Chapter 46 The Truth in the Shadows
Sana's eyes fluttered open to the dim glow of dawn piercing through the canopy of trees above. The pain in her heart echoed through her body like a drumbeat. Instinctively, her hand moved to her belly, desperate to feel the flutter of life — a kick, a movement, anything.
Nothing.
Her breath hitched. Panic rose in her throat as she pressed her hand harder, closing her eyes tightly, whispering, "Please... please... move."
Stillness.
A sudden coldness swept the air. The Shadow emerged, silent and tall, cloaked in shifting darkness, his presence still and yet weighty. Sana looked up, her face crumpling as her voice cracked.
"Where is he? Is he... is he alive?"
The Shadow bowed his head slowly. "He is dead."
Sana gasped — a sharp, broken sob tore from her as she collapsed onto the forest floor, hands clutching her stomach as if she could hold onto what was already lost. Her screams echoed like broken glass across the silent woods. She cried until her voice was raw, tears falling like rain.
"Who did this?!" she choked out between sobs. "Tell me! Who took him away from me?! Why?!"
The Shadow stood still, unmoving. "To find the answer, Sana, you must first know the right question."
"What kind of riddle is that?!" she screamed, her voice shaking with fury. "Why me?! Why is it always me?!"
The air shifted, as if the very universe held its breath. The Shadow finally spoke, his voice heavy with purpose. "That is the question I’ve been waiting for... for centuries."
Sana’s sobs quieted into hiccups, her eyes red and wide. "What do you mean...?"
He knelt beside her now, the shadows around him dimming. "Sana, you are not just a girl born without magic. You are the key — the bridge between the past and the justice long denied."
He extended his hand, and a swirl of images unfolded in the mist before them — two figures, radiant and in love. A woman with silver-lined eyes — Chandini. A man with a crown of moonlight — Aarav.
"They were your parents," the Shadow said gently.
Sana’s breath caught. Her heart pounded.
"Chandini was the rightful queen of Chandlok. She was powerful, kind, and beloved. But there was envy around her. Your birth — your existence — became the spark for betrayal."
The mist thickened, turning dark. It showed Roshni, adorned in silks, whispering with cloaked figures. Her eyes gleamed with ambition.
"Roshni," the Shadow continued, "plotted against Chandini. She exposed her using lies and fear. She turned the court against her, forced her into exile, and stole the throne. But it didn’t stop there."
Sana’s hands trembled. She couldn’t tear her gaze away.
"Roshni murdered her own husband to secure her reign. His death was blamed on rebels. But it was poison — her own doing."
Sana’s lips quivered. "And Hatim...?"
"She raised Hatim in the shadows of her lies. He is her puppet, trained to rule with an iron heart, a blade disguised as a son. She plans to make him a monster, one she can control. But that is not who he truly is."
The mist now showed Hatim as a child, laughing in the arms of a woman — a woman who was not Roshni. Then the image shifted — him standing in shadows, looking at a blade, his expression unsure.
"You, Sana, were born immortal. It is not magic that runs in your blood. It is the legacy of the stars. You were hidden to protect you. The forest witch raised you under my guidance. But now your time has come."
Sana looked down, her tears dry, her grief replaced by a storm brewing within her. "So everything... everything I knew was a lie."
The Shadow nodded. "But the truth is now yours to carry. You must give justice — not just to yourself, but to Chandini, Aarav, and the child you lost."
Sana closed her eyes. Pain twisted inside her — but so did purpose. She rose slowly to her feet.
"I will. I swear by my mother’s name, and by the stars that bore me, I will make her pay. Roshni will answer for every tear she made me cry."
The Shadow’s form shimmered, as if proud. "Then let the real story of Starveil begin."
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