Valeria's POV
The night air was still, heavy with anticipation. I stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking out over the city that sprawled beneath me, the lights casting eerie shadows across the streets. My heart pounded, not with excitement, but with the quiet terror of what I was about to face.
I was supposed to meet Adrian here. I had promised. But I couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that I was about to lose control—lose him.
I paced, my thoughts racing in a chaotic blur. Adrian. I didn't want him to see me like this, didn't want him to witness the darkness I carried. But then again, I couldn't keep hiding forever.
A tremor ran through me as my powers began to stir, the dormant force I had buried deep within me for so long. It clawed at my chest, demanding release. My skin prickled, and for a moment, I thought I might explode right here on the rooftop.
I shook my head, trying to calm the storm inside me, but it was already too late. The energy surged—violent, untamed, and hungry for release.
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Adrian's POV
I arrived on the rooftop, my pulse quickening with every step. The city below was alive, but the air up here felt unnaturally still. I called her name, my voice echoing through the emptiness, but there was no response. Panic gripped me, an unease that spread from my chest to my limbs. Something was wrong.
"Valeria!" I shouted again, but my voice faltered against the oppressive silence.
The rooftop was deserted, except for the glimmer of light catching my eye. A faint glow, pulsing in rhythm with the beat of my heart, flickered at the far corner.
I took a step closer. My gaze was locked on the spot where the glow was brightest, and that's when I saw her.
She stood at the edge in the corner of the rooftop. The moment I saw her, a chill swept through me. Her figure was bathed in an unnatural light, her skin shimmering with an ethereal radiance. But that wasn't the most terrifying part.
Her eyes.
Her eyes burned with an inner fire, glowing bright like molten gold, the kind of light that felt too intense to be human. A dark energy, raw and untamed, rippled around her as she stood frozen, seemingly unaware of my presence. But the energy was unmistakable—power. Unimaginable power. And it was spilling from her like a storm, flickering across her skin in waves of radiant energy.
"Valeria..." I whispered, my voice hoarse as fear crept into my veins.
Valeria's POV
I felt him then. Adrian's presence was undeniable, like a thread pulling me back from the edge. But I was losing control. The power I had locked away for so long was crashing against me, desperate for freedom. My body tingled, a primal sensation coursing through me, each breath deeper and more powerful than the last.
I raised my arms instinctively, my fingers curling as the energy responded to my will. My skin began to glow, faint at first, then with growing intensity, until my entire body was radiating with a harsh light. My heart raced as I felt the surge. The overwhelming pull of it was impossible to ignore.
Adrian's eyes met mine.
His gaze froze, wide with shock. His lips parted as he took a step forward, his expression shifting from awe to fear. His hand reached out, as if to stop me, but it was too late.
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Adrian's POV
I couldn't move. I was paralyzed, both terrified and mesmerized by what I was witnessing. The air around her crackled with an electric intensity, her skin glowing like a beacon of light in the darkness.
Her eyes.
They weren't human. Not anymore. Her eyes blazed with an unearthly gold, burning with a fire that seemed to tear through the world around us. It was like watching a star implode, its brilliance threatening to consume everything in its path.
The energy that radiated from her was enough to make my chest tighten, to choke the breath from my lungs. It swirled violently, a maelstrom of light and power that pulsed in sync with the thundering beat of my heart. I couldn't look away, couldn't tear my eyes from her. She was beautiful—more beautiful than I had ever seen, but it was a beauty that came with a terrifying price.
"Valeria…" My voice was barely a whisper, swallowed by the magnitude of the moment. "What are you?"
The power around her intensified, sending a shockwave through the rooftop, and I staggered back. The wind whipped violently, carrying a hiss of raw energy with it. She was unraveling in front of me, and I had no idea how to stop it.
And I had no idea what it meant for me.
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Valeria's POV
I felt the weight of his gaze on me, his words sinking into me like daggers. Adrian was afraid—afraid of what I had become, of what I could do. And I couldn't blame him.
"Valeria…" His voice cracked, and in that moment, I saw him for what he truly was. A man who had unknowingly stepped into a world that could destroy him.
I didn't want to hurt him. But the power inside me was like a beast clawing its way to the surface, and I couldn't hold it back any longer.
"Adrian, please leave…" I gasped, my voice trembling, but the energy didn't listen. It surged, pushing against me like a tidal wave. I reached out instinctively, trying to calm it, to rein it in. But it was too much.
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Adrian's POV
I couldn't tear my eyes away, even though the fear in my chest was suffocating. I was in awe, yes—but more than that, I was terrified. Terrified of the woman I had come to care for more than I had ever realized.
She was glowing more now, her eyes like twin suns, burning with a power that seemed to stretch beyond what was humanly possible. It was as if she wasn't just standing on this rooftop anymore. She was everywhere, her energy pulsing through the air, thick and heavy with potential destruction.
"Valeria!" I shouted, but my voice felt small against the storm she had become.
The ground beneath us trembled, and I felt the heat from her power burning my skin. It was like standing too close to a fire, and the pull of it was too strong. I couldn't escape it. I couldn't escape her.
"Adrian..." she whispered, her voice breaking as the light flickered around her. It was like watching her fight against herself, the very thing that made her powerful now threatening to destroy everything in its wake.
I took a step toward her, despite the fear, despite everything that told me to run. "I'm not going anywhere," I said softly, my hand reaching out. "But you need to stop. You need to control it."
Her body shuddered, and for a brief moment, the light dimmed. Her eyes softened, and I saw the fear in them—the same fear that mirrored my own. But as the the energy crackled through her fingertips, she slowly, carefully, closed her eyes.
And in that breath, the world held still.