Darkness.
Eleana's world spun as she struggled against the unseen force holding her captive. Shadows curled around her wrists and ankles, pinning her in place. The air was cold, thick with an unnatural energy that sent shivers down her spine.
She had been taken. Victor had stolen her away.
Her breath came in short gasps as she fought against the magic restraining her. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was standing between Leon and Victor, declaring her own choice—choosing herself—only to feel the ground tremble and then… nothing.
Now she was here. Wherever 'here' was.
A dim, flickering light revealed her surroundings—a grand chamber with stone walls, lined with ancient symbols that pulsed with eerie energy. A large, ornate mirror stood at the far end, but its reflection wasn't normal.
The glass shimmered, twisting like liquid, showing her not her own reflection, but something else entirely.
A girl—herself?—stood on the other side, looking back at her with wide, golden eyes.
Eleana's chest tightened. No. Her eyes weren't golden.
Yet, the girl in the mirror had them.
Her lips parted, and though no sound escaped, Eleana understood what she was saying.
"Remember."
A sharp pain shot through her skull, and she stumbled back, gasping.
Fragments of memories—a past she didn't fully know—flashed before her eyes.
A hidden power. A choice made long ago. A sacrifice.
And then—a promise.
"You will live as a human. You will forget. It is the only way to keep you safe."
Her breath hitched. That voice.
It belonged to her mother.
Victor's Intentions
A slow clap echoed through the chamber.
Eleana snapped her head toward the sound.
Victor leaned casually against a marble pillar, his golden eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"You're remembering," he mused. "Faster than I expected."
Eleana's hands curled into fists. "Where have you taken me?"
Victor's lips curled into a smirk. "Somewhere safe."
She glared at him. "Safe for who? You or me?"
Victor chuckled, stepping closer. "You act as if I'm your enemy."
"You are," she snapped. "You lied to me. You manipulated me. And now you've taken me—again."
Victor sighed as if he were growing tired of her defiance. "Eleana," he said, voice softer now, almost gentle. "I've always protected you. Even from yourself."
She stiffened. "What does that mean?"
He tilted his head, studying her. "If I told you now, would you even believe me?"
She swallowed hard. Would she?
Victor exhaled, stepping toward the mirror where her strange reflection had once been. He lifted a hand, trailing his fingers along the glass. "The truth, Eleana, is that I am the only one who can protect you from what's coming."
She hesitated. What's coming?
She wanted to demand answers, but something deep inside whispered that she already knew the answer.
That this was never just about her.
That she was more than she had ever known.
And Victor?
Victor wasn't just keeping her prisoner.
He was keeping her from something else.
Someone else.
Leon's Pursuit
The wind howled through the night sky as Leon flew faster than ever before.
His heart pounded, rage and fear colliding inside him.
He had lost her. Again.
Victor had taken her. Where, he didn't know. But he would find her. He would tear the heavens and earth apart if he had to.
But the moment he reached the city, he felt it—a shift in the air, a ripple of energy.
Something powerful was at work.
And it was coming from Eleana.
His wings tensed.
Was she awakening?
Leon clenched his fists. If Eleana was starting to remember… then time was running out.
Because if Victor had taken her to unlock her true self—
Then soon, she would no longer be Eleana at all.
The Choice Yet to Come
Back in the chamber, Eleana's breath grew unsteady.
Something inside her was shifting.
Her pulse thrummed in her ears, her body feeling too light, too ungrounded.
The symbols on the walls pulsed brighter. The mirror's surface rippled.
And deep inside her, the seal on her past trembled.
She didn't understand everything yet.
But she knew one thing.
She was running out of time.
To remember.
To escape.
And to decide—once and for all—who she truly was.
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