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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19

The night dragged on endlessly.

Every time Victoria closed her eyes, the weight of the shackles pulled her back into wakefulness. The iron cuffs bruised her wrists, cold and unyielding, their weight a reminder of everything she had fled from—and everything she now faced again.

She sat hunched at the base of the wooden stake they had chained her to, the damp earth chilling her skin. The fire in the camp had burned low, reduced to glowing embers that pulsed faintly like the beat of a dying heart. Soldiers snored softly around her, sprawled in loose circles.

But she couldn't rest.

Her gaze drifted to the faint shimmer of gold that still lingered beneath her skin. The goddess's power was quiet now, like a sleeping beast, but she could feel it waiting. Waiting to either consume her—or to free her.

Victoria tightened her hands into fists, the cuffs biting deeper.

She couldn't let Damien keep her. Not again. Not after she had tasted freedom, however fragile.

And so, with her heart pounding, she closed her eyes and began to call to the light.

At first, nothing happened.

The chains felt immovable, too strong for her weary body. Her thoughts scattered with every heartbeat, her fear crowding her focus.

But she forced herself to breathe slowly, in and out. She pictured the light as she had seen it once—soft, gentle, like fireflies drifting in the dark. Not destruction. Not chaos. Beauty.

A warmth stirred faintly in her chest.

Her skin glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight, a fragile veil of gold rising like smoke. She pressed the glow into her wrists, willing it into the iron.

The chains warmed.

Her pulse jumped. It was working.

The glow brightened, threads of light curling around the metal. She could almost hear the faintest hiss as the cuffs resisted, their strength straining against her will.

"Come on…" she whispered, sweat beading at her temple.

The glow flared. The iron sizzled, faint cracks spiderwebbing across the cuffs.

Her heart leapt—until a sharp voice cut through the night.

"Victoria."

Her eyes snapped open.

Damien stood a few feet away, cloaked in shadow, his arms crossed. The soldiers still slept soundly, unaware of his presence, as though the forest itself bent to hide his approach.

The glow around her wrists sputtered in shock, then died completely.

Her stomach plummeted.

"Damien, I—"

"Quiet." His voice was soft, but dangerous. He stepped closer, the moonlight catching the edge of his features, making him seem both man and phantom. "I felt it."

Her breath hitched.

"I told you before," he said, crouching low until his eyes locked onto hers. "You can't control it." His hand shot out, gripping the chain between them. His fingers traced the faint scorch marks she had left. "And yet, you still try."

Victoria swallowed hard, fighting the tremor in her voice. "I won't let you cage me again."

For a long moment, silence stretched. His gaze bored into hers, unreadable, a storm she couldn't see through.

Then he chuckled—low, humorless, cold.

"You think you can break iron with beauty?" His hand tightened on the chain, the metal groaning. "You think your power is anything but a weapon that destroys everything it touches?"

Her tears pricked, but she forced her chin up. "If it is… then I'll use it to destroy you."

The smile vanished from his face.

For a heartbeat, the night froze. His eyes sharpened, a flash of something raw and dangerous cutting through his mask.

Then, slowly, he leaned closer, so close she could feel his breath against her cheek.

"Say that again."

Her voice trembled, but she didn't falter. "I'll destroy you."

His hand shot to her throat—not choking, but holding, his grip firm enough to remind her of his strength. He stared at her, his jaw tight, his chest rising and falling with restrained fury.

And then… his hand dropped.

Damien straightened, stepping back, the mask sliding into place once more.

"You won't," he said flatly. "Because no matter how hard you fight, you'll come to see the truth."

Victoria's voice cracked. "And what truth is that?"

He turned, his cape brushing against the dirt. His silhouette cut sharp against the moonlight.

"That you're mine."

Her stomach twisted with rage and despair. She wanted to scream, to unleash everything inside her and scorch him until nothing remained. But her body was weak, her mana drained, her wrists raw from the chains.

All she could do was watch him vanish into the shadows once more, leaving her shaking in the cold.

She leaned her forehead against the chain, breathing hard, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

She was close. She had felt it—the cuffs weakening beneath her light. If he hadn't interrupted, she might have shattered them.

And now, she knew one thing with certainty:

If she wanted to live—if she wanted freedom—she would have to master her power quickly, before Damien forced her into a cage she could never escape.

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