Aria's POV
I woke up in a cell.
Not a dungeon—the room was actually nice, with a comfortable bed and soft lighting—but the door was sealed with glowing magical barriers. Prison, no matter how pretty they made it.
My head pounded. My body ached. And when I looked down at my hands, I saw black and gold light flickering across my skin like lightning.
"You're awake." Kael's voice came from outside the barrier. He sat in a chair, looking exhausted. Like he hadn't slept all night.
"Did I..." My voice came out hoarse. "Did I hurt anyone?"
"No." Relief flooded his expression. "After you extinguished the stars, you collapsed. You've been unconscious for sixteen hours."
Sixteen hours. I'd lost sixteen hours of the three days Malachar gave me.
"Why am I in a cell?"
"Because when you woke up the first time, your eyes were completely black, and you tried to kill me." Kael said it so calmly, but I saw the pain beneath.
Horror crashed through me. "Oh god. Kael, I'm so sorry—"
"You don't remember?"
I shook my head, tears burning my eyes. "I don't remember anything after the shadow version of me merged with me. It's all... blank."
"That's what I was afraid of." Kael stood and approached the barrier. "Aria, when the darkness merged with you, it didn't just add to your power. It created two distinct personalities inside you. The you I'm talking to now—and the other you. The dark one. She's still in there, fighting for control."
"So I'm like... possessed by myself?" The absurdity would be funny if it wasn't so terrifying.
"In a way, yes." Kael's silver eyes were full of concern. "We need to find a way to integrate both sides of you without letting the darkness take over completely."
"And if we can't?"
His jaw tightened. "Then we'll deal with that when we have to."
A knock on the outer door interrupted us. Lyra entered, carrying a tray of food. She looked at me with such kindness that I wanted to cry.
"How are you feeling, little seedling?" she asked.
"Like a monster," I whispered.
"You're not a monster." Lyra set the tray down and turned to Kael. "Let me talk to her. Alone."
Kael hesitated. "If she shifts again—"
"Then I'll handle it." Lyra's voice was gentle but firm. "She needs someone who isn't afraid of her right now. And you, Sovereign, are broadcasting fear like a beacon."
"I'm not afraid of her," Kael protested. "I'm afraid FOR her."
"She can't tell the difference." Lyra shooed him toward the door. "Go rest. You've been sitting vigil all night. I'll stay with her."
After Kael reluctantly left, Lyra waved her hand, and the barrier dissolved. She walked into the cell—my prison—like she had no fear at all.
"You're not scared I'll hurt you?" I asked.
"Should I be?" Lyra sat on the edge of my bed.
"The shadow me is still inside me. She could take over any second."
"Then we'll make sure she doesn't." Lyra smiled. "That's what I'm here for, Aria. I'm not just a nature spirit. I'm a balance keeper—someone who helps beings like you learn to coexist with their dual natures."
"Beings like me? There are others?"
"Not many. But yes, throughout history, there have been those born with light and darkness inside them. Some learned to balance both sides. Others..." She trailed off.
"Others let the darkness win," I finished.
"Or the light consumed them entirely, which is equally dangerous." Lyra took my hands. "Aria, you need to understand—darkness isn't evil. Light isn't good. They're just forces. What matters is how you use them."
"But when the shadow me merged with me, I felt... powerful. And not in a good way. I wanted to destroy things. I wanted to hurt Kael, and I don't know why."
"Because that's what the shadow you was created from—all your pain, all your rage, all the hurt from years of abuse." Lyra's thumb traced patterns on my hands. "She's not evil, Aria. She's traumatized. Angry. Desperate for control."
I'd never thought about it that way. "So what do I do?"
"You talk to her." At my confused look, Lyra explained, "The shadow you is still you. Just a different aspect. If you can communicate with her, understand her, maybe you can work together instead of fighting for dominance."
"How do I talk to... myself?"
"Close your eyes. Go inward. Find that darkness inside you, and instead of pushing it away—invite it to speak."
This sounded insane. But everything in my life was insane now, so why not?
I closed my eyes and focused inward. At first, I felt nothing. Then—there. A cold spot in my chest, like ice against my heart.
Hello? I thought tentatively.
FINALLY. A voice that sounded like mine but darker, angrier. Took you long enough to actually acknowledge me instead of treating me like a disease.
I'm sorry, I thought. I didn't know how else to handle this.
You handle it by accepting me. By understanding that I'm not your enemy—I'm your protection. The shadow-voice grew stronger. All those years when your family abused you, where was I? In the background, absorbing the pain so you could keep smiling. Keeping the anger inside so you wouldn't break. I'm not the villain, Aria. I'm your survivor.
The words hit me like a punch. She was right. The darkness inside me wasn't some external evil—it was all the pain I'd never processed, all the anger I'd never expressed, all the hurt I'd swallowed down to keep being "good."
Then why did you try to hurt Kael? I asked.
Because I don't trust anyone. Everyone who ever claimed to care about us hurt us eventually. Even him—he lied about being our uncle. How long before he betrays us too?
He won't.
You can't know that! The shadow-voice was desperate now. Everyone leaves. Everyone lies. I'm trying to make us strong enough that we don't need anyone. So we can't be hurt again.
I felt tears on my cheeks. My shadow self wasn't evil—she was just scared and hurt and trying to protect us the only way she knew how.
What if, I thought carefully, instead of you protecting me OR me fighting you—we worked together? Both of us. As one.
Silence. Then: You'd really accept me? The dark parts of you?
