LOGINManolya’s POV The mental chains closed around my wrists, cold and precise. I turned my head just enough to see Pelin standing free again. Her chest was still rising fast, her eyes glassy, but she was atleast standing. When our eyes met, relief hit me, I felt so grateful. If she made it, maybe I could too? For one heartbeat, I forgot everything else. Pelin was safe that was all that mattered. Then Libra’s presence shifted, and the relief curdled into dread. My turn. “Do you know why you are here, Manolya?” Libra asked softly. Her voice wasn’t cruel. That made it worse. “Yes,” I said, my throat felt tight. “I know.” She tilted her head. “Then say it.” I swallowed. My hands trembled inside the shackles. “I hate my father,” I said. The words burned on the way out. “I hate what he did. And what he didn’t do. I hate that he looked away. That he chose himself. That he let my mother Rüya die.” The air thickened. “But that’s not the fear,” Libra murmured. “That is only the
Pelin’s POV I remember lying on Manolya’s bed, my face buried in her sheets. The beach painting hung above the headboard, blue and calm, everything I wasn’t. I cried so hard my chest hurt. My parents had sent me away for the summer to Akyaka “to think about my wrongdoings.” To let things cool down. To repair the social damage that had been done. Manolya sat beside me, her fingers slowly combing through my hair. “Pelin,” she said softly, “you don’t need to beg for their approval.” I shook my head, choking on a sob. “I ruined everything. I was stupid. I believed him. I believed every word.” She didn’t interrupt. She just kept stroking my hair. “I feel so worthless,” I whispered. “Like I deserved it for being so naive. He lied to my face and I didn’t see it.” Manolya sighed, not tired, just sad. “You weren’t stupid. You trusted someone who wanted to be trusted.” I let out a broken laugh. “That makes me stupid.” “No,” she said firmly. “That makes you someone in
Pelin’s POV Libra’s presence pressed in, invisible but heavy. Her voice slipped through the air like silk. “Do you hear them.” My throat closed. “Your truth is so inconvenient to them. Who will believe you when he comes from such a perfect family, hm?” My throat closed. My parents turned away from me together. My punishment was decided without another word. Just withdrawal, as if it would make me learn my lesson. My lungs burned as I dragged in air, each breath sharp and shallow. The beach felt too wide, too exposed, like there was nowhere left to hide. Libra’s voice curled around me again, gentle and precise. “Do you feel it now?” she whispered. “How easily love turns its back on you.” “Stop,” I rasped, pressing my hands to my chest. “why do you say that?.” I sobbed. She stepped closer. I could not see her, but I felt her weight settle into the space between my thoughts. “They all left you,” she continued softly. “Your fiancé. Your friend. Even your parents
Pelin’s POV She stepped into view like she owned the beach, slipping easily to Eric’s side. Her arm curled around his, casual, intimate. The same arm that used to loop through mine. “Pelin’s always been dramatic,” Zeynep said, smiling at him. “You know that.” I stared at her. “Get your hand off him.” She turned to me, eyes wide with mock innocence. “Why? You don’t mind, do you? We’re friends after all.” Friends. I remembered how she used to sit on my bed, whispering secrets. How she had cried on my shoulder. How she had sworn she would never hurt me. Eric chuckled. A short, humorless sound. “She’s right,” he said. “You always make things bigger than they are.” Zeynep leaned closer to him, lowering her voice just enough that I could still hear. “I told you she’d react like this.” Something inside my chest cracked. “I am not dramatic” I tried to defend myself. Zeynep shrugged. “Someone had to be honest. You’re actually exhausting, Pelin. Always so sad and needy.”
Pelin’s POV My breath hitched as I felt my body lift, helpless, my hands and feet locked in place by an unseen force. I tried to reach for Manolya but she was long gone. I couldn’t move or even scream. The silence was unbearable. I watched Libra drift closer, her presence pressing in on me until it felt like the air itself was judging me. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs. Then she raised her hand. A silk ribbon slipped over my eyes, cool and soft as it wrapped around my vision, plunging me into darkness. Panic flared instantly. I tried to fight it, tried to move, but my body refused to obey. I felt her breath next against my hot skin. A gentle exhale against her palm, and then something light scattered over my face. Stardust. The moment it touched me, my mind lurched. My thoughts fractured, slipping away from my control. I felt my eyes roll back as the spell took hold, white-hot fear tearing through me as reality warped and twisted.
Manolya’s POV My heart hammered against my ribs as we fell, seconds stretching into pure agony. The air tore past us, ripping the breath from my lungs. Above us, Artemis floated effortlessly, crossing her legs as if she were settling into a throne instead of watching us plummet. “You witch, make us stop falling!” I hissed through clenched teeth. “As you wish, little girl,” Artemis replied, amused, that familiar madness gleaming in her eyes. A chill crawled up my spine as the small animals clinging to her marble skin and flowing dress began to roar and shriek. “Hold on to my hand Pelin!” I screamed her way as she frantically tried to inch closer to me while still falling freely. “Hold on to my hand, Pelin!” I screamed, reaching for her as she struggled to inch closer to me while still falling freely. “I’m trying!” she yelled back, panic cracking her voice. “Manolya, I can’t slow down!” My chest tightened, breath shallow and frantic, as Artemis slowly cupped her dark fingers t
Manolya’s POV The air grew colder as we stepped deeper into the chamber. At first I thought the shadows were only shadows. But then they moved. They had legs, arms, and faces so dark they almost swallowed light. Black Marids. Dark whirlwinds coiled at their feet, binding them to the stone floo
Manolya’s POV The air in the tunnel grew colder with every step we took. My chest was already tight, but when we rounded the last corner and stepped into the chamber, I froze. The room was blazing with light, but it wasn’t fire or torches. The walls themselves gleamed. Floor to ceiling filled w
Emre’s POV The hotel room door shut with a heavy thud behind us. I leaned against it for a moment, letting my head fall back against the wood. My legs ached from hours of walking, searching, questioning. My lungs still burned from the night air. We’d covered every street and alley we could wit
Uncle Eren’s POV The silence after the fight was heavier than the stone above us. For a long moment all I heard was our panting, the hiss of torches, and the drip-drip of water from somewhere deep in the tunnels. I turned in a slow circle, scanning the kids first, their safety was my first prior







