The woman—Elara—stood before Olivia with a quiet, regal presence, her violet cloak billowing softly in the wind. Her eyes, too, were the same green as Olivia's. The same sharp features, the same curve of her chin. It was like staring into a mirror that had never reflected her true self.
"Your twin?" Olivia whispered, her heart racing.
Elara nodded slowly, her lips curling into a smile that seemed more sad than malicious. "Yes. You and I share blood. But our paths have been very different."
Aiden stepped forward, his hand outstretched, but Elara didn't acknowledge him. Her eyes remained fixed on Olivia, as if the world outside the room didn't matter.
"How is this possible?" Olivia's voice trembled, a mix of awe and fear. She'd always known something was different about her—something that couldn't be explained by her upbringing in the quiet countryside. But this? This was something else entirely.
"The bloodline was split long ago," Elara said, her tone even. "When Seraphina tried to take control, when she burned through realms and shattered the Veil, our family fractured. You were the one chosen to bear the flame, but I… I was hidden away."
Olivia shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "No, this isn't possible. There's only one—"
"Elara," Kael interrupted, stepping into the room behind her. "She is the other half, Olivia. The one Seraphina never wanted you to know about. The one who might stop her."
The words hit Olivia like a slap. Might stop her. She looked from Kael to Elara, then back to Aiden, who stood frozen, confusion and concern etched across his face.
"You're saying… she's part of me?" Olivia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Elara's smile widened, but it wasn't comforting. "Yes. We were born at the same time, but under different circumstances. Seraphina—she didn't want you to know, because you are the key. The key to everything. And now… now you are caught between us."
"I don't want any part of this," Olivia said quickly, stepping back. "I don't want to become her. I don't want—"
Aiden moved closer to her, his hand gently touching her arm. "You don't have to become anything you don't want, Olivia. You are you. No matter who else is in the picture."
But Elara wasn't finished. Her voice, softer now, carried a weight of sorrow. "I didn't choose this life either. But the world doesn't care about our choices. It cares about power, about bloodlines. And the fire inside you? It's not just a curse. It's a weapon. A weapon that will either tear everything down or save it."
Olivia's heart pounded in her chest. It was as though the very air around her had thickened with the knowledge of something vast and uncontrollable. "I don't want to be a weapon."
"No one does," Elara murmured. "But that's what we are. It's what we were born to be."
Kael watched them, his gaze calculating. "The thing about power is that it doesn't wait for you to be ready. It's there, in your blood. And Seraphina will take it—unless you understand what you're fighting."
"I don't understand," Olivia said, frustration bubbling over. "How am I supposed to stop Seraphina? How am I supposed to control something I don't even know how to use?"
Kael's lips twisted into a half-smile. "By learning. By accepting who you truly are. And by embracing the other half of you."
Olivia turned to Aiden, searching his face for reassurance. But even he looked uncertain, torn between the woman he had come to care for and the monstrous history that seemed to haunt her every step.
"I'm not Seraphina," Olivia said, her voice shaking with the weight of her own words. "I won't be."
Elara's eyes softened with an emotion that almost looked like pity. "You think you have a choice? You do. But the choice will be taken from you, whether you want it or not."
The room felt colder now, as if the very air was shifting with the forces that gathered around them.
"Where is she now?" Olivia asked, suddenly desperate to know the answer. "Seraphina. Is she… alive?"
Elara looked away, her expression darkening. "She's alive. But barely. She is in the heart of the Ruins, feeding off the remnants of what she once was. The Veil is weakened—she is drawing power from every crack, every broken thread of the old world. But she needs you, Olivia. She needs you to finish what was started."
"You don't need her," Aiden interjected, his voice fierce. "You don't need any of this."
"But I do," Olivia whispered, her thoughts a swirl of confusion and terror. "The fire inside me is her."
Kael's eyes darkened. "The flame is not just Seraphina's. It is yours to wield. But you have to choose, Olivia. Will you control it? Or will it control you?"
Olivia's chest tightened as she looked at Aiden. His protective gaze made her feel safe, but it wasn't enough. Not when the truth hit her: Seraphina was inside her. Waiting. Watching.
She didn't want to become her. She couldn't. But how could she fight against something that had already become part of her?
Her fingers brushed against the shard in her pocket. The magic inside her whispered, urging her to listen, to embrace it.
"Then teach me," Olivia said, her voice firm despite the storm that raged inside her. "Teach me how to control this. I won't let her win. Not like this."
Kael stepped forward. "Very well. But know this, Olivia—the path ahead is not a simple one. You will face temptation. You will face darkness. And the choice between the woman you are and the woman you could become will be your hardest test."
Elara nodded once, as though this was all fated.
Olivia drew in a deep breath. "Then let's begin."