The first blow struck Stella Peterson across the face, sending her crashing to the marble floor.
Pain exploded in her cheek, but she barely had time to register it before a heavy boot pressed against her chest, pinning her down.
She gasped for air.
Above her stood Zina, her stepmother, draped in a crimson gown, her lips curling in satisfaction. Behind her, Stella's father, Lord Reginald Peterson, watched in silence, his hands trembling but his face void of emotion.
The torches lining the grand hall flickered, their glow casting eerie shadows.
"You are no longer welcome in this house," Zina said, her voice as smooth as poison. Your father has signed the decree. You are to be banished, effective immediately.
Stella's blood ran cold.
No. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.
She looked up at her father, her heart hammering. "Father, please! You know I've done nothing wrong!"
Reginald's eyes met hers, and for a fleeting moment, she saw something, regrets, perhaps. But then he looked away.
"It is done," he mumbled.
The guards seized her by the arms.
Panic surged through Stella like wildfire.
She kicked, thrashed, screamed, but it was useless. They dragged her through the halls she had once called home, past servants who refused to meet her gaze, past the portraits of her ancestors whose legacy was now lost to her.
When the front doors swung open, a gust of cold night air hit her face. The guards threw her onto the cobblestone steps like she was nothing more than a stray animal.
The gates groaned shut behind her.
For a long moment, Stella just lay there, feeling the weight of everything that had just happened.
Her inheritance is gone.
Her home gone.
Her father lost her forever.
She gritted her teeth.
Why? What had she done to deserve this?
And then she understood.
Zina.
The wicked woman had planned this all along.
A slow rage burned in Stella's chest.
She wiped the blood from her lips and pushed herself to her feet.
If they thought she would disappear quietly, they were wrong.
She would return. She would take back what was hers. And when she did… Zina would pay.
Stella wandered through the slums of Dandelia, her stomach gnawing with hunger, her body trembling from exhaustion.
She had been reduced to nothing. No family. No food. No allies.
She leaned against a crumbling wall, breathing heavily. How long could she survive like this?
Then she felt it.
A presence.
Someone was watching her.
Slowly, she turned.
A woman stood in the shadows, cloaked in black, her silver eyes glowing in the dim moonlight.
"You seek vengeance," the woman said, her voice smooth as silk.
Stella's pulse quickened. "Who are you?"
The woman stepped forward, her presence both alluring and terrifying. "I am Helene. And I know what was taken from you."
Stella's fingers curled into fists. "Then you know I won't stop until I get it back."
A smile tugged at Helene's lips. "Good. Because I can give you what you need to destroy those who betrayed you."
Stella's breath caught.
Was this real? Or was it a trick?
Helene extended a hand. "Come with me, child. Let me show you your true power."
Stella hesitated.
Was this the answer she had been waiting for? Or was she walking into something far more dangerous?
She took a deep breath.
Then, without looking back, she took Helene's hand.
And sealed her fate.
Helene's lair was hidden beneath the ruins of an ancient temple, where forgotten magic still pulsed in the air.
Candles flickered around them as Helene traced symbols onto the stone floor.
"Power does not come freely," Helene murmured. "Are you willing to pay the price?"
Stella stared into the surrounding darkness, feeling it whisper in her ears.
"What price?" she asked.
Helene smiled. "Vengeance will cost you your soul. Do you still want it?"
Stella's heart pounded.
If she said yes, there was no turning back.
But if she said no… she would remain weak.
She thought of Zina's cruel smile. The guards had dragged her away. The father had turned his back on her.
She lifted her chin.
"I want it," she said. "No matter the cost."
Helene's smile widened.
"Then let the transformation begin."
Darkness swallowed her whole.
Who Can Relate?
- Why did Lord Peterson abandon his daughter? Was he truly under Zina's control, or was there another reason?
- Can Stella trust Helene, or has she made a deal that will destroy her?
- What kind of power will Stella receive, and will she be able to control it?
- What is Helene's true motive?
- How will Stella's revenge begin, and who will stand in her way?