Zurich – Private Jet, En Route to Athens | 11:19 PM
The cabin lights were dim. Outside, the clouds swallowed moonlight whole.
Selina sat stiff in her seat, the file in her lap unopened. Her eyes were locked on it, unblinking, as if by staring long enough, she could change the content inside.
She ran a hand through her hair—rough, frustrated, then dropped it, letting her fingers clutch the edge of the armrest until her knuckles whitened.
Damian sat across from her. Silent. Respectful. Waiting.
"He said 'our mother.' Not 'yours.'" Her voice was quiet. Controlled. Deadly.
She had always believed their mother died when she was a child. A car accident. Closed casket. No questions allowed.
Now Eclipse was suggesting it was a lie.
Another lie.
And this one cracked something inside her that even war hadn't touched—identity.
"What if…" she whispered, almost to herself, "what if everything I know about where I come from… is a story someone chose for me?"
Vivid MetaphorThe truth wasn't a key anymore—it was a blade. And the closer it got to her heart, the more it cut away what she thought was real.
Scene Switch – Athens, Greece | 6:40 AM
They arrived at a private estate near the cliffs. Overgrown vines. Rusted iron gates. A place that had once been beautiful—and deliberately forgotten.
A caretaker waited at the door. No questions. Just a nod, and the words:"She's been expecting you."
Selina's heartbeat spiked.
She stepped inside, shoulders rigid, every step louder than the last. Damian followed behind her like a shadow of control.
They reached the final door.
Inside, a woman sat in a wheelchair, her silver hair tied neatly back. Eyes sharp. Familiar.
Too familiar.
Selina froze.
The woman looked up.
"You look like him," she said softly. "But you carry my fire."
Psychological InsightSelina couldn't breathe.
This wasn't a ghost.
This was her mother. Alive. Coherent. And hiding.
All these years.
"Why didn't you come for me?"
"Because I wasn't allowed," the woman said. "Because your father made a choice—to protect one child by erasing the other."
Tears welled up in Selina's eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
The room felt like a collapsing lung—each word pulled the oxygen out, leaving behind only truths sharp enough to slice the past in two.
Selina stepped forward, her voice low.
"Where is Eclipse now?"
Her mother's eyes hardened.
"You think he's coming for your throne."
Pause. A beat too long.
"He's not. He's coming for your son."