15. Vera
15
VERA
T he morning chill seeps into my bones, rousing me from my fitful sleep. Something feels wrong. The silence is too thick, too heavy. My eyes flutter open, adjusting to the dim light filtering through the cave entrance.
"Aurel?" My voice sounds small, fragile.
No answer.
The embers in our fire pit have long since died, leaving only gray ash and blackened logs. I push myself up, wincing at the soreness in my muscles—remnants of our night together.
"Are you there?" I call out again, my heart beginning to race.
The forest outside remains silent. No birds sing their morning songs. No leaves rustle in the breeze. It's as if the world itself is holding its breath.
I stumble to my feet, wrapping my thin blanket around my shoulders. My bare feet scrape against the cold stone as I make my way to the cave entrance. The rising sun casts long shadows through the trees, but there's no sign of his massive form anywhere.
"Please," I whisper, though I'm not sure what I'm pleading for. My chest tightens as realization dawns. The cave feels emptier, colder. His few possessions are gone.
I sink to my knees, the blanket pooling around me. The morning sun continues to rise overhead, indifferent to my pain, to my foolishness. I was nothing but a tool after all. Just like the dark elves always said—worthless, disposable.
A single tear rolls down my cheek. "You said it meant nothing," I whisper to the empty forest. "I should have believed you."
I stumble through the dense forest, my bare feet catching on roots and stones. Each step sends jolts of pain through my body, but it's nothing compared to the ache in my chest.
"You're a burden." His words echo in my mind, each syllable cutting deeper than any knife. The morning dew soaks through my thin dress, but I barely notice the chill.
A branch snaps beneath my foot, and I stumble, catching myself against a tree trunk. The rough bark scrapes my palms, drawing blood. "Is this what I deserve?" I whisper to myself, watching the red droplets fall to the forest floor. "To be used and discarded?"
The forest seems to mock me with its silence. Even the wind has abandoned me, leaving the leaves still and heavy above my head. Everything feels different now – darker, colder, more hostile. Just like before, in the mansion. Just like always.
"I should have known better." My voice cracks. "The dark elves were right. I am worthless."
I press my forehead against the tree trunk, letting the tears fall freely now. The memory of his touch, his kiss, burns through me like poison. How could I have been so foolish? To think that someone like him could ever truly care for someone like me?
"I should have left you behind," his voice echoes again, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of his cold, distant stare.
My legs give out, and I slide down to the forest floor. The same forest that witnessed our intimacy now watches my breakdown with indifference. Last night, I thought I had finally found something real, something worth fighting for. Now, I'm alone again, more broken than ever.
I have to keep running, but where? I'll be running for the rest of my life.
Branches whip across my face as I run blindly through the forest. My feet catch on roots and stones, sending jolts of pain up my legs, but I can't stop. Won't stop. The morning dew soaks through my thin dress, chilling me to the bone.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I mutter between gasping breaths. My chest burns with each intake of air, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the hollow ache inside.
I trusted him. I gave him everything - my loyalty, my body, my heart. And he left me here, alone and defenseless, just like everyone else has done my entire life.
A bitter laugh escapes my lips. "What did you expect? That an ancient naga would actually care for a worthless slave?"
My foot catches on another root, and this time I fall hard. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs, and I lie there in the dirt, my body trembling. Tears blur my vision as I stare at my scraped palms.
"I hate you," I whisper, but the words taste like ash in my mouth. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
But even as I say it, fear grips my heart. Where can I go? The dark elves will never stop hunting me. I'm marked now - a runaway slave who helped free their prisoner. There's nowhere in this world that's safe for me anymore.
I push myself to my knees, wiping mud and tears from my face. My legs shake as I stand, but I force myself to keep moving. One foot in front of the other. It's all I can do now.
"Born a slave," I whisper, remembering the old saying, "will die a slave."
The forest stretches endlessly before me, and for the first time in my life, I truly understand what it means to be alone.
A twig snaps behind me, and my heart stops. The forest falls silent - no birds, no rustling leaves, just the sound of my ragged breathing.
"Well, well." The voice sends ice through my veins. "Look what we found."
I spin around, my bare feet slipping on the damp leaves. Dark elves emerge from the shadows between the trees, their silver hair gleaming in the filtered sunlight. Five of them. No, six. Their magic crackles in the air, making my skin prickle.
"Back to the mansion, little human." The tallest one steps forward, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Your master misses you."
I back away, but my shoulders hit a tree trunk. Another dark elf appears behind it, cutting off my escape route. All of them wear the fitted, obsidian armour of the royal guard. Trained soldiers who would cut me down before I could draw a breath.
"I won't go back." My voice shakes, but I lift my chin. "I'd rather die."
It's the truth. Death would be a merciful fate over festering in the damp halls of the dark elf estate until my end.
They laugh, the sound like breaking glass. "That can be arranged," one of them says, "after we're done with you."
Their magic intensifies, sparking between their fingers. Purple energy crackles around me, forming a cage. The air grows thick, making it hard to breathe. My legs tremble as memories of the mansion flood back - the endless work, the mockery, the pain.
"No," I whisper, pressing my back against the tree. "Please, no."
"Begging already?" The tall one's silver eyes glitter with malice. "Just like old times."
