Eileen's POV
My heart clenched at the news. Lina… gone. A part of me had hated her, but this? This was monstrous.
“You killed her,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You absorbed her power.” A part of me was tempted by this. I wanted to put an end to what the dark lord was doing, but Jason? He was the last person I could trust
Jason didn’t even flinch. “It made me strong enough to challenge him.”
“You’re just as much a monster as he is!” I hissed.
His face hardened. “That’s not true.”
“You think I’ll trust you after everything you’ve done? After the lies? The manipulation? You handed me over to him like a damn gift! And now what? You want to kill him and take his place?”
Jason’s face contorted with rage. “I did it for us! For me and you! We could’ve ruled together. We still can! I regret letting him have you,
Eileen's POVIt was her, Selene.But not as I had seen her before in visions. This was the grown version of the little girl I had seen in X’s memory—the one he had played with in the field. Her presence stilled the air. Even the winds quieted. Her silver-white hair floated around her face as if touched by unseen winds, and her eyes—those soft, ancient eyes—were filled with sorrow. The moon goddess herself was here.She didn’t speak to us. She walked straight to X.He looked up at her, his lips trembling. His hands, bloodied and broken, reached out but then he withdrew, as if remembering all what he had gone through.She knelt. Right there, in the dust and blood, the Moon goddess knelt beside her brother, not with judgment, but with love. Her fingers brushed his face gently, her voice soft like moonlight through trees. "Arion" her voice was smooth, calm and as gentle as the breeze. I saw a shift of emotions on his face
Eileen's POVHis eyes were still glowing from the energy he'd used to end Jason, and when he turned to me, something in my chest tightened. There was death all around us, the scent of burnt flesh, Jason's broken body lying lifeless on the floor. But the true danger was the man still standing. X. The Dark Lord. My so-called fated mate. My captor.He stepped toward me with deliberate slowness, the same way a predator might approach wounded prey. My legs wouldn't move. My mind screamed at me to run, but my body refused to listen. His tall frame cast a shadow over me, and when he finally stopped just a breath away, I could feel the power radiating off him. It was oppressive, thick like fog, seeping into my lungs and wrapping around my heart.He reached out and brushed his fingers against my face. I flinched, but he didn’t stop. His touch was surprisingly gentle, but that only made it more terrifying. "Don't be scared," he whispered, his voice almost soothing i
Eileen's POVMy heart clenched at the news. Lina… gone. A part of me had hated her, but this? This was monstrous.“You killed her,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You absorbed her power.” A part of me was tempted by this. I wanted to put an end to what the dark lord was doing, but Jason? He was the last person I could trustJason didn’t even flinch. “It made me strong enough to challenge him.”“You’re just as much a monster as he is!” I hissed.His face hardened. “That’s not true.”“You think I’ll trust you after everything you’ve done? After the lies? The manipulation? You handed me over to him like a damn gift! And now what? You want to kill him and take his place?”Jason’s face contorted with rage. “I did it for us! For me and you! We could’ve ruled together. We still can! I regret letting him have you,
Eileen's POVFrom that day, he changed. He stopped trying to get their attention. He gave up on family, on affection. And most of all, he gave up on her. If she was going to be the goddess, then fine. Let her shine. He would become her shadow."While she trained with our father, I was cast aside. They thought I was nothing," he said, rising to his feet, his voice nos cold. . "But I had power. Deep, raw power they never noticed. I fed it with every rejection, every slap, every moment of loneliness."He began to learn in secret. Magic. Control. Darkness."And I watched. Oh, I watched," he said, stepping closer to me. "I saw her become the Moon Goddess, beloved by all. While I rotted in the shadows. Forgotten."My chest was tight. My heart thudded painfully as I looked at him.There was grief in his voice, heartbreak that spanned lifetimes. This wasn't just a villain. He was a boy who had been broken so thoroughly, so cruelly, that he had remade himself into a monster.The room was silen
Eileen's POVFlashback continues.."What's going on here"Still dazed, barely conscious, he turned his head to the side. Through blurred vision, he saw his father charging through the grass—but not toward him. No. His father dropped to his knees beside his sister, scooping her up as if she were made of glass. There wasn’t even a glance in his direction."Oh heavens, Selene!" His father panicked and carried her out of there. He was too worried about her to even angry at him.He remembered the chill that went down his spine. The realization. He wasn’t the one they were worried about.He tried to call out. A whisper. Nothing came.Minutes passed—long, heavy, silent minutes—and he thought he might die right there. And maybe no one would notice. Leaving him to die seemed like something his father would happily do.Eventually, someone came. A servant. Eyes wide, trembling hands. She gasped when she saw him, bloodied and bent. She carried him back, whispering apologies, as if she knew it was
Eileen's POVI couldn’t move.My heart thudded so loudly in my chest it felt like it might burst through my ribs. My palms were damp, my breath shallow. There he was, the Dark Lord, sitting just a few feet away from me like some ancient nightmare made real. I had heard so many stories about him. And now, I was in the same room with him. I couldn't believe this.He looked... calm. Almost too calm. His dark robes hung loosely around him, the deep fabric barely moving as he stepped closer. The air seemed to chill around him, but it wasn’t just cold, it was power. It wrapped around him like a second skin."Y.. you're him" I squeaked out in shock and he chuckled, making me shiver involuntarily."And you are surprised?" He seemed to be teasing me.“What do you want from me?” I asked, barely recognizing the sound of my own voice. It was smaller than I expected, shaken, almost like a child's.He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, eyes, those sharp, knowing eyes,