The air inside Helene's lair was thick with the scent of burning herbs and something far darker power, raw and untamed.
Stella stood in the center of a ritual circle, her body trembling as shadows slithered around her feet. They curled up her legs, wrapped around her arms, and seeped into her skin like ink sinking into parchment.
Pain ripped through her body.
She gritted her teeth, refusing to scream.
"Do not resist," Helene's voice was calm, almost hypnotic. "Power must be welcomed, not feared."
Stella gasped as the darkness surged through her, sinking into her bones. Her vision blurred and then sharpened. Her hearing stretched beyond the chamber walls, picking up the faintest whispers in the wind. Her heartbeat slowed, steady and strong, like she had become something… more.
The shadows receded, leaving her breathless but changed.
Stella looked down at her hands. They no longer shook. Instead, a faint black marking coiled around her wrists, glowing like molten silver.
Helene watched her with a knowing smile. "You feel it now, don't you?"
Stella's chest rose and fell in rapid succession. She did feel a new strength humming beneath her skin, coiling in her veins like a predator waiting to strike.
She clenched her fists.
"I'm ready."
Helene arched an eyebrow. "Ready for what?"
"To destroy Zina." Stella's voice was steady. Unbreakable.
Helene chuckled; the sound as dark as the power she wielded. "Not yet, child. Power alone is not enough. You must learn to wield it. And for that…"
She gestured toward the stone doors at the far end of the chamber.
"You must pass the first trial."
Trial?
Stella turned toward the doors, her muscles tensing. The torches along the walls flickered, casting eerie shadows on the stone.
"What's behind them?" she asked cautiously.
Helene's eyes gleamed.
"Death."
The doors groaned as they swung open. A gust of icy wind hit Stella, carrying the scent of damp earth and some metallic blood.
Beyond the threshold was a pit, deep and endless, the bottom hidden by swirling mist. Suspended in the center, hanging by chains, was a man.
His clothes were tattered, his body bruised and bleeding. He lifted his head weakly, his eyes barely able to focus on her.
Stella's stomach twisted.
"Who is he?"
Helene stepped beside her, her voice smooth and impassive. "A murderer. A traitor to the kingdom. His crimes are many."
The chains rattled as the man struggled. "P... please…" His voice was hoarse. "I was framed… I swear it…"
Stella swallowed.
Helene's words had been simple, but their meaning was clear.
This was the trial.
The power pulsing inside her… the strength she had been given… this was the test to see if she was truly ready for vengeance.
Stella's hands trembled.
She had imagined crushing Zina beneath her heel, watching her scream for mercy. She had imagined power, revenge, and justice.
But now, faced with the reality of taking a life, she hesitated.
Was she truly ready to become something darker?
The man coughed, his body convulsing. "Please…"
Helene's voice was sharp as a blade.
"If you cannot kill him, you will never defeat Zina. Your enemies will not hesitate to destroy you. Can you say the same?"
Stella's chest tightened.
That was it. Her choice.
Would she take the final step into the darkness?
Or was she still just a helpless girl, clinging to a past that had already been stolen?
She lifted her hand. Shadows coiled around her fingers.
And then she struck.
The room fell silent.
The chains stopped rattling.
Stella's breath came in short gasps as she stared at the lifeless body before her.
A single, undeniable truth settled in her heart.
She was no longer weak.
And she would never be powerless again.
Who Can Relate?
- Has Stella truly embraced the darkness, or is there still light within her?
-What is Helene's true goal? Is she truly helping Stella, or does she have her plans?
-What is the next trial? And how will it prepare her for the battle ahead?