Chapter 17: Whispers of the Forgotten

The night felt endless, The shadows curled around Sera's body like they had always belonged to her like she had always belonged to him.

She could still feel Elias's absence, like a hollow wound in her chest, but it was fading, Drowning beneath something darker, something far more consuming.

The Shadow Prince stood behind her, his presence a storm waiting to break, His voice was a whisper against her ear, "Do you regret it?"

She should have said yes, She should have begged for another chance.But when she turned to face him, she felt no fear, No doubt,Only the inevitable

Sera reached for him before she could stop herself, Her fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, needing to feel something real.

His lips hovered over hers, his hands sliding over her waist, and she knew,he had already won,She wasn't his captive, She was his willing ruin.

And God help her, she didn't care, The kiss was brutal, punishing, perfect. A wildfire consuming her piece by piece, until there was nothing left of the girl she used to be, Only this,Only him,Only the darkness.

The air shifted, A cold wind rushed through the open balcony doors, and Sera felt it, a presence, familiar and aching.

Elias,nHe stood in the doorway, his silver eyes filled with something broken,But not just pain, Rage.

She barely had time to react before the room exploded, Power crackled through the air, the walls trembled, and suddenly Elias and the Shadow Prince were at war.

Light against dark,Love against fate, And Sera,caught between them, Elias's voice was raw, shaking "You don't have to do this, Sera."

But she knew the truth now, It had never been a choice, She was born for the darkness, Born for him.

And when she finally spoke, her words sealed her fate,"I already did."The light shattered,The shadows closed in.

And the last whisper of the girl she used to be…vanished.