{AURORA'S POV}
The village had fallen into silence, the kind of silence that prickled against my skin like thorns. Hundreds of eyes watched the scene unfolding in the square, not a soul daring to intervene.
The woman still clutched her son to her chest, trembling so violently it was a wonder she could keep her grip. She fell to her knees in the dirt, her voice breaking as she begged the witch hunters.
"In the name of Astoria, please… please, let us go. We've done nothing wrong."
Her wails sliced through the night, each plea stabbing deeper into my heart until I thought I might shatter with her.
One of the witch hunters stepped forward, the weight of his black armor gleaming under the festival lanterns. His helm hid his face, but his voice was cold enough to chill the marrow in my bones.
"Your name."
The woman swallowed hard. "Tamara."
The witch hunter crouched so they were eye to eye. "Tamara," he repeated, as though testing how her name tasted on his tongue. "Are you the one responsible for the children that have been reportedly missing from this village?"
Her head shook frantically. "No! I swear I don't know anything! I've done nothing. I would never—"
"But you have magic," he cut her off.
Tamara froze. The words seemed to catch in her throat, strangling her before she could defend herself.
"I–I know how this looks," she stammered, "but I swear on my life, I'm innocent."
The hunter rose to his full, terrifying height, looking down on her as though she were less than a pest.
"Innocent or not, the law of Aradel has stood for centuries. The sentence for all those who bear magic…" He paused, his gauntleted hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "…is death."
Tamara gasped, clutching her son tighter. "No! Please…"
Another witch hunter lunged forward, prying the screaming boy from her arms.
"Mama! Mama!"
"No! Give him back! Please don't hurt him!"
The first hunter raised his hand, his voice ringing with cruel finality.
"I, Darius Fane, Vice Commander of the Severance, Executioner of the Law of Aradel, Servant to Their Majesties King Alexander and Queen Victoria… sentence you to death."
My feet moved forward before I realized it, panic surging in my chest. Kai and Eris caught my arms at once, holding me back.
"No!" I hissed, struggling against them. "We can't just stand here. We have to stop this."
Vivienne's voice cut through, low and sharp. "Are you mad? One wrong move and we're all dead."
But how could I look away? How could anyone just watch? My eyes darted to the villagers around us, to the fathers hoisting children onto their shoulders for a better view, to the smiles twisting mouths that should have been horrified. The air was thick with anticipation, as though this were a performance.
Darius unsheathed his sword. The steel caught the lanternlight as he raised it high.
Tamara collapsed forward, her hands clasped like she was praying. "Please, please, don't kill me. I beg you…"
My chest tightened as I noticed the faintest tremor in Darius's grip. His fingers clenched too tightly around the hilt of his sword, to the point his hand shook.
My brows drew together in confusion.
"He's hesitating." I thought to myself as soon as the realization dawned on me. "But why?"
Before I could hold on to that thought, the blade swung down in one clean arc.
The sword entered through her mouth and burst out the back of her skull.
A gasp tore out of me as my hands flew to my lips. Tamara's jaw split, blood spilling as her body crumpled into the dirt.
And then the cheering began.
The square erupted into applause, shouts of triumph, laughter that twisted into something monstrous. The metallic stench of blood filled my nostrils, and bile surged up my throat.
Before I could breathe, the hunter holding Tamara's boy lifted him high.
"What of the child?" he shouted.
The villagers roared, their words sharp knives cutting into my ears.
"Kill him!" a woman yelled.
"He's tainted!" a man shouted from the back.
"Yes!" another agreed, "He's a spawn of the devil!"
"End him!"
"No," I whispered, shaking my head.
The hunter forced the boy onto the ground, pressing his face into the dirt. He held his hands tight in one hand and placed his knee on the small back to stop his struggling.
"Let me do the honor," the hunter asked, turning to Darius.
Darius gave him a single nod.
"No," I said louder this time, panic breaking my voice.
I stepped forward, but Vivienne's arm yanked me back. "That's enough! Do you want to get us all killed? Stay quiet so we can figure out a way to leave this place unnoticed."
I shoved her away. "I'm not leaving. I won't!"
Eris and Kai called after me, but their voices blurred as I pushed through the crowd, slipping free from their grasp. Alone, I turned back, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would rip through my ribs.
The hunter drew his blade. The boy whimpered beneath him, calling out for his mother.
And then the memories came, crashing over me in a suffocating wave.
My parents' screams as swords pierced them. Mira's eyes wide with terror as the witch hunters dragged her away, their laughter drowning her sobs as they defiled her. The smell of blood, the sound of steel, the feeling of my own helplessness.
"No," I choked, tears blinding me.
The hunter raised his sword above the boy and something inside me snapped.
I thrust my hand forward, my scream tearing from my lungs.
"NO!"
The ground shuddered as a shockwave burst from me, golden light exploding outward like wildfire. It slammed through the square, sending villagers and witch hunters alike sprawling to the ground.
The light from my hand seared brighter, lancing across the square and striking the hunter kneeling on the child.
He screamed, his body unraveling, disintegrating into a million specks of ash that the breeze carried away.
And then the entire village fell into an eerie silence.
I stood there, staring at my trembling hand, the golden light fading from my palm.
The villagers scrambled away in terror, pointing, whispering, scattering from me as though I were the monster.
The Severance rose to their feet, steel shrieking as they unsheathed their swords one by one.
I turned, my wide eyes locking with Kai, Eris, and Vivienne on the other side of the square. Their faces mirrored mine—shock, horror, and something far heavier.
My stomach dropped.
What have I just done?