Though Aoleria had sealed her heart in frost, questions gnawed at her soul. She could never silence the shadow of her family's death. And when fate brought her face-to-face with Zytherion again, the dark lord unveiled a truth she had never imagined.
"You thought they were innocent, didn't you?" he said, his voice both bitter and pained. "You honored them, prayed over their graves. But you must know, Aoleria… they were ready to sell even you."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You lie."
Zytherion's gaze was hard, but behind it flickered tragedy.
"No. Your family pretended to seal my darkness, but their true aim was to claim more power. When you were just a child, they plotted to give you away to another kingdom, forging an alliance to strengthen their own throne. Your heart, your blood, your very future—bargaining chips for their ambition."
Aoleria's hands trembled, the cold walls of her soul cracking.
"No… my father, my mother… they would never…"
Zytherion bowed his head, his words heavy with shadowed honesty.
"They betrayed not only me, but you. My wrath fell upon them because they would have bound your life in chains. They never protected you, Aoleria. They only protected themselves."
The revelation struck Aoleria like a blade. She had spent her life fighting for vengeance, worshiping the memory of a family that was never as pure as she believed. Now, she learned they had been willing to sacrifice even her for power.
Tears streamed down her face—not of ice this time, but of raw grief.
"Why tell me this now, Zytherion?"
For the first time, his crimson eyes softened with vulnerability.
"Because I would rather you hate me for the truth than close your heart to me for a lie. Perhaps then… perhaps the spark beneath your frost will awaken again."
Aoleria turned away, her heart torn in two. She could not forgive him, not after the blood he had spilled. Yet she could no longer cling to her hatred as she once had, for its foundation had crumbled.
And so, their love became even more impossible and tragic. Aoleria was now forced to question her loyalty to her family's memory, while Zytherion remained forever stained by their slaughter.