The wind outside roared like a restless sea, lashing against the high tower of the palace where Liana stood. The sky was bruised purple, clouds swirling like they carried secrets meant to stay hidden. Her reflection in the tall glass window looked more like a stranger's than her own. Pale skin. Eyes that glowed faintly when the light dimmed.
It wasn't human anymore.
And she knew it.
"Liana," Han Jian's voice broke through her thoughts. Calm, steady, yet trembling just enough to betray the storm beneath. "You've been avoiding me since the night of the mark."
She didn't turn around. "Avoiding you? Maybe I'm just trying to understand who I've become."
"You're still you," he said, stepping closer. His hand hovered just behind her shoulder but didn't touch. "Even if something ancient lives inside you… it's still your heart that I—"
"Don't," she cut him off, spinning around. Her eyes flashed gold, startling him. "You can't say that, Han Jian. Not when you don't even know which heart it really is—mine or Amara's."
The silence that followed was unbearable. The name Amara still burned like a wound between them.
Han Jian clenched his fists. "If she was your past, then I'll fight her ghost too. I don't care who she was. You're the one standing here."
Liana's lips trembled. "And what if she's not just a ghost? What if she's waking up?"
---
Far across the palace grounds, Kael stood on a high balcony, his black cloak thrashing in the wind. The mark on his neck burned faintly, pulsing in rhythm with hers. Every time she denied him, the magic fought back — binding them tighter.
He whispered under his breath, "She's losing the boundary. The seal's cracking faster than I expected…"
A shadow moved beside him — Ronan, his most trusted aide, a man whose loyalty was carved in scars.
"My Lord, if Amara awakens completely—"
"She won't," Kael cut in sharply. "Not yet. The bond isn't strong enough."
"But the girl—Liana—she's human. Her body can't handle the full awakening."
Kael's eyes softened, just for a heartbeat. "That's why I have to stay close. If Han Jian gets too near her, it'll trigger the curse."
Ronan's jaw tensed. "You mean it'll kill her."
Kael didn't answer.
---
Meanwhile, in the quiet of her chamber, Liana's body trembled as strange flashes pierced her mind. Visions — golden halls, blood-red skies, and a woman standing before an altar, her hair flowing like fire.
Amara.
The word itself echoed inside her chest.
She could feel her — see her — whispering.
> You promised me once. You promised to finish what I started.
Liana gasped, clutching her head. "No… no, I'm not you!"
> You are me.
Suddenly, a mirror cracked across her reflection, splitting her face in two.
One half — Liana's innocent fear.
The other — Amara's cruel, knowing smile.
And in that reflection, Amara whispered again:
> When the time comes, only one of us will survive.
---
Han Jian burst into the room moments later, drawn by the sudden magic surge. He froze at the sight before him — Liana on her knees, surrounded by faint golden light.
"Liana!" He rushed forward, but the air around her shimmered like heat. A barrier.
He slammed his hand against it, shouting, "Fight it! You're stronger than her!"
Her voice was barely a whisper. "You don't understand… it's not about strength. It's about fate."
Then, a second voice — deeper, ancient, layered beneath hers — spoke through her lips:
> "Fate isn't kind, mortal. It never was."
Han Jian staggered back. "Amara?"
Liana's eyes opened, glowing pure gold. "You took what was mine once. This time, no one will."
Before he could answer, a cold wind filled the room, and Kael appeared in the doorway, his presence cutting through the chaos like a blade. His aura crackled with restrained power.
"Step away from her," Kael ordered, voice low and dangerous.
Han Jian's hand went to his sword. "You think I'll let you control her again?"
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "Control? No. Protect. Because if she breaks now, this world burns."
For a brief moment, the two men — rivals, protectors, and something more — stood at opposite ends of the same storm, both staring at the same woman… and neither realizing that the real enemy was already inside her.
