She froze.
Her eyes darted to Wesley.
Her lips parted, voice trembling but steady
"Burn the clock tower."
Wesley's eyes widened. Then he raised his gun and fired several shots into the air.
"Listen up, people! We need a big fire! Burn the clock tower—NOW!"
The townsfolk sprang into action, throwing wood and debris into a growing blaze at the tower's base. Flames began licking upward, crackling with fury.
Meanwhile, above.
Lillian and Nemorak circled the tower in twisting clouds of smoke, tearing into each other like predators.
Then, through the chaos, she heard Robert's voice.
Only she could hear it.
'Burn him in the fire. Bury him in it.'
Her smoky wings snapped forward, wrapping around Nemorak as she slammed him toward the clock tower.
But the moment his eyes caught the glow of the rising flames, he shoved her back hard.
"You think I'm a fool?" His voice was a snarl, inches from her face.
"You think I don't know what you're planning?"
Lillian's lips curled into a slow smile.
"Yes... you are. And do you know the difference between you and me?"
Nemorak's eyes narrowed.
She leaned closer, her voice low.
"You... don't have a body. But I do. And that means I have a brain. I'm real."
In one motion, she seized the great clock hand,
bending and twisting the metal until it bound them together her and Nemorak pinned against the tower's face.
The wind roared.
The flames surged higher.
The fire consumed the smoke like paper, climbing, devouring.
"NO!" Nemorak's scream split the air.
"You can't do this!"
The fire tore through his shadows. His form convulsed, the smoke peeling away.
And Lillian.
Before the fire could consume her let her beast form fade.
Her wings vanished.
She fell.
From the top of the burning tower, her body dropped like a stone,
unable to grab onto anything.
The townsfolk below gasped.
"There's a girl! A girl falling from the sky!" Reana cried out.
Panic swept the crowd as they tried to follow her descent through the smoke. Then
A sudden streak of dark mist swept upward, catching her mid-air.
It was Robert.
No... it was Malvier.
He cradled her against him, her body warm from the heat of the flames.
'Robert... is that you?' she whispered weakly.
He smiled faintly. 'No... it's Malvier.'
A ghost of a smile touched her lips.
'You look uglier than I remember.'
Malvier chuckled.
She drifted into unconsciousness in his arms.
He carried her to the Wilson mansion, handing her gently to Mikael.
"Take care of her for me."
And then—he vanished into the thin night air.
One month later
The town had changed.
Everyone knew now the Beast was real.
From that day forward, Westward was never truly dark again.
Reana and Elrick lived quietly together, healing, learning gratitude even after their loss.
Wesley and Edwin worked tirelessly to keep order and educate the people about their strange new truth.
The murders were solved.
And Lillian... became mayor.
But some nights, her mind would drift to Robert
to Malvier.
One quiet afternoon, a knock came at her door.
Mikael stepped inside.
"My lady, you have a guest."
"Who?" she asked.
"A visitor from a neighboring country."
A man stepped into the room, his presence like a shadow.
"My name is... Malvier."
Lillian's lips curved in a small, knowing smile.
"Nice to meet you..."
.............The End...........