Eleana's breath hitched as she watched Leon and Victor face off beneath the moonlight.
Something about this moment felt wrong—as if the very air around them had shifted. Leon's arrival had stirred something deep inside her, something familiar yet completely unknown.
She felt like she should remember something—but what?
Victor turned to her, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "Eleana, come inside. It's cold out here." His voice was smooth, reassuring—too perfect.
Eleana hesitated.
She wanted to listen. To trust him. But deep inside, a voice screamed at her to run.
Leon took a step forward, his wings still glowing faintly from his rough landing. "Eleana, don't listen to him," he urged, his voice steady but desperate. "You feel it, don't you? Something isn't right."
Victor chuckled. "Oh, Leon, still trying to play the hero?" He extended a hand toward Eleana. "Come with me, my love. Don't let him confuse you."
Her head pounded. A dull ache formed between her temples, and suddenly, the world felt like it was tilting.
Everything around her blurred.
For a fleeting moment, she saw two versions of reality.
One where Victor was standing before her, smiling warmly.
And another… where his face twisted into something far darker.
Her breath came in short gasps. What was happening to her?
Leon's Realization
Leon saw it—the flicker of hesitation in Eleana's eyes.
The spell on her wasn't perfect.
Victor had been using dark magic to manipulate her, but something inside her was resisting.
That was it.
That was her hidden secret.
She wasn't just any human. Something celestial lived within her, something neither Victor nor the heavens had anticipated.
And it was waking up.
Leon took another step closer. "Eleana, listen to me," he pleaded. "You're stronger than this. He's been controlling you, influencing your thoughts. You have to fight it."
Victor's expression darkened for the first time. "That's enough," he snapped.
A force surged through the air.
Before Leon could react, an invisible wave of power struck him, sending him crashing into the marble pillars of the balcony.
Eleana gasped. "Leon!"
Victor turned to her, his voice still gentle, but his eyes filled with something dangerous. "You don't need him," he murmured. "You never did."
Eleana stepped back, her pulse racing. Why did his words suddenly feel like a lie?
Something inside her stirred—a faint memory, a whisper from deep within her soul.
And for the first time, she realized—
She had been lied to.
The Breaking Point
Leon groaned as he pushed himself up, his wings trembling from the impact.
He had one chance.
Victor's hold over Eleana was weakening, but if he didn't act fast, it would be too late.
Summoning the last of his strength, he looked straight into Eleana's eyes. "If you trust me," he whispered, "take my hand."
Eleana's heartbeat thundered in her chest.
Page 9
A choice.
That's what this was.
Victor's world felt safe, familiar.
Leon's world felt unknown—but somehow… right.
Her hands trembled. She didn't understand why, but something inside her screamed at her to run to him.
Her fingers twitched.
Victor's gaze sharpened. "Eleana." His voice was no longer soft—it was commanding.
But for the first time… she didn't obey.
With one deep breath, she reached for Leon.
The moment their hands touched
A blinding light exploded from her chest.
Victor staggered back, his eyes widening in shock.
Leon's breath caught.
And Eleana—
Eleana remembered.