CHAPTER 6:The Flames Of The Past

Chapter: The Flames of the Past

Ari's breathing was heavy, his muscles sore from the relentless training. It had been days since he had completed the last task Selene had given him. But even now, he couldn't shake the feeling that something deep within him had shifted. He wasn't just a survivor anymore—he was a fighter, someone who had learned from the best.

Selene stood nearby, watching him. Her gaze was steady, unwavering, and though she showed no outward emotion, Ari knew her well enough by now to sense the pride in her eyes. Her presence had been a constant since that night, that terrible night when everything changed.

Ari wiped the sweat from his brow, pushing the memory back. It was too painful, too raw. Yet, as always, it crept up on him when he least expected it—the memory of the fire.

The night of destruction had been a blur of flames, smoke, and chaos. The organization that had controlled his life for so long was crumbling before him. Selene was swift—moving through the halls like a ghost, taking down anyone who stood in her way. He remembered the stench of burning flesh, the crackle of fire that consumed everything, leaving nothing but ruin in its wake.

Amid the destruction, Selene had found him—bloodied, barely conscious—but still alive. The same could not be said for the others. The walls of the building were collapsing, and Ari had been left amidst the wreckage, unable to move.

"Come on, kid, stay with me," Selene had said, her voice hoarse from the smoke. She hadn't given up on him. Her arms had wrapped around him, pulling him to safety.

"Where's Lilith?" Ari had asked weakly, his eyes searching the flames. "Where's my sister?"

Selene's expression darkened. She had been scanning the wreckage too, her heart racing. But she didn't find the sister the kid mentioned. To Selene, the girl had probably died, and it was all her fault

"Focus, kid," Selene said, her voice fierce. "We need to get out of here. We need to survive."

Ari's grip on her tightened. "No! I can't leave without her. Lilith is strong. She's always protected me. She can't be dead!"

Selene's heart twisted at the sight of his desperate face. "Your sister is strong, but right now, you need to focus on surviving. You'll be stronger if you stay alive, understand?"

But Ari wasn't listening. His eyes searched through the flames, looking for his twin sister.

"Please, Selene," he pleaded, his voice breaking. "I know she's out there. She has to be."

Selene hesitated, guilt gnawing at her insides. She had no choice but to pull Ari away. Apply pressure on the wound. It's not bad so you will be fine.

"I'll go look for her," she said, the words like acid in her mouth. "But we need to leave, now."

Ari's small face lit up with hope. "You'll find her, won't you?"

"I'll find her," she lied, as if saying the words could make them true.

She couldn't promise him anything. Not when the wreckage had swallowed everything whole. She searched for Lilith for hours, moving through the charred remains of the building, but there was no sign of her. Not a trace. Not even a body.

Back in the present, Ari's voice pulled Selene from her thoughts. His tone was filled with quiet determination, a fierce strength she hadn't seen in him before.

"She's alive, Selene. I know she is. Mia is out there, waiting for me."

Selene's heart clenched at his words. He had grown so much since that night—too much. And now, with that same unyielding belief, Ari was carrying the burden of a future that had been torn apart. 

"You're still a child, Ari," Selene said softly, trying to hold onto some sense of humor. "You should be thinking about things kids your age care about—like playing with toys don't worry too much, you will find her.

Ari's eyes were hard with resolve. "I'm not a child anymore, Selene. I'm strong enough to find Lilith. I'll protect her. I have to."

The words hit Selene like a punch to the gut. He had always looked to Lilith for protection, and now he was trying to be the one who would protect her. It tore at Selene's heart to see him take on that burden, knowing that in her efforts to save him, she had created the very pain he was now carrying.

Selene bent slightly, her gaze softening as she watched Ari. "You're still a kid, no matter how strong you think you are," she said gently. "And you'll always be my responsibility."

Ari shook his head, his voice full of quiet defiance. "I won't stop until I find her. I'll make sure nothing happens to her. She always protected me before. Now it's my turn."

Selene took a deep breath, the weight of her own guilt pressing down on her chest. She had separated them. She had forced Ari to grow up too soon, and in doing so, she had torn them apart. Mia's fate was still a mystery, one Selene could not answer.

But Ari was right. He wouldn't stop looking for her.

"Alright," Selene said with a sigh, her voice a little softer now. "I'll help you find her. But you're still too young to carry this burden alone, we will find her, together."

Ari nodded; his eyes filled with an unwavering determination

And Selene? She would stand by him, no matter the cost.

Together, they would search for Lilith. Together, they would make sure she wasn't forgotten.

