Bella released her grip.
Just slightly.
Lilia's smirk widened.
"See?"
Her voice was low, smooth, taunting.
"You'll never be able to do it. Not really."
Bella's jaw tightened.
Because Lilia was right.
She had killed her once.
But she hadn't erased her.
Hadn't ended her.
Because Lilia had never been the real enemy.
She had been the beginning.
The warning.
The proof that Bella had never been meant to survive.
Because this war?
It had started long before the Hollow One.
Long before Bella had left White Moon.
And now?
Now it was finally reaching its end.
"You can run, Bella."
Lilia's voice was mocking.
"You can pretend you've escaped me. But we both know the truth."
Bella's breath shook.
"And what's that?"
Lilia's golden eyes burned.
"You and I were always going to end up here."
Her lips curled.
"Only one of us gets to walk away."
Bella exhaled slowly.
And for the first time—
She believed her.
Because this wasn't a new war.
This was the final battle.
The last war she had left to fight.
The war against herself.
And she wasn't sure if she was going to win.