Ch 10: Good Bye to a sad end- Part 1

"Leave it to me."

Ethan's voice cut through the tense silence, firm and unwavering. He took a step forward, his sharp eyes locked onto the core glowing dangerously in Selene's grasp.

"The two of you should leave. I'll handle this."

But the twins didn't move.

Noah clenched his jaw, his fists tightening at his sides. 

"Like hell we will."

Nora's usual smirk was gone, replaced by something far more serious. 

"You're not the only one who can handle things, Park. We're not leaving Selene behind."

Their shock had faded. What remained was a determination that burned just as fiercely as the core in Selene's hands.

Selene swallowed hard, her breath uneven as she glanced at them. She felt touched and annoyed at the same time.

"Drop the core, Selene."

Noah's voice was steady, but there was something in his eyes—something pleading.

Selene tightened her grip.

She knew that the second she let go, everything would be over.

"No."

"Selene, stop being reckless. Drop it, and we can—" 

Nora snapped, stepping forward. 

"We can what? Contain it? Look at it!" 

Selene's voice was hoarse, her heart pounding. She lifted her hand slightly, showing the way the core pulsed like a heartbeat. 

"You can't stop this."

"Damn it, Selene! Why are you always like this?!" 

Noah cursed. 

"Why can't you just listen for once?" 

Nora added, her voice sharp with frustration.

Selene didn't flinch. She had long grown used to their insults, their sharp words meant to cut her down.

This time, though, she didn't even feel the sting.

This was beyond them.

The core wasn't going to stay stable for much longer. She could feel it in her bones, in the way it called to her.

So she did the only thing she could do—she ignored them.

She turned toward Ethan instead.

"Ethan, can you deploy a shield? One strong enough to lessen the impact if this thing explodes?" 

She called, gripping the core tighter as she forced her voice to remain steady.

Ethan's sharp gaze flickered toward her.

"...It's possible."

"Then do it."

But he didn't move.

Ethan shook his head, his expression unreadable.

"That won't be necessary. I told you—I'll take care of it."

Selene's lips parted, a retort on the tip of her tongue.

Then—

The core pulsed violently, a shockwave rippling from its surface, forcing Ethan to take a step back.

That was when Selene realized it.

He couldn't get any closer.

The energy radiating from the core—it was too much.

Even for him.

Her stomach dropped.

She had no choice.

If she truly wanted to stop this, if she wanted everyone to make it out alive—

She had to do what the core wanted.

Selene inhaled sharply, her grip steady despite the tremble in her fingers.

With one last look at her siblings, she turned to Ethan.

"Make the right choice."

Ethan's eyes widened.

And before he—or anyone—could stop her,

She lifted the core to her lips and swallowed it whole.

The moment the core slid down her throat, a searing heat exploded within her.

Pain—raw, overwhelming pain—spread through every nerve in her body.

It burned.

Everything burned.

The moment the core slid down her throat, it was as if a thousand fires ignited inside her.

Selene gasped, but the sound barely made it past her lips before her knees buckled.

Her body was breaking.

Or at least, that's what it felt like.

The heat tore through her veins like molten lava, searing her from the inside out. Her bones felt like they were cracking apart only to be rebuilt in the next breath. Her heartbeat was erratic, too fast, too strong—almost like it didn't belong to her anymore.

She barely heard the screams around her.

Noah and Nora were shouting her name, their voices sharp with panic.

"SELENE!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! SPIT IT OUT! SPIT IT OUT RIGHT NOW!"

Ethan—

She saw Ethan move, his hand stretching out as if to reach for her, his face twisted in something she had never seen before—

Fear and Betrayal. Those expressions made his familiar face look twisted and Selene almost wanted to reach out and reassure him that it would be fine.

Then—

BOOM.

The explosion ripped through the dungeon.

A blinding force erupted from where she stood, expanding outward in a violent shockwave.

It was as if a star had collapsed in on itself, only to be reborn in a burst of white-hot energy.

Selene felt nothing and everything all at once.

Her body was weightless, like she had been thrown into an endless abyss. The dungeon walls blurred, the shouts and curses fading into static.

For a moment—just a brief, fleeting moment—she thought this was the end.

Maybe she had made a mistake.

Maybe this was how she died.

But then—

Something shifted.

The fire consuming her didn't destroy her.

It became her.

The pain, the unbearable agony, the overwhelming pressure crushing her lungs—

It all fused into something else.

Something new.

Her body was no longer breaking apart.

It was transforming.

Selene's eyes flew open, glowing an unnatural shade of red.

And at the same time, Ethan's shield snapped into place around her.

The energy from the explosion was caught—contained—before it could spread further.

But inside the barrier, Selene could feel it—

The power.

The raw, pulsating power that had settled inside her chest.

It was alive.

And it was hers. The shield around her was strengthening and she looked at Ethan's shocked and fascinated face.

Noah and Nora were pounding against the shield now, their faces twisted in horror.

"SELENE! DROP THE SHIELD!"

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

But she couldn't move.

She was frozen in place, her mind still struggling to process what had just happened.

She had swallowed the core.

She had felt it consume her.

And yet—

She was still here.

Still alive.

Ethan was staring at her now, his expression unreadable, his hand still raised as his shield held firm.

But she could see it.

The confusion. The frustration.

The betrayal.

Like he knew.

Like he had expected something else to happen—but it hadn't.

Selene clenched her fists, feeling the lingering heat thrumming beneath her skin.

Something had changed.

She just didn't know what yet.

Finally, Ethan spoke.

His voice was quiet, but it cut through everything else.

"What… did… you just do, Selene? That last shield…was not my own. Did you influence my power and force it out? Hahahaha…it seems like I will not get an answer from you….unless I do that…"

Ethan spoke as he walked toward the place where Selene's body had been seconds ago. He kneeled down in front of it before he let out a sigh.

"I guess we will meet soon."