Elira was a beautiful and talented girl, with chestnut brown hair and striking green eyes. Despite her small frame, she trained with a sword and bore the heavy title of heir to the Duchy of Varneth.
On a foggy morning in the duchy, Elira stood by the window of one of the highest towers of the palace, her gaze fixed on the soldiers training below. The clash of steel echoed through the silent dawn.
"I have a feeling Father is planning something," she murmured.
Just then, her younger sister Mireya knocked on the door and stepped inside.
Mireya: "Elira, aren't you coming to breakfast? Father was asking about you."
Elira: "I'll be down in a minute. Go ahead, Mireya."
Mireya nodded and quietly left the room.
Mireya was twelve, with golden hair and vivid green eyes — the only sibling Elira had. She was like a shadow, always trailing behind her.
Elira took a deep breath and walked to the door. As she made her way through the stone corridors of the palace, distant voices caught her attention. They were coming from her father's study. She crept closer and listened through the slightly open door. Only the tail end of a sentence reached her ears.
Lucien Virell: "She's a threat to us."
Duke Roderic: "I know Elira is a significant obstacle. But she is the rightful heir to this duchy."
Lucien Virell: "Mireya could be heir, too. And in exchange for what I offer, she's a small price to pay."
Elira showed no reaction.
("Not surprised. That man would sell his own kin for a handful of coins.")
("They'll likely attempt something tonight. I'll leave at dawn.")
Acting as if she had heard nothing, Elira descended to the dining hall for breakfast. Duke Roderic was already there. The silence in the room was suffocating. Elira didn't need to hear his reply to Lucien — she could read it in his eyes. Bloodshot from anxiety. Hands trembling.
("So, it begins tonight.")
Elira was the first to leave the table. She remained in her room the rest of the day. By the time she came down for dinner, only Mireya was present.
Elira: "Where are Mother and Father?"
Mireya: "A very important guest arrived. They're with him now."
("A guest? Ha. They're probably out hiring the man who's going to kill me.")
Elira: "An important guest, huh? Who is it?"
Mireya: "Father said we'll meet him tomorrow morning. I don't know either."
("That is, if I live to see the morning.")
After dinner, Elira quietly returned to her room. Midnight came — and just as she'd predicted, someone slipped in through the window, dagger in hand.
She was awake, but she didn't run. She didn't scream. She simply waited for the end.
In the pale light of dawn, a shriek pierced the halls. Mireya's scream brought everyone rushing to Elira's room.
Elira lay on her bed, soaked in blood.
She had been smart, calm, and always one step ahead. But she was only fifteen.
Betrayed by her own father, her life came to a brutal end.
Yet as with every end, something else begins.
Her soul vanished into the void — or so we thought.
???: "Your rage will bring you back, Elira."