Victoria's lungs burned as she tore through the forest. The bandits' footsteps thundered behind her, snapping branches and crushing leaves. She couldn't outrun them forever. Her legs were weak, her body frail from years of captivity.
I'm going to be caught…
Her chest heaved, panic rising. She stumbled over a root, crashing into the dirt. Pain shot through her arms, but the fear of being seized again made her scramble to her knees.
Then one of the bandits grabbed her wrist. His grip was iron, twisting cruelly.
"Got you, little bird," he snarled. "We'll fetch a fine price for—"
Something inside her snapped.
"No!"
The air seemed to shiver, and for a heartbeat, the forest fell silent. Then heat exploded from her palm. A searing wave of light surged outward, blasting the bandit backward. He screamed as his tunic caught fire, thrashing to extinguish it.
Victoria froze, staring at her hand. Wisps of smoke curled from her fingers, and the skin tingled as though fire still licked at her flesh.
"What… what was that?" she whispered.
The second bandit gawked at her, wide-eyed. "Mana…? That's impossible. Slaves don't—"
He didn't finish. Victoria's fear boiled over again, and another pulse of energy burst from her, cracking the ground at his feet. He stumbled back, swearing.
Shaking, she backed away too, clutching her chest. She had never felt anything like this before—heat roaring through her veins, power flooding her limbs. For years, she had believed she was worthless, powerless, broken. She had never thought she had even a little mana.
But here it was.
Here she was.
The bandits, suddenly less brave, fled into the trees, muttering curses and prayers under their breath. Victoria collapsed onto the forest floor, gasping. Her hands glowed faintly in the moonlight before the shimmer faded.
Her mind raced. If I have mana… why didn't I know? Why didn't anyone?
And then, like a whisper from memory, she recalled Damien's words—how he always insisted she was more than what they said, more than the chains they put on her. He had seen something in her long before she had.
But now the truth burned in her chest.
"I'm not weak," she whispered to herself trembling. "I'm not a slave anymore."
Yet even as hope sparked within her, dread followed. If anyone discovered she had mana, the nobles would hunt her, not just as a runaway—but as a weapon.
And Damien… Damien would come looking.
She wrapped her arms around herself, staring into the dark woods. For the first time, she wondered if freedom meant she had to stay far away from the one person she wanted to see most.