That night, Selene made her decision.
She would move the Silver Sword—no more waiting.
The moonlight barely touched the southern garden of the estate. Shadows danced across the ivy-covered stone as Selene stepped into the silence, her silver aura dimmed and hidden. She reached for a worn brick in the corner of the garden wall and pressed it. With a low rumble, a section of the wall shifted, revealing a narrow staircase leading underground.
She descended with calm precision, though her heartbeat like a war drum.
The chamber was silent. As soon as her boots touched the floor, a faint glow began to pulse from the centre pedestal. The Silver Sword. It stood upright, embedded in crystal, humming with a low resonance that tugged at her core. The light intensified as she stepped forward.
But then—a voice like ice slithered through the darkness.
"Well… finally, I found it."
The temperature dropped instantly. Her breath fogged the air. The light from the sword flickered.
Selene froze, fingers twitching toward her blade. She didn't need to turn. She already knew.
Khalid.
His presence oozed with unnatural stillness, his smile unchanging, eyes glowing faintly red.
He moved toward the sword.
Without hesitation, Selene surged forward and wrapped her fingers around the hilt. The crystal cracked as it gave way, and the blade thrummed in her grip—alive, aware, ready.
Khalid tilted his head, almost amused.
"Duchess," he said softly, "wouldn't it be easier if you simply handed it over? I promise—I'll leave you alone."
Her silver aura flared faintly in defiance. "I won't give it to you."
A beat passed between them, and her voice sharpened like steel. "You'll have to kill me first."
Khalid's laugh was low and unbothered. "That… would be easy."
He raised his hand.
The air thickened. His eyes gleamed crimson, and with a flick of his fingers, darkness poured in from every corner of the chamber—living shadow, writhing like smoke and claws.
It lunged for her, surrounding her in a blink.
But Selene didn't flinch.
Her grip tightened on the sword.
Then something shifted. The shadows began to murmur—not in foreign tongues, but in voices she knew. Voices that shattered her from within.
A whisper like ash on the wind: "Selene... ... help me..."
Her breath caught. It was his voice. The one she'd buried long ago.
Then—Aria.
"You're a coward.""You are not my mother.""I hate you."
"Aria…" Selene's lips trembled. "I did it to protect you... I—"
"I didn't need your protection, Mother. I needed your love."
The words cut deeper than any blade. Her knees buckled under the weight of them.
Then came another voice, brittle and sharp—Alexandra.
"You failed, my daughter."
Selene shook her head violently, her voice cracking. "No... Mother never said that. That wasn't her…"
Something snapped. A flash of silver light burst from her chest, engulfing the room in brilliance. Her familiar burst forth from her shadow—graceful, furious, divine.
A silver wolf stepped out, its eyes glowing like twin moons.
"Argyra," Selene breathed.
"I've had enough," the wolf growled, its voice laced with raw power.
Khalid's expression twisted into rage. He had lost control—and he knew it.
He lunged toward the Silver Sword.
But Selene moved first.
With a cry that split the air, she seized the sword and drove it into him. Khalid's scream tore through the chamber, shaking the very earth beneath them.
She yanked it free—and stabbed him again.
And again.
Each thrust echoed with fury, sorrow, vengeance.
But something was wrong. His body screamed, but his face… his face remained eerily calm. He laughed.
"Fine… fine," he whispered, blood dripping from his lips. "It was nice while it lasted."
Then, in a blur of darkness, his hand wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Selene gasped, her vision blurring, her strength fading—
But Argyra howled, a vortex of silver light exploding around them.
And in the blink of an eye, Selene vanished—teleported to safety by the power of her loyal familiar.
Argyra collapsed onto the cold floor, his silver fur dimmed and chest heaving. The teleportation had drained him nearly to the brink. Selene knelt beside him, her grip tightening around the Silver Sword still clutched in her hand.
So many questions surged in her mind, but before she could even think—
A voice slithered through the air.
"Not nice, Duchess," Khalid said, stepping from the shadows like a nightmare reborn. "We were having a conversation."
Selene turned sharply. Argyra rose again, trembling."I can't teleport you anymore," his voice echoed weakly through their mind-link.
Selene's aura—what remained of it—was flickering. She could feel it. Khalid had taken too much. Like a leech, he'd been feeding on her silver energy the entire time.
But she wasn't going to back down. Not now. Not ever.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the sword tighter, steadying her stance. "Come closer," she said.
Khalid tilted his head, mockery in his eyes. "It's no use," he said softly—dangerously. "You stabbed me three times, remember? And yet…" He gestured to himself with a sick smile. "Here I am. Breathing. Laughing."
Selene's fingers twitched. Her sword trembled—not out of fear, but fury.
She closed her eyes.
And whispered, "Then I'll stab you again."
Suddenly, the air shifted. A strange shimmer, like glimmering purple snow, began to swirl around them—glittering flakes that made the shadows recoil.
Khalid's smug expression shattered.
"Fuck," he snarled, eyes darting around. "That bastard is here."