Some secrets are buried in blood.
Others… in the soul.
It began with the scent of lavender.
Soft. Sweet. Unsettling.
Ava had just finished her meditation in the garden, the runes still glowing faintly on her palms, when the wind shifted. A chill danced over her skin, and the world seemed to hush.
Then she saw her at the edge of the trees.
A woman in a dark veil, standing motionless among the shadows. Her gown shimmered like moonlight on still water. No footsteps. No sound. Just presence.
Ava rose slowly, her pulse spiking.
"Maya," she called over her shoulder, but Maya didn't answer.
She turned back.
The woman was gone.
Later That Night
The dreams were different now.
No longer just memories… but invasions.
She stood in an endless hallway of mirrors. Each one showed her a different version of herself Isabella in gold, Ava in shadows, a girl with burning eyes and a twisted smile.
And in the final mirror… stood the woman in the veil.
"You don't remember me," she said. "But I remember every time you chose power over people."
Ava tried to speak. Her throat burned.
"You sealed me away when you feared what you were becoming. I was the first to suffer for your magic."
"Who are you?" Ava rasped.
The woman lifted her veil slowly.
Her face was Ava's. Older. Wiser. Colder.
"I'm who you could've been if Vincent hadn't found you first."
Present
Ava woke screaming.
Liam rushed into the room, but she pushed him away. She stumbled to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes were glowing faintly.
Something was waking up inside her.
She reached for the rune on her wrist and it pulsed beneath her skin, like it was trying to break free.
The Warning
Maya came rushing in moments later, but before Ava could speak, something boomed outside.
They ran to the porch.
At the edge of the property stood a symbol carved into the earth itself.
Three overlapping circles. A flame. A bleeding heart in the center.
Maya went pale. "That's not just magic. That's a blood seal. Someone's marked this land."
"Vincent?" Ava asked.
Maya shook her head. "No. This is older. Deeper."
A gust of wind blew through the trees. The scent of lavender returned.
And from the woods, a soft voice whispered:
"Time's running out, Ava. When the seal breaks… choose wisely who you burn."
Back Inside
Ava stared at the sigil from the window, heart pounding.
"What if I'm not supposed to stop him?" she whispered. "What if all of this… is punishment for what Isabella did?"
Liam took her hand.
"You're not her."
"I am," Ava said softly. "And I'm not. But her choices my choices they're all coming back now. Every mistake. Every death. And if I don't control it…"
Liam nodded slowly. "Then let's make sure you do."
One last memory surfaced that night.
A dark chamber. Candles flickering.
Vincent standing over a tied-down girl with silver eyes Ava's sister.
And behind him…
The veiled woman.
Watching silently.
Not an enemy.
Not a stranger.
But a creation.
A piece of Isabella's soul, torn off and given form to protect the final seal.
She wasn't haunting Ava.
She was guarding her.