The heavy iron gates of the Council Hall slammed shut behind Ella, leaving the chaos of shocked disciples and screaming elders far behind her.
The echo of Odin's verdict still rang in her ears.
Leah's titles stripped.
Her power locked.
Her reputation burned to ash in front of every living disciple of Asgard.
Kael arrested and sentenced to months of sanitation duty for his years of bullying and abuse.
Ella, the once broken and worthless Oracle Vessel, declared innocent.
Blessed.
Awakened.
A wielder of lost ancient psyche magic.
A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
The first domino had fallen.
The fake saint was bleeding.
And her own rise had only just begun.
[DING!]
[Global Asgard Reputation: Unlocked!]
[Current Standing: From Pariah to Rising Prodigy!]
[All basic training restrictions lifted!]
[Full access to academy resources now granted!]
Ella's smile grew sharper.
Resources.
Power.
Respect.
Everything the original Ella had been denied was now being handed to her.
And she intended to take every last bit of it.
Samuel Voss fell into step beside her, his broad shoulders tense, his dark eyes fixed steadily ahead.
He had not left her side since the council ended.
He had not said a word.
But Ella could feel his gaze on her every few seconds, heavy with curiosity, confusion, and something far more dangerous.
Respect.
Attraction.
A slow, reluctant fascination that terrified him as much as it drew him in.
In the original novel, Samuel had never looked at the old Ella.
Never seen her.
Never cared if she lived or died.
Now, he couldn't look away.
"You should be more careful," he finally said, his voice low and rough, breaking the silence.
Ella glanced at him, one eyebrow arched.
"Careful about what?"
"About pushing Leah too far," he answered.
"She may be stripped of her title, but she still has allies. Powerful ones. She will not stay down quietly. She will come for you. She will burn everything to get revenge."
Ella laughed, a low, mocking sound that made Samuel's breath catch.
"Let her come."
"I have been waiting for someone to fight back."
"I have been waiting for the real game to start."
Samuel stared at her, his jaw tight.
He had never known anyone like her.
Fearless.Unbroken.Unapologetic.
She was nothing like the weak, trembling vessel he had always ignored.
She was everything Leah pretended to be.
And he was starting to realize, with a cold and sinking clarity, that he had been loyal to the wrong woman his entire life.
"You are different," he said quietly, almost to himself.
Ella smirked.
"Different is better than dead, Samuel."
"Remember that."
Before he could reply, a young, robed messenger sprinted toward them, bowing deeply as he skidded to a halt.
"Lady Ella! Lord Odin sends his regards! He has granted you immediate, unrestricted access to the Forbidden Library, as promised in your quest reward!"
Ella's eyes lit up.
The Forbidden Library.
The most secure, most secret, most heavily guarded section of Asgard's entire collection.
Scrolls and tomes dating back thousands of years.
Spells long lost to time.
Secrets about the Oracles, the Nether Realm, and the true origin of the Chosen One title.
Secrets that could destroy Leah completely.
Secrets that could make Ella unstoppable.
"Lead the way," Ella said, her voice sharp with excitement.
The messenger bowed again and turned, hurrying toward the towering spire of the library.
Samuel moved to follow her without hesitation.
Ella glanced over her shoulder.
"Aren't you supposed to guard the disgraced Chosen One?" she teased.
Samuel's expression darkened.
"My duty is to Asgard," he said. "Not to a liar."
The words were final.
Irreversible.
His loyalty to Leah was dead.
And his new, dangerous focus on Ella had only just begun.
The Forbidden Library's doors were carved from black oak and warded with layers upon layers of ancient magic.
The second Ella stepped close, the runes covering the doors flared to life, glowing silver in response to her psyche power.
The doors rumbled and swung open on their own, as if welcoming home a long-lost heir.
The messenger paled and stepped back.
"No one has ever triggered the wards like that! Not even Lord Odin himself!"
Ella smiled and stepped inside, Samuel close on her heels.
The air inside was thick with the smell of old paper, dried ink, and dormant magic.
Towers of books, scrolls, and glowing stone tablets stretched toward a domed ceiling far above.
Every wall was lined with knowledge that could reshape the fate of the realms.
This was power.
Real power.
Not the fake, stolen light Leah had wielded for years.
[DING!]
[Forbidden Library Access: Confirmed!]
[Psyche Synergy detected with ancient texts!]
[Auto-scanning for high-value knowledge…]
[Match found: The Lost Oracles and the Birth of Psyche Magic]
[Match found: The False Chosen One and the Pact with Nether]
[Match found: Dragon Pact Rituals: Bonding the Ancient Beasts]
Ella's pulse quickened.
Dragon pact rituals.
The exact power that would carry her past the limits of every mage in Asgard.
The exact power that would let her crush Leah and her remaining allies without mercy.
She walked toward the first glowing tome, her fingers brushing the ancient leather cover.
The second her skin touched the book, energy exploded through her.
Memories flooded her mind.
Images of old Oracles wielding psyche power that could bend reality itself.
Visions of a fake Chosen One being chosen not by the gods, but by dark forces in the Nether Realm.
Whispers of a ritual that could bind a dragon's soul to a mortal's, making them unstoppable.
Leah had been given her power by a dark pact.
Ella was born for something far greater.
"So it's all true," she muttered to herself, a wild, excited grin spreading across her face.
Samuel stared at her, entranced by the silver light glowing around her fingers, by the fire in her eyes.
He had never seen anyone look so alive.
So powerful.
So undeniably meant to rule.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice low and hungry for answers.
Ella turned to him, the grin still on her face, her eyes glowing with faint, silver fire.
"It's the end of Leah's lies," she said.
"And the beginning of my reign."
She reached for the next tome, the one detailing the dragon pact.
She would not waste a single second.
She would grow stronger.
She would learn every secret.
She would find her dragon.
She would burn every last chain that had ever held her down.
Leah may be down, but she was not out.
Her allies would come.
Her dark masters would send help.
The real war was only just beginning.
But Ella was no longer the scared, broken vessel waiting to be sacrificed.
She was the awakening Oracle.
The wielder of old power.
The woman who would rewrite fate itself.
[DING!]
[Ancient Knowledge Absorbed: 12% Complete!]
[Psyche Power Level Increased!]
[Mana Conversion Rate Boosted Permanently!]
[New Quest Activated: The Dragon's Call]
[Objective: Locate the hidden dragon's spire beyond Asgard's borders.]
[Objective: Survive the dragon's trial.]
[Objective: Forge an unbreakable pact.]
[Reward: Mythic-Rank Dragon Companion! Massive Permanent Stat Boosts! Full Psyche Mastery Unlocked!]
Ella closed her eyes, breathing in the magic of the library, feeling power she had never dreamed possible thrumming in her veins.
Outside, the sun set on a changed Asgard.
A fake saint plotted her revenge.
A disillusioned hero swore his new allegiance.
And a once-broken vessel prepared to claim the power of dragons.
The next chapter would be written in fire.
And Ella intended to be the one holding the flame.