CHAPTER LVI
Cael had locked me away in a dark chamber — a space cold and cruel, where even the walls seemed to whisper betrayal. I sat there, bound and silent, watching as she carefully gathered items used for dark magic — talismans, herbs, vials of shadowy liquids that shimmered under dim light. The air was thick with an unfamiliar scent, part incense, part something unearthly.
Then she walked in, slowly, a tray of food in her hands. There was no malice in her face — just a strange calmness that made it harder to understand whether I was staring at the girl I once loved, or a stranger wearing her skin.
She placed the tray down and looked at me with a softness that felt manufactured.
"Cel," she said, her voice almost affectionate, "do you know why no one in this world deserves love or trust? Look at me. Everyone believed your love could change me… save me. But did it? Has it?"
There was no answer I could give. My heart was already breaking under the weight of her words.
"One more day has passed," she continued, brushing her fingers along the edge of the tray. "Only six days remain. When the moon is full, the God of Death will come to claim me. But for him to take me… a life must be offered. And that life will be yours, Cel. Your death is necessary."
I stared at her — at the one person I had believed would stand by me, protect me, love me.
"Cael…" I whispered, my voice trembling, "if you had simply told me… that your life depended on mine… that my death could save you — I would've died for you. Without question. But you never said a word. You played your games. Hid behind masks. I don't even know how many versions of you are real anymore."
Cael's expression shifted — a flicker of something old, something tired, crossing her face. Then she smiled, almost wistfully.
"You know," she said, kneeling beside me, "long ago, in the underworld, there was a demon named Ravan. He had ten heads. People feared him for that. But what they didn't know is that each head saw the world differently. I… I am like that too. I have many faces, Cel. Many truths. Many lies."
I couldn't tell if she was confessing or taunting.
"And the problem with love," she added softly, "is that when we truly care for someone… we're willing to do anything for them. Even destroy them."
She reached for the rope around my wrists and slowly untied it, her fingers gentle despite everything. "Eat," she murmured. "You'll need your strength."
"I'm not hungry," I said quietly, unable to meet her eyes.
She touched my hand and said, almost brokenly, "Maybe not this life… but in the next one, Cel… we'll be together. For real."
I finally looked at her, really looked at her, and replied with a voice no longer shaking but certain, "Cael… I know now. Even this — even this moment of kindness — is just another lie. Another mask. Another illusion."
Cael stood up and laughed — that haunting, melodic laugh that now sent chills down my spine instead of butterflies through my heart.
"Well, at least," she said, brushing her hair back with theatrical flair, "you'll die understanding me. Six days, Cel. And then… tata, bye-bye."
She walked out, leaving the food behind. The door slammed shut.
And I sat there, heart bleeding, not just from the betrayal — but from the realization that I had loved someone who never existed at all.
As soon as Cael left, I wasted no time. I focused all my energy, trying desperately to summon the magic within me — but nothing happened. It felt like the air itself was suppressing my powers. A wave of frustration washed over me, but I knew I couldn't afford to panic.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and forced myself into silence — into stillness. Then, centering my mind, I tried again — this time not with desperation, but with clarity. I channeled every ounce of magic I had, aimed it at the door, and whispered the spell under my breath.
The result was instant.
The door didn't just unlock — it shattered into pieces with a loud crack, bursting into shards like glass struck by lightning. I was free.
My heart pounded, but I didn't waste a moment. I had to escape before Cael returned. I knew she wouldn't let me go a second time.
So I ran.
The moment I stepped out of that cursed room, I realized I wasn't in any ordinary place — this world was nothing but layers of illusions wrapped around more illusions. Cael had crafted this realm with great care and cruelty. Nothing here could be trusted.
What looked like water was a path.
What looked like a path would drown you like water.
The fire I feared turned out to be a door.
And the doors that seemed like escape? They were nothing but roaring flames in disguise.
It was a world built to confuse, trap, and destroy. Every step forward felt like walking blindfolded through a maze of lies. I had to keep reminding myself: Don't trust your eyes, trust your instincts.
Time moved strangely in this realm, and I couldn't tell how long I searched, stumbled, and ran. But after what felt like hours — maybe days — I finally found it. A real door. Not a trick. Not a spell.
I pushed it open.
Cold night air rushed in, brushing against my skin like freedom itself. I stepped outside and looked up…
And froze.
The full moon had already risen.
It gleamed bright and silver in the sky, casting its cold light over everything. That meant only one thing — six days had passed.
Six days.
I had lost track of time. Completely.
I couldn't believe it. I had barely escaped… and now the final day was here. The day of Cael's death… or mine.
And I stood there, breathless beneath the full moon, wondering if I had escaped too late.
I forced myself to look away from the moon.
I couldn't afford to freeze — not now, not when every second mattered.
So I turned my back to the sky and started running.
My feet moved instinctively, faster than my thoughts, driven by fear, desperation, and a sliver of hope still burning inside me. I didn't know where I was going — I just knew I had to get as far away from Cael's world as I could. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. My lungs screamed with every breath I took. But I didn't stop.
I couldn't stop.
The strange trees and glowing stones of that illusionary land slowly began to disappear behind me, swallowed by the shadows of the night. And as I kept running — stumbling, falling, rising again — the ground beneath my feet began to change.
The soft soil hardened.
The air turned dry.
And suddenly, I found myself standing in the middle of a vast, barren stretch of sand.
A desert.
Golden and endless.
I slowed down, gasping for breath, and looked around. The landscape was eerily silent. The moonlight reflected off the dunes, making them shimmer like broken glass. There were no trees. No signs of life. Just miles and miles of shifting sand stretching out in every direction — as if the world itself had forgotten what it meant to be alive.
I collapsed to my knees, panting, my hands sinking slightly into the warm sand. The silence pressed against my ears, louder than any scream. I was alone.
Truly, completely alone.
But strangely… in that moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in days.
Clarity.
The illusions were gone.
There were no fake doors, no laughing shadows, no shapeshifters pretending to care. Just the raw truth of this empty place and the sound of my heartbeat echoing in my chest.
I had escaped.
But I had no idea what waited for me ahead… or how long I had before Cael came looking again.
To be continue....