The magical cage contracts, forcing me to my knees. Cold panic grips my chest as they close in, their shadows falling over me like a shroud. I can't go back. I can't live that life again. Not after tasting freedom. Not after...
My throat tightens. Not after Aurel.
Without thinking, I turn and sprint toward the cliff's edge, my bare feet pounding against the rocky ground. The sharp stones cut into my soles, but I barely feel the pain.
"Stop her!" A dark elf shouts behind me. The crackle of their magic fills the air.
My lungs burn as I push myself harder. The edge draws closer with each step. Wind whips through my hair, carrying the scent of freedom – and death.
"You'll die, you stupid girl!" Another voice calls out.
A bitter laugh escapes my throat. "Better than going back!"
The cliff edge appears before me, jagged rocks stretching up from the misty depths below. My heart pounds against my ribs, but my mind is clear. I've tasted freedom. I've known what it means to be more than a slave. To be desired. To be powerful.
I won't go back. I can't.
The dark elves' footsteps thunder behind me. Their magic crackles, reaching for me, but they're too late.
"No!" The tall one's voice carries on the wind.
For a moment, I think I hear another voice – deeper, familiar. Aurel? My heart clenches, but I push the thought away. He left me. He made his choice.
I spread my arms wide and leap into the empty air. The wind rushes past me, and for one brilliant moment, I feel truly free.
"Vera!"
Is that his voice again? A memory? A dying wish? It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters except this final choice – my choice.
The wind whips around me as I stand at the cliff's edge, my heart shattering into a million pieces. Images of Aurel flash through my mind - his gentle touch by the river, his passionate kisses, the way he held me close. Then the cruel memory of waking up alone, abandoned like garbage.
My chest heaves as emotions surge through me. The dark elves are closing in, but I barely hear their shouts over the roaring in my head. All I can think about is him. Him and his lies. Him and his betrayal.
"You used me," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "Everything was a lie."
The memory of his voice teaching me magic, encouraging me to be stronger, now feels like poison in my veins. The dark elves' magic crackles closer, but I don't care anymore. Nothing matters except this pain, this rage burning through my chest.
"I gave you everything!" My voice rises with the wind. "My trust, my body, my heart!"
The edge of the cliff crumbles slightly under my feet. Below, the mist swirls around jagged rocks, promising an end to all this agony. My fingers curl into fists as fury replaces despair.
"I CURSE YOU, AUREL!" I scream into the void, my voice raw with pain and betrayal. "I CURSE YOU!"
Without another thought, I step forward into empty air, letting gravity claim me.
The wind whips through my hair as I fall, and for a heartbeat, everything slows. The mist below swirls, beckoning me to my end. But something deep inside me shatters—like a dam breaking, like chains snapping.
Power surges through my veins, hot and fierce. My skin burns, glowing with an inner light that spreads from my chest to my fingertips. The sensation is excruciating, yet exhilarating.
"What's happening to me?" I gasp as my body suspends mid-air, wrapped in a cocoon of pure energy.
The magic courses through me, different from anything Aurel ever taught me. This is ancient, primal—this is mine. My back arches as the power explodes outward, and I scream. Not in pain, but in release. Years of suppression, of being told I'm worthless, of being weak—it all burns away.
My skin shimmers with golden light, and I feel my body transforming. Strength floods my limbs. The sickly pallor of my skin gives way to a healthy glow. My bones shift and strengthen, my muscles tighten, and my mind expands with knowledge I never knew I possessed.
"I am Purna," I whisper, the words coming from somewhere deep within my soul. The magic responds, swirling around me in brilliant streams of gold and white.
Above me, I hear the dark elves shouting in alarm. Their voices are tinged with fear—fear of me. The thought makes me laugh, wild and free. The sound rings with power, echoing through the canyon.
The light intensifies, and I feel myself rising instead of falling. My body pulses with energy, each heartbeat sending out waves of pure magic. This is who I was meant to be. This is what they tried to suppress.
Instead of the crushing impact I expected, my body hovers in the misty air, suspended by an otherworldly force that pulses through my veins. Golden light emanates from my skin, turning the fog around me into a shimmering curtain. Above, I hear the dark elves' voices grow distant.
"She's gone. The fall would have killed her instantly."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish."
Their words no longer sting. My body feels lighter, stronger, as if I've shed a shell that had confined me my entire life. Every breath fills me with raw power that makes my fingertips tingle. The world around me seems sharper, more vivid – the mist carries traces of ancient magic, the rocks beneath pulse with earthen energy, and the air itself sings with possibilities I never knew existed.
I flex my fingers, watching golden sparks dance between them. This is what I was meant to be. What they tried to suppress. What Aurel failed to see.
My lips curl into a smile as I think of all those who hurt me – the dark elves with their cruel taunts, the humans with their pitying glances, and Aurel... Aurel with his lies and manipulation. They all thought I was worthless, a defect to be used and discarded.
The magic surges stronger, responding to my anger. I let it flow through me, feeling it reshape my weak body into something powerful, something untouchable. My back straightens, my shoulders square, and for the first time in my life, I feel truly regal.
"They will all pay," I whisper to the swirling mist. "Every last one of them."
The power thrums in agreement, and I know with absolute certainty that I've transcended my old self. I am no longer the weak slave who begged for scraps of kindness.
I am Purna, and I will have my revenge.