Chapter 6 — A Ghost Wears Her Name
The wind howled through the trees, but Elara barely heard it.
She was staring into the fog.
And in the fog stood Aria Blake—
Her cloak dark, her figure unmistakable.
"That's not possible," Elara breathed.
"She died… didn't she?" Liam asked, his voice dry.
But she hadn't. Deep down, Liam knew it.
The body they found. The ash. The way she vanished—it had always been too clean.
And now, standing across from them, she looked unchanged.
But her eyes were different.
Empty. Sharp. Glowing faintly with a hue that mirrored the rings.
"You should've left it alone," Aria said quietly.
"The past. The rings. Me."
"Why?" Liam stepped forward. "Why work with Damien? Why all of this?"
Aria's lips curled into a smile.
"Because no one gave me a crown. So I made one."
The ground trembled.
The trees around them caught fire, not from flame—but from presence.
A dark power swirled around Aria, crackling like thunder under skin.
And beside her stepped Damien, silent, his eyes glassy.
Elara felt her ring pulse—once. Twice.
Fear wasn't what struck her.
It was understanding.
"You're not just using the rings," she whispered.
"You're trying to become them."
"Very good, Elara," Aria said, tilting her head. "You always were smarter than you looked."
Liam didn't wait.
He lunged forward, fire in his hand, blade in the other.
But Aria vanished in smoke—and Damien blocked the attack with inhuman speed.
Their blades clashed. Sparks erupted.
And for the first time… Elara saw Liam hesitate.
Just for a second.
Because when Damien locked eyes with him, Liam whispered:
"I know you. You were in the orphanage."
Damien didn't respond. Couldn't.
Because the voice controlling him… was not his own.
When the battle ended, they were left breathless, bleeding—and alone again.
No trace of Aria. No trace of Damien.
Only a black feather burned into the grass.
Elara picked it up.
"She's not a ghost," she said softly. "She's the storm."
And somewhere far away, Aria stood before a blackened mirror, watching them.
Her hand rested on her own third ring—the one she stole from the ruins years ago.
"Keep running, Liam. Keep chasing me," she murmured.
"Because when you catch me… it's already over."