LOGINManolya’s POV Bang. Bang. Bang. Three loud knocks rattled the door. “Manolya, the door!” Pelin groaned beside me in the wide bed, her voice muffled by the pillow. I slowly opened my eyes, still half lost in sleep. “Pelin… I think I slept like a dead person.” She snickered and shoved me with her foot. “You always do. And you snore.” “I do not!” I protested, laughing as I rolled away from her kick. “Go answer the door before Eren and the twins break it down,” she muttered, burying her face deeper into the sheets. “Alright, alright! Just a minute!” I shouted toward the door. I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on my black combat attire, the fabric clinging to my skin as I adjusted it into place. My body still felt heavy, muscles stiff from yesterday’s chaos. I stumbled across the dark wooden floors, barely steady on my feet. The whitewashed walls and cool sandstone brushed against my palm as I caught myself from falling. Another knock echoed through the suite.
Manolya’s POV She dropped her head instantly, reflexes snapping into place before her brain caught up. She froze, then slowly looked back at me. “Stop that! You almost gave me a heart attack!” I grinned, breathless. “Hey, I was doing you a favor. That thing could take your head clean off.” She smirked. “Good. I’d hate to survive demon trials just to lose to a chandelier, that my friend would have been even more tragic” We both burst out laughing, the sound wild and a little unregulated, like our bodies hadn’t realized yet that the fighting was over. After Pelin was finished I barely made it to the shower before peeling off my clothes on the floor. warm water washed the sweat and grime away. When I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, steam curling around me, I finally felt human again. Pelin was sprawled across the bed like a corpse, staring up at the ceiling. “I forgot what bliss and silence felt like,” she exhaled. “I forgot what clean sheets felt like,” I repli
Manolya’s POV “I am going to die if I do not eat something right now.” I barely finished the sentence before tearing open the first container Ayla had packed for us. Rice, grilled vegetables, bread, something warm and familiar. I did not even bother asking what it was. Pelin stared at me for half a second, then snorted. “Wow. You are not even pretending to have manners anymore.” “You try fighting demons on an empty stomach,” I said sarcastically, already chewing. “See how polite you stay.” She laughed and reached for her own food, just as desperate. For a few minutes, the only sounds in the car were plastic wrappers, chewing, and the faint hum of cicadas outside the car window. “This is Ayla’s cooking,” Pelin said between bites. “I can tell.” I nodded, swallowing. “Of course it is. Nobody else seasons food like they actually care if you survive the day.” Pelin smiled softly. “You are so lucky to have her.” “I know,” I said quietly. “What would we do without her
Manolya’s POV “Oh, I almost forgot… To find the moonbird and bring its journey to an end: I fly without wings, I cry without eyes. Wherever I go, darkness dies. What am I, can you surmise?” She giggled, that awful familiar sound “If you guess wrong…” she teased. “I will eat you two on the spot” she said and purred low. Pelin took a step forward and squeezed my hand. Then Pareia morphed into that stunning woman again, dressed in bronzed Armour, dark ebony skin and flowing hair. Pelin stepped forward, with her jaw tight. “If you pull one of your damned tricks again, I don’t know what I’ll do to you.” She hissed. Pareia paused, then let out a low laugh she didn’t bother hiding. “Always so fierce, Pelin,” she said, clearly amused. “It honestly suits you.” Pelin stiffened. Pareia’s eyes flicked over her with unusual interest. “You’re a lucky one. Someone will make very good use of that fire one day.” Pelin shot upright, heat rushing to her face. “W-what does that even mean?” Parei
Manolya’s POV I was exhausted, hollowed out, barely catching my breath as the suffocating darkness slowly faded without me even noticing. The marble shell cracked, then collapsed in on itself with a thunderous bang. It shattered completely. Finally, the Artemis demon was free from the spell the cult had cast upon her. I blinked, and Pelin was suddenly beside me, steadying my weight. The arena around us was empty now, silent and abandoned, as if it had never existed at all. From the broken fragments of the statue, she emerged. First in her human form, dark locks cascading down her shoulders, beautiful and terrible all at once. Then her body shifted, twisting smoothly into her true shape. A sleek black cat-beast with broken wings folded tight against her sides and eyes blazing red with something ancient and wounded. The sight hit me harder than I expected. She looked so much like Aziz. The grief came fast and sharp, a hollow ache opening in my chest at the thought of n
Manolya’s POV My father wailed, his forehead pressed against my mother’s cold hand, the smell of her blood mixing with the fading sweetness of Bahar’s perfume. “He is broken,” Libra’s voice drifted through the carnage, cool and tempting. “But is his regret enough to pay for her silence? Look at his hands, Manolya. They are the reason yours are empty.” I looked. His hands shook. My throat tightens, my eyes burned. “He didn’t mean to,” I whispered, though the words felt like ash in my mouth. “And yet, she is gone,” Libra stepped into my line of sight, her eyes reflecting the flickering shadows. “You have the blade. You have the right. Why leave his soul to Allah when you can take it yourself? Feed the hunger, little bird. End the cycle by becoming the end of him.” I see the knife in my hand. I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s there, and it feels right. I raise it, and in that moment, I know what I have to do. I stab my father over and over again, pouring all the an
Manolya’s POV The trail felt like a noose tightening around my chest. Every step Aziz took, every flick of his ears, every low growl rumbling in his throat pulled us deeper towards the maze of dead stone. I wanted to believe he knew exactly where he was going. That he could lead us straight
Aziz’s POV The streets of Kapadokya changed flavor the deeper I pushed into its veins. The carved facades and polished terraces gave way to broken steps, cracked stones, and shutters hanging half-off their hinges. I padded along on four paws, ears flicking to every whisper of the night. The bon
Manolya’s POV I couldn’t breathe. The street smelled like hot stone and dust and a fear that burned my throat. My hands trembled so hard the phone almost slipped from my grip. Pelin—Pelin was gone. “Uncle! Uncle Eren, somebody—Pelin—” My voice shredded into a high, raw keening. I couldn’t stop
Manolya’s POV The morning heat pressed down on us like a heavy quilt. Even before the sun was at its peak, my shirt clung to my back. Emre stood at the head of the table, laying out the maps like he was some general commanding troops instead of family. His expression was hard, serious—he always







