Chapter 114
A subtle urge grew within her—a push not to yield, to assert the boundary she guarded, and even to retaliate in a way that only someone with absolute self-control could manage.
'When he asked about a celestial body I found unique, I answered: Magnetar.
The remnant of a star's explosion that betrayed its own form.
An answer too honest, even too close to what I once did.'
Fhhhh!
'I shouldn't have said it so easily.
Normally my tongue is heavy, as always.
But at that moment, the words flowed without resistance.
As if Theo pulled them out from the deepest place I never wished to acknowledge.'
Hooooh!
'A Magnetar—a star fractured by fate and itself.
Just like me.
So why could I say it so lightly?
Why, with him, did the past I should have silenced rise to the surface?'
The journey with Theo brought Aldraya Kansh Que into an experience filled with delicate vibrations brushing the deepest parts of her being.
Every question he asked, every interaction that unfolded, ignited reflections and awareness unusual for the girl.
When he asked about a celestial object she found unique, the answer that left her lips was not mere visual judgment, but a profound interpretation that melded the star's nature and essence.
She spoke of the remnants of a star that once betrayed its own shape—known scientifically as a Magnetar—which coincidentally symbolized her own personal experience.
Every word she chose carried layers of meaning rarely expressed by others, a reflection of an inner world seldom seen yet remarkably rich and complex.
The reason Aldraya chose the Magnetar was not solely because of its cosmic allure, but because of its symbolic connection to events in her past.
She realized that the object summoned a flashback of the betrayal she once committed—a decision born from her own conviction, shaping wounds and memories not easily forgotten.
With that man, there was a calmness in every word that escaped her, as if Aldraya channeled that bitter experience without any visible burden, allowing herself to pass through the painful memory with serenity and control.
She compressed a heavy history into simple language, making it sound like the smooth flow of a river—gentle, yet carrying an undeniable force.
'I still remember that portrait—two nebulae facing each other, white and black, as if two poles that had long demanded my answer.
Theo asked casually, but what churned inside me then was far from trivial.
He spoke of faith, devotion, and betrayal.
Of the opposition pressing from the other side.
Of my thinning life, of Ramsh that could stabilize me—even if it meant becoming the enemy of my own principles.
A question I should've dismissed. But I answered it.'
Shuussh!
'I said I would not choose.
Would not bow to either.
Even if both nebulae forced me, I would destroy them.
The words spilled out instantly, without pause, without doubt.
Because in that moment, the part of me whose wings once burned before the Almighty rose again.
The courage that once made me rebel, even as my body barely survived His flame.
A choice that made me sinful, yet also kept me standing.'
Ming-ming!
'He thought it was a cold answer. But what he saw back then was the remnant of a woman who once defied Heaven.'
Aldraya Kansh Que sat frozen, her eyes tracing the details of the space-camera portrait displaying two contrasting nebulae—one white, one black—opposing each other like two poles that would never unite.
Every gradient of color, every streak of light seemed alive in her vision, reflecting symbolism far deeper than a mere image.
Aldraya realized that her position between them—caught in the cosmic struggle of the two nebulae—was not simply visual or abstract, but a mirror of the inner dilemma that had long shaped her path.
She weighed the consequences of every choice as though the nebulae were not distant objects but forces capable of piercing her pulse, demanding a decision that could fundamentally transform her.
Every question from Theo felt like a subtle test against the principles Aldraya upheld.
Faith, devotion, and betrayal.
She pondered the scenario placed before her, where Ramsh's resources could save her life—but only at the cost of becoming the opposition to her own beliefs.
Aldraya considered each possibility with the precision of a trained observer, understanding that the black nebula offered physical survival yet weighed heavily on her with moral and spiritual compromise.
Meanwhile the white nebula symbolized her belief and principle, yet held no means of sustaining her life if she rejected all external help.
In that silent space, the entire universe seemed to merge with her awareness, awaiting an answer not only logical but courageous.
When Aldraya's answer finally emerged, it was no compromise.
She refused to choose either nebula—refused to bow to external dogma, even if it meant facing death.
That bravery was not mere spontaneity, but an echo of her past when she had defied the Almighty, asserting betrayal for the sake of "something" better.
The beat of her wings, once nearly destroyed by Divine fire, remained a symbol of resistance etched into her very being.
Her decision to reject both forces, to refuse coercion, revealed an integrity binding her life to principles higher than physical survival.
The nebulae remained outside, yet within Aldraya, the choice to reject forced options left a silence filled with meaning.
'The shape of this small necklace resembles nothing important.
An imitation—fragile, easy to break.
But somehow, I feel like I'm looking at who I used to be.'
Wusssssh!
'A toddler running freely, knowing no fear.
Still pure, unaware of sin, heaven, or fate.
She poured all her curiosity into the wind, the grass, and the light around her.
Naturally, I long for the version of myself that was once that innocent.'
Wuaaaahhh!
The memory of the toy necklace Theo gave surfaced in Aldraya's mind as she remained seated in silence.
The peace on her face was merely a mask, for her gaze carried a far deeper and more meaningful attention.
Every tiny detail of the object flickered within her sight, yet the object itself was not what captured her.
Beneath the colorful plastic surface and simple chain rose the image of a little girl, merely two or three years old, running freely without fear.
The image was not just a memory but a reflection of Aldraya herself—a pure and innocent version who had once enjoyed boundless freedom while questioning the world around her.
As though the toy became a window through time, opening the door to a forgotten past, reviving sensations long lost yet still alive within her.
The feeling drifted through Aldraya like a soft breeze brushing the surface of her heart.
The toy necklace that had fused with her old one stirred a longing for days long gone.
Days when everything felt simple, when the world seemed easy and full of possibility, when curiosity and uncertainty were her closest companions.
To be continued…