---
I wanted to move, to protect Lysandra, but my body refused to obey. It was as if the presence of that woman—my mother—had frozen the world in place.
Aldric stepped in front of me and Lysandra, sword drawn. "Don't come any closer."
My mother eyed him with mild amusement. "Ah, the last Valeria guard. Still loyal, even though your bloodline has been severed."
"I don't fight for blood," Aldric replied coldly. "I fight for her."
I rose to my feet, slowly. "Why are you here, Mother?"
"A sweet question, Seraphine." She walked along the edge of the cliff with elegant steps. "But you know the answer. You called me back the moment you touched the pulse of the curse."
I shook my head, still in disbelief. "You... you died. You chose to die."
She chuckled. "I chose to escape. From the mortal body, from all binding rules. But that doesn't mean I stopped watching." Her gaze sharpened. "The curse didn't die with me. Because I am its root."
Lysandra clutched at my robe, trembling. "Seraphine... who is she...?"
I lowered my gaze. "My mother. The former Bloodkeeper. The one who first sealed Valion. But also... the one who forged the blood pact between Valeria and Astoria."
My mother smirked. "At last, you say it. Yes, I created that pact. I bound Valeria's blood to Astoria's—for the power all of you inherited, yet none understood."
Aldric's jaw clenched. "And Valion? He was just a pawn?"
"A pawn too greedy for power." Her expression hardened. "I granted him access—he tried to take control. So I locked him within the blood-soaked earth and faked my own demise."
I stepped forward. "What do you want now?"
She turned to Lysandra. "What was always meant to be mine: the perfect vessel. This girl. She's not only of Valeria's bloodline, but also... holds a shard of Astoria's soul. Didn't you see it?"
I stared at her, stunned. "Astoria... how is that possible?"
"Because I placed her there. I embedded Astoria's legacy within this lineage. So that when the time came... I could be reborn through her."
Lysandra choked back a sob. "No... I don't belong to anyone!"
"Exactly." I stood tall. "She's not Valion's. She's not yours. And she doesn't belong to the curse."
My mother tilted her head. The sky began to crack—like glass splitting. Red light seeped from the fractures above, forming a bloody sigil in the air.
"I will reclaim that body. And if you stand in my way, Seraphine—you will fall with the curse you tried to destroy."
Aldric pulled me back. "We have to leave. Now."
But I shook my head. "We can't keep running."
Lysandra looked between us. "If I really... carry Astoria's legacy, does that mean I can fight her?"
My mother laughed. "No one can fight their creator."
I looked into Lysandra's red-tinged eyes and took her hand. "Astoria didn't create this curse. She was its victim. But if her soul still lives within you, maybe... we can call her."
My mother scoffed. "Delusional nonsense."
But I had already begun. My blood burned—a sign that Elara, my first soul, was stirring.
"Lysandra, close your eyes."
She obeyed.
"Astoria," I whispered, channeling my magic into Lysandra's soul, "if you're there... if you ever loved Valeria... help us. Don't let this cycle repeat."
Lysandra staggered, gasping. Then suddenly—her eyes flew open.
They had changed.
Not burning red, but glowing gold—warm, piercing, like sunlight after a storm.
Even her voice changed—deeper, calmer, scarred and strong.
"...Elara?"
My heart clenched. "Astoria?"
She nodded. "My soul... was never completely destroyed. I hid... inside this girl. Because I knew you would return."
My mother recoiled half a step. "Impossible. I erased you from everything."
"No," Astoria answered from within Lysandra. "You erased my name from the bloodline. But a soul cannot be destroyed by betrayal."
Aldric stared in awe. "What happens now?"
"I don't know," I said softly. "But as long as Astoria exists, we have a chance."
The sky darkened again. My mother began crafting a new symbol—larger, stronger.
"I gave you a chance, Seraphine," she said. "Now I'll bury you all beneath the blood you tried to cleanse."
She hurled her spell toward us, but Astoria raised her hand.
Golden light surged, slicing through the air, slamming into my mother's sigil.
An explosion followed.
The earth split. The forest behind us ignited—red and gold flames clashing.
When the smoke cleared, I saw my mother standing, limping, her left arm scorched black. But her eyes still burned with fury.
"So be it," she hissed. "We will finish this... where it all began."
She snapped her fingers.
The ground beneath us cracked open, and we plummeted into darkness—
The sky vanished.
Astoria's light faded.
And as I opened my eyes, I saw the ancient altar—stained with dry blood—where every curse had first begun.
My mother's voice echoed across the underground chamber.
"Welcome back to the origin of sin, Elara. Your place... will be restored."
---
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. Around me, blood sigils lit up on the cave walls. Lysandra... was unconscious.
Astoria... was gone.
And my mother stepped toward me, blood dagger in hand, eyes gleaming with hunger.
"You will be the final soul in this circle."