The clang of metal still echoed faintly in the dark corridor. The scent of dust and steel hung thick in the air, mingling with the faint trace of smoke from shattered torches.
Aurelia stood still at the center of it all...breathing hard, the sword heavy in her grip, her nightgown torn, and streaks of blood smeared across her pale skin. The moonlight filtering through the tall windows bathed her in its glow, like a fallen goddess standing amidst the ruins of a battlefield.
For a long moment, she said nothing. Only her heartbeat filled the silence.
Then, quietly at first, she whispered, "So that's what it's come to, then?" Her voice trembled...not from fear, but from fury kept too long under control. "You think I'm some fragile thing you can toy with?" she muttered into the silence, voice trembling with exhaustion and fury. "Whoever you are… you've made a mistake."
The faint whispers came again, curling through the air like smoke...burn or stay buried… burn or stay buried…
