Page 49 of Chains of Nightshade

Aurel's eyes flutter, then open fully. The familiar green depths lock onto mine, no longer clouded by pain. "Vera..." His voice is hoarse but steady.

A sob escapes my throat, relief flooding through me so intensely my hands shake. "Don't you ever do that again." I collapse against his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat under my palm. "You stupid, reckless..."

"Had to protect what's mine," he murmurs, his hand coming up to cradle my head.

I lift my face to look at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I did it. I actually saved you." The realization hits me fully, and I laugh through my tears. "I didn't even know I could heal."

"You continue to surprise me." His thumb brushes away a tear from my cheek. "Though perhaps next time, try not to wait until I'm nearly dead to discover new abilities."

"Shut up," I whisper, but there's no heat in it. Just pure, overwhelming relief that he's alive, that he's still here with me.

A movement catches my eye - Max rising from the rubble, his mother Lady Morana beside him. Their angular features twist with malice as they lock eyes with me. Blood trickles down Max's chin, but his sneer remains intact.

"You think you've won?" Max spits blood onto the ground. "A pathetic slave like you?"

Lady Morana's laughter echoes through the destroyed hall. "Look at her, thinking she's something special now." Her perfectly manicured hands smooth down her torn robes. "Still just a defect playing at power."

Memories flood through me - years of their abuse, their cruel words, their beatings. The way Max would kick me when I cleaned the floors. How Lady Morana would "accidentally" spillhot tea on my hands. The countless times they made me feel worthless.

My magic surges within me, responding to my rage. It swirls around me like a storm, crackling with raw power. The air grows thick and heavy with energy as I rise to my feet.

"No," I say, my voice steady and cold. My eyes burn with newfound strength as I stare them down. "You're nothing."

The magic pulses stronger, making my hair float around my face. Behind me, I hear Aurel's sharp intake of breath as he senses the power building within me.

Lady Morana's smile falters slightly. For the first time, I see a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"You're nothing," I repeat, taking a step forward. "And I'm going to show you exactly how worthless you truly are."

The power surges through my veins, raw and electric. Years of abuse, of being called worthless, of being treated like nothing more than dirt beneath their feet - it all fuels the magic building within me. The air crackles with energy, making my hair float around my face like a dark halo.

"You dare challenge us?" Lady Morana's voice wavers slightly, her perfect composure finally cracking. "You're nothing but a-"

"A defect?" I cut her off, my voice eerily calm. "A burden?" The magic pulses stronger, responding to my rage. "I've heard it all before."

Max takes a stumbling step backward, his sneer faltering as he feels the raw power emanating from me. "Mother-"

"No more words," I whisper, raising my hands. The magic burns through me, pure and devastating. "No more pain."

I release everything - all my anger, all my suffering, all the years of abuse - in one massive burst of power. The blast erupts from my hands in a blinding wave of pure energy, so intense it lights up the entire mansion.

Lady Morana's eyes widen in terror as the wave hits them. There's no time for them to scream. Their bodies simply... dissolve, turning to ash before my eyes. The blast continues through them, leaving nothing but grey dust scattered across the marble floor.

The silence that follows is deafening. Where my tormentors once stood, only their ashes remain, already beginning to scatter in the gentle breeze from the broken windows.

Behind me, I hear Aurel's soft intake of breath. "Vera..."

I lower my hands, watching the last remnants of the dark elves who made my life hell drift away on the wind. "They're gone," I whisper, almost not believing it myself. "They're finally gone."

22

AUREL

The flames dance behind us, consuming the mansion that held me prisoner for so long. My wound has healed completely, thanks to Vera's magic, but the memory of taking that blow for her lingers. The remaining dark elves fled into the forest like the cowards they are, their screams still echoing in my ears.

"You're staring," Vera says, her eyes fixed on the burning building.

I shift closer to her, my serpentine body coiling protectively around her feet. "I can't help it. You're magnificent when you're destroying our enemies."

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