Semua Bab His Regret,Her Revenge: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Consciousness returned in fragments. First, the cold. It seeped into my bones, sharp and unrelenting, pressing against my skin from all sides like the fingers of a ghost. I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy, weighted down by something invisible. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright, searing through my lids like tiny needles. Then, the pain. A dull throb at the back of my head, radiating down my neck, spreading through my shoulders like liquid fire. I remembered the impact—the ground rushing up to meet me, the weight pressing down on my back, the breath driven from my lungs. And then the voice. Ymir Fritz. Finally found you. My eyes snapped open. I was in a cage. Iron bars surrounded me on all sides, cold and unyielding, their surfaces rough with rust and age. The floor beneath me was damp and rough, packed earth that smelled of mold and decay and something darker that I didn't want to name. Above me, a single flickering light cast long, dancing shadows acro

The corridor stretched before me, dark and endless, like the throat of some great beast waiting to swallow me whole. Cordelia stood at the end of it, her silhouette framed by the dim light behind her, her arms crossed and her posture radiating the kind of confidence that came from years of absolute control. She didn't move. She didn't speak. She just watched me with that cold, knowing smile that made my skin crawl and my blood run hot. I stood frozen, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat, my hands still trembling from the power I'd just unleashed. The mark on my shoulder was warm, pulsing gently, like it was waiting for me to make a decision that would change everything. "Well?" Cordelia said, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to show me what you're really made of?" I didn't answer. My mind was racing, trying to figure out my next move, trying to calculate the odds of survival if I attacked

The car wound through the dark forest, headlights cutting through the thick blanket of night like blades through silk. I sat in the back seat, Xavier's head resting on my shoulder, his breathing slow and shallow, each breath a struggle that made my heart clench. He'd lost consciousness somewhere along the winding roads, his body finally giving in to the exhaustion and pain he'd been holding back for so long. I held him close, my fingers pressing against the wound on his side. It was deep, the blood still seeping through his torn shirt, staining my hands red. The metallic smell filled the small space, thick and suffocating, mixing with the scent of pine and earth that drifted through the cracked window. "Faster," I said to Iris, my voice tight with fear, cracking at the edges. "He's losing too much blood." "He's lost too much already." Iris's voice was grim, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. "I saw the wound when we pulled him out. It's bad,

Sleep refused to come. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, Cordelia's words echoing in my head like a curse I couldn't shake. The darkness of the room pressed in around me, heavy and suffocating, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face. That cold, knowing smile. The gleam of triumph in her eyes. The prophecy isn't about you rising. It's about you falling. You're not the hero of this story. You're the key to a lock that should never be opened. Everything you've been fighting for was never yours to begin with. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to block out the words, but they wouldn't leave. They had burrowed into my mind like parasites, planting seeds of doubt where there had once been certainty. I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket up to my chin, but the chill in my chest had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. What if she was right? What if everything I'd been fighting for was a lie? What if my mother had hidden more from me than I realize

The key burned in my pocket. I'd felt its warmth all night, constant and steady, like a heartbeat that refused to stop. Every time I shifted in bed, every time I turned, I felt its weight pressing against my thigh, a constant reminder of the choice I'd made. It was heavier than it should have been—like it carried the weight of every Drakos woman who had come before me, their hopes and sacrifices pressing down on my skin. I didn't sleep. How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mother's face. I heard Cordelia's voice. I felt the pull of the seal, calling to me from beneath the sanctuary. Everything I'd learned, everything I'd fought for, everything my parents had sacrificed—it all led to this moment. I was standing on the edge of something vast and unknown, and I had to take the final step. The hours crawled by, each minute stretching into an eternity. I lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing through every possible outcome. What if I wasn't strong enou