Amara’s POVThe shadow called to me.Every instinct screamed to run.But my body didn’t move.The thing—my creator, if Lilith’s words held truth—hovered at the edge of the battlefield like an eclipse that had taken root. It had no real face, no bones, no breath. Just... presence. A suffocating storm of eyes and teeth and hunger. “Come, child of mine. Come be whole.”The words echoed in my mind, wrapping around my ribs like chains.A small part of me whimpered. The part that still remembered my first kiss. My mother’s hands braiding my hair. The first time Darius told me I was more than just powerful—I was good.That part of me felt like it was drowning now. “Amara!” Darius’s voice was hoarse.His hands gripped my shoulders, grounding me. But they felt... fainter, like I was beginning to slip into another realm. Or into something else entirely.The rogue was suddenly in front of me, placing a dagger between us—not raised to harm, but warding. His voice was sharp, cracking through t
Amara’s POVThe rogue's words cut colder than the wind. “The thing Lilith was created from.”Silence rippled through the warriors.Darius, still weak, pushed off Mira’s support, standing on sheer will. “What do you mean?”The rogue stepped into the open, his eyes trained not on me, not on Lilith—but on the trembling forest behind her.He said only one word: “Mother.”Lilith’s lips twitched into a cruel smile.“Oh, so you told them.”Even her voice sounded shaken, like her amusement was a mask covering something deeper—fear. “You didn’t think I came alone, did you?” she asked softly.The shadows at her feet writhed like living things. The sky above us dimmed—not from clouds, but from something else, a darkness ancient and alive.A presence.I staggered back as the ground pulsed beneath me, slow and thunderous. My blood chilled in my veins.Whatever it was—it was awakening.Lilith turned slowly, her long cloak swirling as she raised her arms. “Behold,” she whispered. “The creator
Amara’s POVThe battlefield was a graveyard of smoke and silence.I stood in the center, my body pulsing with black fire, the ground beneath me scorched and cracked like glass about to shatter. The wind had gone still. The creatures—Lilith’s and mine alike—had fallen silent.All eyes were on me.The wolves of Moonshine Pack didn’t cheer.They didn’t rush forward.They just watched… and they feared.My chest rose and fell with slow, burning breaths. I lowered my hands and blinked—once.The blackness did not fade from my eyes.I turned slowly, letting the moment settle into the bones of those who bore witness. They would remember this. The soundless massacre. The smell of magic scorched by fire and corruption.The silence broke—by a scream.“No!” Mira’s voice cracked through the air like lightning. She sprinted toward one of the warriors—Toma, barely more than a boy—his body unmoving in the grass, burnt from the dark pulse I’d unleashed.I didn’t remember striking him.But I didn’t deny
Amara’s POVThe ceremony was over.I didn't feel saved, though.I experienced a transformation.It scorched my flesh. My blood was heated. The light had mixed with the darkness inside me, and now… I didn’t sure which part was winning.Outside, war had begun.Lilith's army attacked the gates—dark beasts with glaring red eyes, shrieking and surging through smoke. Our warriors ran to meet them. Darius led the front lines, still feeble, but fearless.And me?I stood in the middle of it all.Power rushed into my veins. I could feel everything. Every sound. each heartbeat. Every ounce of fear.I moved forward and held up my hands—And my fingertips exploded with lightning.With a cry, the monsters flew backward and hit the ground.Around me, there were gasps.Mira looked at me. “That wasn’t normal magic.”I didn't respond.since she was correct.It was too powerful.Too chilly.Too simple.I got into a fight. were engaged in combat. and continued to battle.I was needed by my pack. My pals
Amara’s POVMy inner darkness refused to go to sleep.I felt like I was suffocating on shadows with every breath. I watched the wind go through the trees while I sat near the window. I could feel the dark magic pulsing beneath my flesh, even though my hands were motionless.It desired freedom.It desired victory.I pressed my forehead against the chilly glass and said to myself, "Leave me alone."It didn't listen, though.Rather, I heard a voice in my head.Amara, you're wasting your time. You already have the power. Give up battling it.I closed my eyes. "I'm different from you," I said.However, I sensed my own soul evaporating, fragment by fragment.The door was knocked on. A gentle one."Get out!" With a trembling voice, I yelled.The rogue from the opposite side said, "It's me."I didn't respond. I was unable to.He stayed.Rather, he said, "Amara, you're running out of time. Lilith will arrive.I was aware beforehand.I sensed her approach.What's the worst?I felt a sense of re
Amara’s POVI was unable to look people in the eye.Not after Darius was harmed by me.He was just about alive. Now he had the healers with him. I shivered as I watched from the shadows at the room's edge.I didn't intend to harm him. However, I had.That's what I did.Me.So far away from the others, I locked myself in the old tower. I sealed the door with my magic. Nobody was able to enter. I wasn't confident enough to be around them.I had no faith in what was developing within me.I curled up in the corner of the chilly stone floor, embracing my knees. I was trembling all over."What am I going through?" I said to myself in a whisper.Lilith had always frightened me. Now, though, I was more afraid of myself."Please," I said once more. "Prevent me from becoming like her."However, the quiet responded.I could still hear her laugh in it.Hours went by. Perhaps more.I remained motionless.A voice then came from outside the door."Amara."He was the outlaw. The scarred guy who fough