his blade, preparing to bring it down on her neck.

*No... no... this can't be how it ends.*

Aileen's thoughts surged forward, mixing with Elena's final resignation. The force that had pulled them together now flared, binding their very essence into one being. The pain, the anger, the sadness—all of it crashed over Aileen like a tidal wave. But underneath it all, there was power. Power unlike anything she had ever known.

*We are one.*

The blade came down, but before it could strike, an explosion of energy erupted from Elena's body. The crowd screamed, stumbling backward as the earth trembled beneath their feet. The executioner's sword shattered into pieces, and the chains binding Elena's wrists dissolved into dust.

Elena—no, *Aileen*—stood in the center of the chaos, her eyes glowing with newfound strength. Her magic, once weak and barely noticeable, now flowed through her veins with the force of a raging river. The earth beneath her feet responded to her every thought, every breath.

The people who had cheered for her death now cowered in fear.

"What... what is this?" the magistrate stammered, his voice shaking as the ground rumbled. "She's a witch! A monster!"

Aileen, now fully merged with Elena, turned her gaze toward the man who had condemned her to die. She felt Elena's rage, her deep sorrow, but also Aileen's fierce determination. The magistrate had no idea what he was facing. He saw only the broken girl they had sentenced to death.

But she wasn't broken anymore.

Raising her hand, Aileen felt the earth respond to her call. Vines and roots surged from the ground, wrapping around the magistrate and the executioner. The crowd scattered in terror as the very square they had gathered in became a living, breathing thing—an extension of her will.

Aileen smiled, but it was no longer the warm, carefree smile she once had. It was something colder, sharper. "I am Elena Fellarios," she said, her voice filled with both the pain of the forsaken and the confidence of the beloved. "And I am no longer your victim."

The magistrate struggled against the vines, his eyes wide with terror. "This... this is impossible! You were nothing!"

Elena—Aileen—stepped forward, her expression unreadable. She could feel the full extent of her power now. The magic that had once been so weak, so fragile, now pulsed with life. Earth, plants, even the air itself seemed to bend to her will. With this power, she could reshape the very land beneath her feet. She could create worlds. And she would start with her own justice.

"You will all pay for what you've done," Aileen whispered, her voice laced with the promise of vengeance. "For the pain you caused. For the lies. For the betrayal."

The vines tightened around the magistrate, and the crowd's panic grew louder. But Aileen wasn't focused on them anymore. Her mind was clear now, her purpose set. She wasn't just Elena, the forsaken witch who had been wronged. She wasn't just Aileen, the brilliant woman who had lived a life of privilege.

She was both. She was more.

And the world of Iveris would never be the same again.