The creature's voice echoed through the silent ruins, its words wrapping themselves around Ziya like a vice. "You cannot run from what you are, Ziya."
Her heart pounded in her chest, the air thick with the weight of its words. Every instinct told her to move, to run, but her feet were rooted to the ground. The shadows that clung to the creature's form seemed to stretch and curl like tendrils of smoke, pulling at her mind.
Khalid's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Stay back!"
The command was sharp and precise, but Ziya barely heard it. Her eyes were locked on the creature, her body frozen as the familiar stirrings of magic hummed beneath her skin. It was as if the ruins themselves had called her here, summoned her to face what she had left behind.
The thing before her—it knew. Somehow, it knew what she had been. What she still was, buried deep within her, locked away behind the layers of self-control and denial.
Her breath came in shallow gasps. "What are you?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The creature tilted its head, and in that moment, Ziya could feel the weight of a thousand forgotten memories crashing down on her. Memories of magic—raw, untamed, and dangerous. Of ancient forces bending to her will, of whispers in the dark calling her name.
It was an echo of her past, of the power she had wielded, a manifestation of the very thing she had tried to bury.
"I am what you abandoned," the creature hissed. "I am the magic you thought you could escape. The darkness you refused to face. You cannot run from me."
Khalid's hand tightened around his sword hilt as he moved to step between Ziya and the creature, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Ziya," he said in a low, dangerous tone. "Get back. This is not your fight."
But Ziya didn't move. She couldn't. The creature was right. It wasn't just a manifestation of the curse—it was a part of her. A fragment of the magic she had once embraced, now twisted and broken.
"You should've stayed away," it continued, its voice like a slithering wind, rising with a kind of sadistic glee. "The magic never leaves. It clings to you. It waits for you to return to it. To take your place, once more."
The shadows around the creature seemed to shift, and Ziya's pulse quickened as the air grew colder. It wasn't just the magic in the ruins that pressed in on her now—it was something more. Something personal. She could feel the magic in the creature, like a tether to the power she had forsaken, and it tugged at her very soul, tempting her to give in.
"No," she whispered to herself, shaking her head. "I'm not that person anymore."
The creature laughed, a hollow sound that sent chills down her spine. "You never were. You only convinced yourself that you were free."
Ziya's vision blurred for a moment as her mind raced through the memories of her past—the people she had destroyed, the lives she had ruined in her quest for power. The magic had consumed her, and she had almost lost everything.
But she had fought back. She had escaped.
"I'm not her," Ziya repeated, this time louder, forcing the words past the tightening in her throat. She reached for the amulet beneath her robes, her fingers brushing its cool surface, grounding herself in the only thing that tethered her to the woman she had become, not the one she had been.
The creature's form wavered, like smoke in the wind, but its presence remained, suffocating. "You can pretend all you want," it sneered, "but the truth is, you are what you were always meant to be. The power is in you. It will find you."
Before Ziya could react, the creature lunged. Its long, twisted limbs shot toward her, but Khalid was faster. In a blur of motion, his sword slashed through the air, striking the creature's outstretched arm with a sickening crack.
The creature screeched in pain, its form flickering, as if its very existence was unstable. Khalid's sword cut through its body with ease, but the wound seemed to heal almost as quickly as it was inflicted, the black tendrils of shadow knitting together, leaving no trace of the strike behind.
"Ziya!" Khalid called again, this time his voice hard and urgent. "We need to leave. Now!"
But Ziya couldn't tear her eyes away from the creature. Its gaze locked onto hers, and for a moment, she felt her own will begin to bend. The pull of magic was overwhelming. Her fingers curled around the amulet, and the air around her shimmered.
"Ziya!" Khalid's voice broke through her haze again, sharper this time. His hand gripped her arm, pulling her back.
The creature hissed as it reformed, its form now more solid, more dangerous. "You cannot outrun your fate," it whispered, its voice seeping into Ziya's bones. "I will wait."
Ziya's vision swam. She was so close—so close to giving in. The power was there, just beneath the surface, calling her back. She could almost taste it—the strength, the certainty, the control she had once held. It would be so easy. So simple to give in.
But then she heard Khalid's voice again, his grip on her arm firm and steady. "Not today," he said, his voice low and unyielding. "Not while I'm here."
With a final, defiant hiss, the creature recoiled, its form crumbling into shadow once more. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving nothing but the oppressive silence of the ruins in its wake.
Ziya's breath came in sharp gasps, her hand still clutching the amulet as if it could protect her from the darkness within. She could feel the lingering pull, the echo of the creature's words, and the searing temptation of magic she had buried deep inside.
"Ziya," Khalid said, his voice softer now, but still commanding. "Are you all right?"
She looked at him, her chest tight with emotion she couldn't quite name. "I… I thought I had left it behind."
"You haven't," Khalid replied quietly. "And neither has it."
Ziya nodded, but the words he had spoken earlier—that she wasn't alone—lingered in her mind. The creature had been a part of her, and it wasn't gone.
And if she didn't keep her wits about her, if she didn't stay in control, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep that darkness at bay.
The squad remained still, tense, watching the darkness that still clung to the ruins, waiting for the next move. Khalid's eyes never left her, his gaze unreadable, but Ziya could feel the weight of his scrutiny.
"Let's move," Khalid finally said, his voice steady. "We're not safe here."
Ziya followed him, but as they walked deeper into the ruins, the shadows seemed to grow longer, and her hand tightened around the amulet once more. The fight wasn't over. Not yet.
And this time, she wasn't sure if she could run from what she was.