Chapter Title: Lilith

It started with footsteps—bare, small, slapping against cold stone. Then, heat. That unbearable heat. It wrapped around her like a noose.

The shadows swayed in the firelight, monstrous and tall.

And then she saw him.

Ari.

Her twin. Her mirror. Her heart.

He stood at the edge of the blaze, his little frame wobbly, his body bruised and battered. One of his eyes was swollen shut. His lip was split. He looked so—small. Like a doll someone had thrown away.

"Lilith!"

Her name. Not Mia. Not the label they'd stamped on her at the orphanage. He called her by her real name. The name from before the cages and the needles and the white coats. Lilith Vale.

Her legs wouldn't move. Her feet felt cemented to the ground.

"Ari!" she screamed, her voice cracking.

Behind him, a figure stepped into view. Smooth. Silent. Unrelenting.

Selene.

Not the soft maid who folded Mia's blankets and watched her with quiet concern. Not the woman who wiped her hands after meals.

This Selene wore black from head to toe. Her face was cold. Her gaze, pitiless.

Without a word, she shoved Ari forward.

Mia screamed again.

He stumbled. His foot caught on broken rubble. Fire licked closer.

His arms flailed as he turned, reaching for her with desperate hands.

"Lilith! Please—!"

The flames flared. They kissed his skin. His scream was shrill. Childlike. Human.

She clawed at the air, lungs burning. "NO!"

"Lilith!"

Then he fell. The fire swallowed him.

Mia awoke with a strangled gasp.

Her body shot upright, chest heaving, fists twisted in the sheets.

The room was dark, quiet. Too quiet. The silence roared in her ears. Her breath rasped in the stillness, shallow and fast.

She was drenched in sweat. But her cheeks… they felt cold. Wet.

She touched them, fingers brushing across damp skin.

Tears.

She stared at her hand, confused. The moisture shimmered against her skin like it belonged to someone else.

Had she been crying?

She blinked. Another tear slid down, curling past her chin. It touched her lips. She tasted it.

Salty.

She hadn't tasted her own tears in a long time. Not since the cages.

Not since Ari.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Her fault.

That woman. Selene. That monster in disguise. Mia's face twisted.

Her lips trembled, but her eyes narrowed with venom.

"I'll kill you," she whispered.

The words dripped out like poison, slow and bitter.

"I'll murder you."

It was a promise.

She felt a soft warmth on her hand.

Mia flinched.

She hadn't noticed it there. When did it appear? Why hadn't she felt it?

But now it was so familiar… almost comforting. She turned.

Selene, the maid.

She sat beside her bed, silent. Her long lashes lowered slightly, her hands gentle over Mia's, her presence so still it almost felt unreal.

Her gaze met Mia's—steady, soft, and full of worry.

Mia stared at her, confused.

It wasn't that Selene. Not the one from her dream. Not the assassin cloaked in fire and blood.

This one looked… human.

Mia wanted to scream at her, to push her away, to accuse her. To blame her.

But her lips didn't move.

Her chest trembled.

The weight inside her grew too heavy, the dam too cracked.

Then it broke.

With a strangled cry, Mia lurched forward and threw herself into Selene's arms.

She didn't plan it.

She didn't even think it.

Her body just moved, like her soul had been waiting for this moment to collapse.

Tears burst forth like a broken floodgate.

Ugly, raw, shaking sobs.

She buried her face in Selene's shoulder, small fists clutching the fabric of her dress like a drowning child holding onto driftwood.

Selene stiffened for only a second.

Then she moved.

Her arms folded around Mia, drawing her in—tight, protective.

She didn't speak.

She didn't ask questions.

She just held her.

Mia cried like she had never cried before. Not as a trained child-soldier. Not as an orphan. But as a little girl whose world had shattered.

Selene's fingers moved through her hair, slow and patient, as if combing through the chaos in Mia's soul.

Her own eyes brimmed. She bit her lip to keep her composure.

Mia had been holding this in for far too long.

For a child to speak of murder with such clarity… to carry that weight…

It tore Selene apart.

And yet, she said nothing.

No comfort. No "you're safe now." That would be a lie. Mia wasn't the kind of girl you lied to.

So Selene stayed, through every sob, through every gasp.

And when the tears quieted, when Mia finally slumped in her arms and her tiny fingers went slack, she still stayed.

Mia fell asleep in her embrace, her breathing uneven, her cheeks wet and warm against Selene's chest, her eye red and swollen.

Selene didn't leave her side.

She didn't return to her room.

She didn't write a report.

She wouldn't tell Ken.

Not about the nightmare.

Not about the rage.

Not about the broken, terrifying truth hidden in Mia's tears. This was sacred.