---
The wind outside roared like a restless sea, lashing against the high tower of the palace where Liana stood. The sky was bruised purple, clouds swirling like they carried secrets meant to stay hidden. Her reflection in the tall glass window looked more like a stranger's than her own. Pale skin. Eyes that glowed faintly when the light dimmed.
It wasn't human anymore.
And she knew it.
"Liana," Han Jian's voice broke through her thoughts. Calm, steady, yet trembling just enough to betray the storm beneath. "You've been avoiding me since the night of the mark."
She didn't turn around. "Avoiding you? Maybe I'm just trying to understand who I've become."
"You're still you," he said, stepping closer. His hand hovered just behind her shoulder but didn't touch. "Even if something ancient lives inside you… it's still your heart that I—"
"Don't," she cut him off, spinning around. Her eyes flashed gold, startling him. "You can't say that, Han Jian. Not when you don't even know which heart it really is—mine or Amara's."
The silence that followed was unbearable. The name Amara still burned like a wound between them.
Han Jian clenched his fists. "If she was your past, then I'll fight her ghost too. I don't care who she was. You're the one standing here."
Liana's lips trembled. "And what if she's not just a ghost? What if she's waking up?"
---
Far across the palace grounds, Kael stood on a high balcony, his black cloak thrashing in the wind. The mark on his neck burned faintly, pulsing in rhythm with hers. Every time she denied him, the magic fought back — binding them tighter.
He whispered under his breath, "She's losing the boundary. The seal's cracking faster than I expected…"
A shadow moved beside him — Ronan, his most trusted aide, a man whose loyalty was carved in scars.
"My Lord, if Amara awakens completely—"
"She won't," Kael cut in sharply. "Not yet. The bond isn't strong enough."
"But the girl—Liana—she's human. Her body can't handle the full awakening."
Kael's eyes softened, just for a heartbeat. "That's why I have to stay close. If Han Jian gets too near her, it'll trigger the curse."
Ronan's jaw tensed. "You mean it'll kill her."
Kael didn't answer.
---
Meanwhile, in the quiet of her chamber, Liana's body trembled as strange flashes pierced her mind. Visions — golden halls, blood-red skies, and a woman standing before an altar, her hair flowing like fire.
Amara.
The word itself echoed inside her chest.
She could feel her — see her — whispering.
> You promised me once. You promised to finish what I started.
Liana gasped, clutching her head. "No… no, I'm not you!"
> You are me.
Suddenly, a mirror cracked across her reflection, splitting her face in two.
One half — Liana's innocent fear.
The other — Amara's cruel, knowing smile.
And in that reflection, Amara whispered again:
> When the time comes, only one of us will survive.
---
Han Jian burst into the room moments later, drawn by the sudden magic surge. He froze at the sight before him — Liana on her knees, surrounded by faint golden light.
"Liana!" He rushed forward, but the air around her shimmered like heat. A barrier.
He slammed his hand against it, shouting, "Fight it! You're stronger than her!"
Her voice was barely a whisper. "You don't understand… it's not about strength. It's about fate."
Then, a second voice — deeper, ancient, layered beneath hers — spoke through her lips:
> "Fate isn't kind, mortal. It never was."
Han Jian staggered back. "Amara?"
Liana's eyes opened, glowing pure gold. "You took what was mine once. This time, no one will."
Before he could answer, a cold wind filled the room, and Kael appeared in the doorway, his presence cutting through the chaos like a blade. His aura crackled with restrained power.
"Step away from her," Kael ordered, voice low and dangerous.
Han Jian's hand went to his sword. "You think I'll let you control her again?"
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "Control? No. Protect. Because if she breaks now, this world burns."
For a brief moment, the two men — rivals, protectors, and something more — stood at opposite ends of the same storm, both staring at the same woman… and neither realizing that the real enemy was already inside her.
---
❓️❓️❓️❓️
If Amara's soul is truly awakening inside Liana,
then when Kael says he wants to "protect" her — is he protecting Liana from Amara,
or Amara from the world she once tried to destroy?