Aria didn't feel the ground beneath her feet.
The explosion of darkness had thrown her into a void so deep it felt bottomless, yet she stood—somehow—on nothing. The air was cold, sharp, alive. Shadows curled around her ankles like smoke, whispering in voices she didn't recognize.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Her child's heartbeat fluttered beneath it.
Two rhythms.
Two lives.
Two forces inside one fragile body.
The fragment pulsed.
You dare challenge me here.
Aria lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of you."
You are terrified.
"Yes," Aria whispered. "But I'm still here."
The darkness rippled.
The woman of shadow stepped forward, her form coalescing from the void. Her eyes glowed silver, brighter than before—brighter than Aria had ever seen. Her presence pressed against Aria's skin, her mind, her bones.
You cannot defeat me.
Aria took a step forward. "I wasn't made for you."
The woman's expression sharpened.
Lies.
"No."
You were shaped for me.
"No."
You were created to awaken me.
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach. "I was created to end you."
The woman's gaze flicked downward.
The child…
Aria's breath caught. "Stay away from them."
It should not exist.
Aria's pulse spiked. "It does."
It is an abomination.
Aria's voice broke. "It's mine."
The woman tilted her head, studying her.
You protect it.
"Yes."
You would die for it.
"Yes."
You would kill for it.
Aria swallowed hard. "If I have to."
The woman stepped closer, her presence cold enough to burn.
You are weak.
Aria shook her head. "I'm stronger than you think."
You are fragile.
"I'm still standing."
You are breaking.
Aria clenched her fists. "I'm not broken yet."
The woman's eyes narrowed.
You cannot destroy me.
Aria stepped forward.
"I can."
The darkness trembled.
The fragment screamed.
The woman's voice rose, sharp and furious.
You are nothing without me.
Aria's voice rose to meet hers.
"I am more than you."
You are mine.
"I am not."
You belong to me.
"I belong to myself."
The void shook.
The woman's form flickered.
You cannot win.
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach.
"I'm not fighting for me."
The woman froze.
Aria's voice steadied.
"I'm fighting for them."
The darkness recoiled.
The woman's eyes blazed.
The child weakens you.
"No."
The child divides you.
"No."
The child will destroy you.
Aria's voice cracked. "The child gives me strength."
The woman's expression twisted.
You are delusional.
Aria stepped closer.
"You're afraid."
The woman stiffened.
I fear nothing.
"You fear them."
Aria's hand tightened over her stomach.
"You fear what they'll become."
The void pulsed violently.
The woman's voice dropped to a hiss.
The heir of shadows and a vessel of ruin cannot coexist.
Aria's breath trembled. "Watch me."
The woman lunged.
Darkness surged.
Aria braced herself—
—but something stopped the blow.
A wall of shadow erupted between them, solid and cold, humming with power Aria recognized instantly.
The Demon King's voice echoed through the void.
"Enough."
Aria gasped. "You—how—?"
He stepped through the darkness, his form coalescing from shadow. His presence filled the void, steady and unyielding. The shadows bent toward him, recognizing their master.
The woman of shadow recoiled.
You should not be here.
He met her gaze without flinching. "You overreached."
She is mine.
"She is not."
She belongs to me.
"She belongs to herself."
The void trembled.
The woman's voice sharpened.
You cannot protect her forever.
"I do not need to."
She is breaking.
"She is becoming."
Aria's breath caught.
The woman hissed.
You are a fool.
The Demon King stepped closer, his voice low and cold. "You fear her."
The woman's form flickered.
I fear nothing.
"You fear what she will become."
She is weak.
"She is stronger than you."
She is fragile.
"She carries my heir."
The void shook.
The woman's eyes blazed.
The child will be your undoing.
"No," he said. "The child will be your end."
The woman screamed.
The void shattered.
Darkness exploded.
Aria fell.
Fell.
Fell—
—and landed in the Demon King's arms.
Her breath came in ragged bursts. Her body trembled. Her mind spun. The fragment pulsed violently beneath her ribs, furious and wounded.
The Demon King held her steady.
"You did well."
Aria shook her head. "She tried to—she wanted—"
"I know."
"She hates the baby."
"Yes."
"She wants them gone."
"Yes."
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach, tears burning her eyes. "I won't let her."
"You will not."
Aria looked up at him. "She's afraid."
"Yes."
"Of me?"
"Yes."
"Of the baby?"
His voice softened.
"Yes."
Aria swallowed hard. "What happens now?"
He held her gaze.
"Now," he said quietly, "she will try to break you from within."
Aria's breath trembled. "And if she does?"
He brushed a hand against her cheek, cold and steady.
"She will not."
Aria closed her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because," he said, "you have something she will never understand."
Aria opened her eyes. "What?"
He looked at her stomach.
"Purpose."