Eros struggled against his chains, horror twisting his expression as he watched the transformation.
"Liliana!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "Stop fighting it... please! You'll lose yourself!"
She tried to answer, but her voice was drowned by the sound of energy crackling around her. The thorns piercing her body pulsed in rhythm with her fading heartbeat, drawing out what remained of her essence. Her wings, once faint and fragile, burst open in a flurry of black and crimson light. Feathers scattered like dying embers.
The woman on the throne watched in silent delight. Her laughter echoed faintly, low and melodic.
"How beautiful," she murmured. "The dormant goddess finally awakens."
Liliana's eyes widened in terror. The markings on her arms began to glow, ancient sigils of the demon lineage she had tried to bury for so long. She could feel something clawing inside her, trying to surface, something dark, divine, and utterly destructive.
