Page 34 of Chains of Nightshade

For a moment, I think I hear another voice – deeper, familiar. Aurel? My heart clenches, but I push the thought away. He left me. He made his choice.

I spread my arms wide and leap into the empty air. The wind rushes past me, and for one brilliant moment, I feel truly free.

"Vera!"

Is that his voice again? A memory? A dying wish? It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters except this final choice – my choice.

The wind whips around me as I stand at the cliff's edge, my heart shattering into a million pieces. Images of Aurel flash through my mind - his gentle touch by the river, his passionate kisses, the way he held me close. Then the cruel memory of waking up alone, abandoned like garbage.

My chest heaves as emotions surge through me. The dark elves are closing in, but I barely hear their shouts over the roaring in my head. All I can think about is him. Him and his lies. Him and his betrayal.

"You used me," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "Everything was a lie."

The memory of his voice teaching me magic, encouraging me to be stronger, now feels like poison in my veins. The dark elves' magic crackles closer, but I don't care anymore. Nothing matters except this pain, this rage burning through my chest.

"I gave you everything!" My voice rises with the wind. "My trust, my body, my heart!"

The edge of the cliff crumbles slightly under my feet. Below, the mist swirls around jagged rocks, promising an end to all this agony. My fingers curl into fists as fury replaces despair.

"I CURSE YOU, AUREL!" I scream into the void, my voice raw with pain and betrayal. "I CURSE YOU!"

Without another thought, I step forward into empty air, letting gravity claim me.

The wind whips through my hair as I fall, and for a heartbeat, everything slows. The mist below swirls, beckoning me tomy end. But something deep inside me shatters—like a dam breaking, like chains snapping.

Power surges through my veins, hot and fierce. My skin burns, glowing with an inner light that spreads from my chest to my fingertips. The sensation is excruciating, yet exhilarating.

"What's happening to me?" I gasp as my body suspends mid-air, wrapped in a cocoon of pure energy.

The magic courses through me, different from anything Aurel ever taught me. This is ancient, primal—this is mine. My back arches as the power explodes outward, and I scream. Not in pain, but in release. Years of suppression, of being told I'm worthless, of being weak—it all burns away.

My skin shimmers with golden light, and I feel my body transforming. Strength floods my limbs. The sickly pallor of my skin gives way to a healthy glow. My bones shift and strengthen, my muscles tighten, and my mind expands with knowledge I never knew I possessed.

"I am Purna," I whisper, the words coming from somewhere deep within my soul. The magic responds, swirling around me in brilliant streams of gold and white.

Above me, I hear the dark elves shouting in alarm. Their voices are tinged with fear—fear of me. The thought makes me laugh, wild and free. The sound rings with power, echoing through the canyon.

The light intensifies, and I feel myself rising instead of falling. My body pulses with energy, each heartbeat sending out waves of pure magic. This is who I was meant to be. This is what they tried to suppress.

Instead of the crushing impact I expected, my body hovers in the misty air, suspended by an otherworldly force that pulses through my veins. Golden light emanates from my skin, turning the fog around me into a shimmering curtain. Above, I hear the dark elves' voices grow distant.

"She's gone. The fall would have killed her instantly."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish."

Their words no longer sting. My body feels lighter, stronger, as if I've shed a shell that had confined me my entire life. Every breath fills me with raw power that makes my fingertips tingle. The world around me seems sharper, more vivid – the mist carries traces of ancient magic, the rocks beneath pulse with earthen energy, and the air itself sings with possibilities I never knew existed.

I flex my fingers, watching golden sparks dance between them. This is what I was meant to be. What they tried to suppress. What Aurel failed to see.

My lips curl into a smile as I think of all those who hurt me – the dark elves with their cruel taunts, the humans with their pitying glances, and Aurel... Aurel with his lies and manipulation. They all thought I was worthless, a defect to be used and discarded.

The magic surges stronger, responding to my anger. I let it flow through me, feeling it reshape my weak body into something powerful, something untouchable. My back straightens, my shoulders square, and for the first time in my life, I feel truly regal.

"They will all pay," I whisper to the swirling mist. "Every last one of them."

The power thrums in agreement, and I know with absolute certainty that I've transcended my old self. I am no longer the weak slave who begged for scraps of kindness.

I am Purna, and I will have my revenge.

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