ログインMy chest tightened painfully.Madalena looked at the door behind me. “And you would have died if she hadn’t survived the ice.”I didn’t answer.Because she was right.Madalena saw it in my silence. Her lips trembled, and the little control left on her face began to crack. “I saw you,” she whispered. “Everyone did. But I think I was the only one who understood. It wasn’t just fear. It wasn’t just guilt. It was as though something inside you had stopped along with her. As though, if Melany didn’t come back, neither would you.”Tension climbed up my neck.I turned my face away, breathing through my nose as I tried to contain an irritation that wasn’t exactly directed at her.“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Yes, I do.” Her voice lost some of its strength, but none of its certainty. “I know because I waited my whole life for you to look at me that way. And you never did.”My anger vanished as quickly as it had come.What took its place was worse.Madalena lowered her eyes, squ
His body was freezing too. His clothes were still wet from the lake, his skin cold against mine, but Ravok didn’t tremble at all. He merely held me firmly as he began walking toward the palace, tightening the blanket around my body as though that alone could prevent me from slipping away again.Little by little, I began to feel his warmth pass through the wet, frozen clothes between us. It was absurd. Ravok’s body radiated such a high temperature that it seemed impossible for someone who had just emerged from that water with me. Even through the heavy, soaked fabric, his warmth slowly reached my numb skin, thawing my rigid fingers, my chest, my breathing.Around us, the snow began falling more heavily, driven by the wind sweeping across the open lake. The flakes struck his face, clung to his still-wet dark hair, and melted almost immediately against his warm skin.I trembled again.Then, without fully realizing the movement, I curled closer against him and buried my face in the curve
The tears continued running silently down my face.“But you showed that you truly were a white witch that night,” she continued quietly. “When you gave me the rings and told me to run.” A small smile appeared on her face, laden with sadness. “You saved me without even knowing who I was. And I owed you a debt.” She looked at the still water of the pool before returning her gaze to me. “And when you fell into that lake... I was able to repay it.”My heart tightened. “Were you the one who brought me here?”She nodded slowly. “When your body began to die.”“So I...” My voice came out weak. “Died?”“No.” She took a step closer. “Not if you don’t want to.”I frowned, still trying to understand.“Your body still exists. You can return to it.” Her voice was far too calm for that conversation. “Or you can rest here.”I swallowed hard. “And will I see you... there?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.Her lilac eyes immediately softened. “If you want to.”She began rising slowly from the wate
POV MelanyThe first thing I felt was the wind.Not cold. Not warm. Merely gentle, gliding over my skin like a calm breath. When I opened my eyes, I found an absurdly clear sky above me, so spotless that it seemed endless. The scent of flowers invaded the air in soft waves, blended with the sweet fragrance of grass warmed by the sun.It took me a few seconds to realize that I was lying down.And a few more to realize that I didn’t recognize that place.I slowly sat up among the tall flowers, feeling the petals brush against my bare arms. The field stretched as far as I could see, filled with golden, lilac, and white shades that swayed slowly in the wind.Then I looked at my hands.They were... wrong.Almost transparent.Light partially passed through my fingers, making the edges of my skin too soft, too unreal. My heart immediately accelerated.Had I died?The question crossed my mind with a strange calmness. No panic. No despair. As though some part of me already knew the answer befo
The cold struck my body like a blow.The freezing water instantly penetrated my clothes, compressing my chest and tearing the air from my lungs in an involuntary reflex. For a moment, everything became pure physical shock: the weight of the water, the freezing burn against my skin, the lake’s muffled silence closing above my head.I opened my eyes underwater despite the immediate burning.The darkness was worse down there.The gray light from the surface barely penetrated the ice, transforming the lake into a dark, murky mass where it was difficult to distinguish depth from shadow. My body sank quickly during the first few seconds because of my heavy clothes, and I had to force my arms against the water to propel myself forward.Then I saw it.A movement.Deeper down.The dark blue fabric of her coat floated slowly through the water like a lost stain at the bottom of the lake.I forced my arms in her direction, pushing through the heavy water as the cold began turning my muscles to st
The interior of the workshop seemed too small for the number of things accumulated inside. Tools covered practically every wall, hanging from improvised hooks or abandoned across workbenches. Metal bars were stacked in one corner, chains lay coiled on the floor, and dismantled parts were scattered among piles of coal and ash. The air was heavy and hot, filled with the constant smell of burned iron. At the back of the workshop, the furnace remained lit, casting irregular orange light over unfinished blades, knives, spearheads, and pieces of armor stacked without any apparent order. Everything there seemed worn, brutal, and functional—the kind of place where wars continued to exist long after the battlefield disappeared.“I’m from Atheon,” I said.The man released a quiet sound through his nose as he walked back inside the workshop. “King of Atheon,” he corrected without looking directly at me.I entered right behind him, feeling the heat of the furnace intensify as we moved through t
Dominic pushed me away and I was surprised that I lost thought because of his action. He told Victoria, "Amo has a keen sense of smell and he hates the smell of women's blood."Victoria was not quite convinced by Dominic's explanation, still, she wrapped her arms around him like she was showing of
“Washing clothes,” I answered, because the truth was already humiliating enough and I had no better lie.His eyes narrowed slightly. “In that?”Heat rose to my face. I gripped the basin and tried to stand, but Dominic reached for it before I could move away. I held on by instinct, even though there
I should have apologized. I should have lowered my head. I should have done anything except what I did next.But then someone behind him muttered, “No wonder. Witches are dirty bitches.”My mother’s face came into my mind so clearly that it hurt more than my broken hand. Her fingers combing my hair
My fingers tightened around the edge of my apron. I wanted to tell him that Victoria had done this. I wanted to say I had made his breakfast with one good hand because no one else would. But people like me did not explain things to people like him. Dominic pointed at the floor. “Now you made a mes







