"This place needs honesty to open the path," I said, staring at the three of them.
They all froze, like their secrets were locked behind iron doors. Then Althea stepped forward, a shaky smile on her lips.
"Heh, it's just a secret after all," she said quietly. "If it means saving you all, I'll share it."
Suddenly, the ancient wall that shimmered and appeared before us, glowing faintly with magic. A strange energy surrounded Althea, and for a second, I saw fear flash in her eyes — but she quickly covered it with a calm smile.
She took a deep breath and began.
"The temple everyone worships — the one people say helps the poor, blesses believers, and guides the faithful?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "It's not what they think. Behind those walls, they perform twisted rituals. Dark, painful rituals designed to create the 'perfect saintess.'"
Her fingers brushed the scars hidden beneath her robes.
"Those scars on my back? They aren't from battles or accidents. They're from the temple's rites — scarring me, breaking me, shaping me into what they wanted. No one knows the truth. I don't even know how much of me is left beneath all of this."
Her eyes found mine, but she didn't realize I already saw the scars she tried to hide.
"If I don't reveal this secret… we won't be able to open the path."
We were all frozen, the weight of Althea's secret hanging heavy in the air.
Kael finally broke the silence, his voice sharp and full of disbelief."What? The temple's been doing that behind everyone's back?"
His words echoed around us, disbelief practically dripping from every syllable.
Then, just as we were bracing ourselves for whatever would come next, the magical wall—where the glow had been swirling—started to ripple. Slowly, a door materialized right in front of us.
For a second, hope sparked. This is it, we thought. The way out of this cursed shrine.
But the door creaked open to reveal… another room.
Not the freedom we wanted. Just another mystery waiting inside.
We stepped inside the room, slow and cautious, like it might bite.
Kael stayed at the entrance, hand on his blade, eyes scanning every shadow.The room was… empty. No traps. No curses. Just cold, dust, and the silence of something ancient watching.
We sat down—finally—breathing for the first time in what felt like hours.
There were questions in the air. About Althea. About Temple. But no one spoke.
And then…
That voice returned.Not from a mouth, but from everywhere. From the stone. The air. The magic itself.
"Truth was not enough. Now… face what you've buried."
A wind blew in—icy, unnatural—and with it, fog.
Dense. White. Swallowing everything.
"Liora?!" Kael's voice cut through. "Lady Althea?! My lady?!"
I tried to call out too, but my voice died in my throat. The fog clung to my skin like a curse.
And then I saw it.
A mirror.Right in front of me.
But not any mirror—it shimmered, showing something far worse than my reflection.
It showed her.Myself. But younger. Crying, shaking, curled on the ground.
The room twisted around me, and suddenly, I was there—again.
That day.
That cursed, blood-soaked day.
My mother's eyes—wide open, lifeless.My hands trembling, soaked in red.People screaming in the distance.The sound of something burning. Wood? Flesh? I didn't know.
And her.
She stood over my mother's body—the Empress.Regal. Untouched. Unbothered.A sword in her hand, dripping blood onto the stone like it meant nothing.
Her golden eyes locked with mine.
Not a flicker of regret. Not even hate.Just… cold recognition. Like she knew me. Like she had always known who I was.
I couldn't breathe.Couldn't move.
My knees hit the floor. The world spun.And in that moment, I understood what real silence sounded like.
Because grief doesn't scream—it devours.
She turned away, her cloak trailing behind her, the sword still warm with my mother's blood.
And then I felt it.
The shift.
Magic surging inside me. Raw. Untamed. Like a beast clawing its way out of my skin.
That was the day she died…And the day something inside me snapped.
"N-no… not again… I said not again!"My voice cracked—half scream, half sob.My hands clawed at the ground, gripping the cold stone beneath me as if it could anchor me. As if it could pull me out of this nightmare.
"I can't… I can't—someone… please… help me…"Tears blurred my vision, but I could still see her. The Empress. Standing tall, drenched in my mother's blood like it was war paint. Like it was a crown.
My chest burned.My heart screamed.And then—it answered.
The burning magic inside me—the one I kept caged, buried under fear and silence—awoke.
It twisted in my ribs. Crawled up my spine. Whispered in my ears.
Kill her.Burn her.Take everything back.
My fingers sparked with violet fire. Wild. Unstable. Hungry.It wasn't just pain now—it was rage. It was grief turned sharp, and it hurt like hell.
"Stop—stop it!!" I cried, curling into myself. "I don't want this—I don't want to become her!"
The magic didn't care. It kept pushing, kept screaming, louder than the memories. Louder than my own thoughts.
I curled into a ball, hands pressed to my chest, sobbing. "Please… someone stop me… please…"
The mirror cracked.A piece shattered off—And I saw myself in the reflection.
Not the scared little girl anymore.
But the one with glowing red eyes…And fire licking at her fingertips.
The one I was becoming.
I couldn't breathe.Magic coiled around my arms, my legs, my neck—binding me, choking me. Not in pain. In power.
"Oh," she said, tilting her head. "You are here."
She stepped closer, and the floor beneath her feet cracked from the force of my fury.
"Still crying over that weak little witch?" she mocked. Her voice was sweet venom, each word a dagger. "She never belonged in my empire. Neither do you."
Something inside me snapped.
"You murdered her," I whispered.
She shrugged. "She defied me."
"You lied to me."
Another shrug. "You were never meant to know."
I lifted my hand. It was glowing. Glowing. Veins lit with pure purple-black energy, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
The shadows surged behind me.The ground trembled.The air turned cold.
"You took everything from me."
"You were born to be a weapon," she said. "I'm just the one who lit the fuse."
My scream shattered the air.Not a girl's cry—no. This was ancient. This was the wail of something primordial. Of rage buried since birth.
The fire lashed out.The floor erupted in cracks.A storm of dark magic shot forward—aimed straight at her heart.
And the Empress… laughed.
I didn't feel like me anymore.Not the girl who was scared.Not the girl who cried.That part of me—She was gone.
What stood in her place now?Was something else. Something colder. Something made of wrath and ruin.
I wanted to kill her.Her laugh… it was so annoying. That mocking tilt of her head, those cruel eyes staring like I was just a joke she'd already told.
And then—magic.It pulsed around me like a storm, weaving through my fingers, wrapping me in shadow.
A sword formed.Black. Jagged. Alive.
I raised it. Stepped forward.
I looked her in the eyes—and she smirked.Like she wanted this.Like she was winning.
I gritted my teeth and swung.
And then—"Elaris."
A voice.Mine?
I paused. Confused. My hand trembling.
"Elaris… don't."
Again—me. But not me now. Softer. Wiser.Real.
"You're doing exactly what they want," the voice said. "The shrine wants you to kill her. To turn into something you're not. Remember the plan."
And suddenly—memories hit me like lightning.The real mission. The promise. The choice.
I gasped. "No… no, this isn't me."
The shadows flickered. The sword wavered in my hand.
The voice whispered one last time, "Find the mirror. Find yourself."
I turned. The fog parted just enough to show it.A mirror. Cracked, but standing.
I ran to it. Inside—I saw her. The real me.Little. Crying. Afraid. But still here.
I reached out. My hand touched the glass——and it shattered.
Magic exploded around me, light and dark colliding.
I screamed.
And when I opened my eyes…I was on the ground, gasping, trembling. The sword was gone.
And I... was back again in the shrine.