MasukPelin’s POV He turned back toward Manolya, still clamped in his pincer, struggling and coughing through the rising water. “If I kill her, like Gemini tried and failed, that makes me the winner, doesn’t it?” He grinned, as smug as a monster in a shell could look. “And you, Pelin… that makes you the loser. A nobody. A sidekick in someone else’s story.” My fingers curled into fists. “But,” he added, voice turning oily, “you could replace her.” My breath hitched. Cancer’s eyes gleamed. “Step in. Take the glory. Be the chosen one. You have the skill. The heart. Why always second place? Why always her?” Manolya gasped as the claw tightened. Her demon mark pulsed like fire beneath her soaked clothes. I stared at her. She was scared. Not just of Cancer. Of herself, of me mabe? She was spiraling again. And for one breathless, shameful second, I hesitated. Would it be easier if I was the chosen one? Would I finally stop feeling like a background character in my best friend’s
Pelin’s POV “All these pitiful emotions,” Artemis sang in delight. “My delightfully tricky twins… they almost got to you, didn’t they?” She smiled at us, empty and cruel. Her obsidian skin seemed to drink the light, her eyes shining unsettling bright. I shivered. The demon mark burned as I panted, still kneeling, with Manolya holding me upright. “I see you are a jealous person,” Artemis added, her gaze locking onto mine. My breath caught as I looked frantic towards Manolya. She didn’t say anything, and my heart leaped in terror. “And I see another fear when I look at you,” she continued, her voice velvet-smooth. “I…see…everything.” Before I could react, a violent force tore me away from Manolya. A sudden tide surged from nowhere, cold and relentless, dragging me backward as Artemis laughed, delighted, to her heart’s content. “Manolya! Grab my hand!” I screamed. “I can’t reach you!” Manolya screamed back, panic tearing through her voice. “Pelin, the water is pulling me away! H
Manolya’s POV Then the memory of Aziz’s voice rang in my mind. He had told me long ago, before this mess even begun. “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors.” I remembered when he had said it. Aziz had snorted with that infuriating smug smile of his, and leaned closer like he was sharing a secret. “That’s what all the so-called good guys say,” he had said lightly. “But you know me, I’m not that kind of guy. And you are nothing like me.” He had smiled then, sharp and unapologetic. “Don’t worry little peach. I kill for fun,” he’d added, completely serious. “Those ghouls I hunted for you? They gave me great satisfaction.” Then he had purred, that infuriating, affectionate tone he always used. “Your soul is too pure, not even my darkness can touch you. I will never hurt you.” And I had laughed. I couldn’t help it. Because no, I wasn’t like him. And he had known that too. I met gemini
Manolya’s POV The fog hardened, thick and suffocating, clinging to the air around us like a predator waiting for its moment to strike. That was when I heard the laughter. It didn’t come from one place. It came from everywhere. “Manolya!” Pelin shouted, panic sharp in her voice. “I’m here! Where are you?” How could we have been separated?! “I—I can’t see you!” I yelled back, turning in place. The fog swallowed my words whole. My hellblade flared to life in my grip, its glow cutting weakly through the haze. I tried to search for Pelin’s light, but the fog was too dense Then the laughter came again. But this time it was soft, amused and layered that made my skin crawl. A chorus of voices, overlapping, harmonizing in mockery, as if they were laughing at us rather than near us. “Hehehe… hahahaha…” It echoed above me, beside me, behind me. My pulse spiked. The voice from the Artemis demon drifted down through the fog, light and taunting. “The Geminis are here.” My stomach d
Manolya’s POV The look she gave me was what made my heart clench. Taurus noticed. His smile sharpened. “Careful now,” he said coldly. “She’s afraid of what you might become.” The demon mark burned hotter, spreading through my chest in waves. My breath stuttered, then deepened, dragging heat into my lungs. My hands trembled, fingers curling on their own as if they no longer belonged to me. The pain didn’t feel like pain anymore. It felt warm and inviting. Enticing. My shoulders loosened. My jaw unclenched. For the first time since everything shattered, the tight knot in my stomach began to ease. I wanted it to happen. The rage filled the empty spaces inside me, thick and heavy, pushing the grief aside. My vision sharpened, colors bleeding darker at the edges. My pulse slowed, steady and powerful, like something ancient waking up under my skin. I didn’t feel weak. I felt stronger. My reflection flickered across my sword. The mark on my chest pulsed,
Manolya’s POV The dust from Aries hadn’t even settled before the world shifted again. The Artemis demon transformed the arena, the shifting marble of the amphitheater groaning as it morphed into a vast, rugged terrain. Colossal rocks erupted from the center stage, scattering across the ground. The fog seeped in once more, thick and suffocating, enveloping us in an oppressive silence that swallowed the rows of ghostly spectators. Artemis descended from mid air to the center of the arena. She reached behind her back and drew out her bow, its surface carved with ancient symbols. She pulled the string back, and an arrow of glowing white energy formed between her fingers, solidifying as she aimed. She released it. The arrow landed perfectly in the center, next to a towering figure emerging from the mist as it slowly dissipated. “Little flames,” Artemis said and laughed coldly, like icy bells caught in frost. “Meet my wrath. Taurus the Bull!” she said in a delighted tone. “Isn’t he s
Manolya’s POV A piece of me was missing, and I had no idea how to fill that void. Could this journey offer me some semblance of peace? I hoped so, even if I wasn’t entirely convinced. I still couldn’t process the feelings I had towards my father. It felt as though I was grieving the loss of
Manolya’s POV I had developed a habit of taking my father’s car. He never said no anymore. He never asked where I was going. He just watched me take the keys and accepted it in silence, like that was the price of still having me around. Pelin noticed the way my jaw tightened as I unlocked th
Manolya’s POV Pelin and I spent days buried in the library. Not hours. Days. The kind where the light outside the tall arched windows shifted from soft morning gold to harsh noon white, then melted into amber again before either of us noticed. The kind where time stopped meaning anything excep
Manolya’s POV Pelin and I made our way back to Akyaka, driving from the Gates of Heaven. I was behind the wheel, and Pelin sat beside me, fidgeting nervously, clearly battling the urge to speak. I could feel her gaze on me, heavy and worried, but I kept my eyes fixed on the road, unwilling to o