You're not dark. You're strong. You're the part of me that refused to give up even when everything was awful. I need you. But I need you to trust me too.
More silence. I could feel her considering, weighing, deciding.
Okay, she finally said. But if anyone tries to hurt us again—
We'll deal with it together. Both of us.
I felt something shift inside me. Not merging violently like before, but... settling. Like two puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.
When I opened my eyes, Lyra was smiling. "You did it. I can see it—your aura is balanced now. Light and dark in harmony."
"I can feel her still," I said. "The shadow me. But she's not fighting anymore. We're... coexisting."
"That's exactly right." Lyra squeezed my hands. "Now comes the hard part—learning to use both powers without letting either overwhelm you."
"How long will that take?"
"Usually? Years." At my devastated expression, Lyra's smile turned mischievous. "But you're not usual. And we don't have years. So we're going to try something crazy."
"Crazier than talking to my inner darkness?"
"Much crazier." Lyra stood and helped me up. "Come with me. There's someone you need to meet."
She led me out of the cell, through corridors I didn't recognize, down into the deepest parts of the palace. Finally, we reached a door that hummed with so much magical energy it made my teeth hurt.
"What's in there?" I asked nervously.
"The Mirror of True Self," Lyra said. "An ancient artifact that shows you who you really are—not who you think you are, not who others see, but your true essence. Light and dark, strength and weakness, everything."
"Why do I need to see that?"
"Because to master both your natures, you need to accept all of yourself. No hiding. No pretending. Just raw, honest truth." Lyra's expression turned serious. "But I need to warn you—some people who look in this mirror go mad. Seeing yourself that completely, that honestly—it breaks minds."
I thought about the black veins on my wrist, now shot through with gold. Thought about my shadow self, waiting inside me. Thought about Malachar's army and the ticking clock.
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"You always have a choice," Lyra said gently. "But time is running out."
I nodded. "Let's do it."
Lyra pushed open the door.
The room beyond was empty except for one thing—a massive mirror that seemed to be made of liquid silver, constantly shifting and flowing.
"Stand in front of it," Lyra instructed. "Look at your reflection. And whatever you see—don't look away. Don't close your eyes. Face it all."
My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to walk forward. I stopped in front of the mirror.
At first, I just saw my normal reflection. Dark hair, amber eyes, pale skin. Then—
The image began to change.
I saw myself as I really was. Not physically, but spiritually. Emotionally. The truth of who I'd become.
I saw the frightened girl who'd spent eighteen years believing she was worthless. I saw the rage buried so deep I'd forgotten it was there. I saw the kindness I'd maintained despite cruelty. I saw the power waiting to be unleashed. I saw the love I was capable of giving. I saw the destruction I was capable of causing.
I saw light so bright it could heal worlds.
I saw darkness so deep it could swallow stars.
I saw every version of myself—past, present, and possible futures. The hero I could become. The monster I could turn into. The balance I could achieve.
And there, behind all of it, I saw HER.
My shadow self, standing beside my light self, both of them holding hands.
"We're the same," I whispered. "We've always been the same. Two halves of one whole."
The mirror rippled, and words appeared in the liquid silver:
THE CHOICE IS NOT LIGHT OR DARK. THE CHOICE IS FEAR OR LOVE.
I stared at those words, understanding flooding through me. The prophecy wasn't about choosing between good and evil. It was about choosing between letting fear control me or letting love guide me.
Fear would make me a monster. Love would make me whole.
"I choose love," I said out loud. "I choose to love all of myself. The light and the dark. The pain and the joy. All of it."
The mirror exploded with brilliant light—gold and black swirling together.
Power surged through me like lightning. Not painful, but overwhelming. I felt my light and dark merging perfectly, working together, complementing each other.
When the light faded, I looked down at my hands. Gold and black energy danced together across my skin, interweaving like threads.
"How do you feel?" Lyra asked, awe in her voice.
"Complete," I breathed. "For the first time in my life, I feel complete."
"Your aura—" Lyra gasped. "Aria, your aura is unlike anything I've ever seen. You're truly balanced. You're—"
The door burst open.
Finn rushed in, his face panicked. "We have a problem. A big one."
"What is it?" I demanded.
"It's your family. The possessed ones—Victoria, Marcus, and Ryan. They just woke up." Finn's expression was grim. "And they're not possessed anymore. Malachar released them."
"That's good, isn't it?" I asked. "They're free?"
"No." Finn shook his head. "It's a trap. Malachar left them with a message, and they're demanding to speak to you. Only you."
My stomach dropped. "What's the message?"
"He said to tell you that if you want to save the human realm, you have to make a choice." Finn's voice was tight with tension. "Surrender yourself to him by midnight tonight, or he'll start killing one human every hour until you do."
"That's less than twelve hours!" I protested.
"I know." Finn grabbed my arm. "But there's more. Your stepmother—Victoria—she wants to talk to you. Says she has information about your mother's death. Information only you need to hear."
"It's obviously a trap," Lyra said.
"Of course it is," I agreed. "But what if she really does know something?"
"Aria, you can't seriously be considering—" Finn started.
"I have to." I looked at both of them. "I need to hear what she has to say. And then—" I clenched my fists, feeling my dual powers respond. "—then I'm going to end this. One way or another."
We rushed back to the main palace. In the medical wing, my formerly possessed family members were being held in separate rooms, guarded heavily.
Kael met us in the hallway. "You shouldn't be here."
"I have to talk to Victoria," I said. "She says she knows something about my mother."
"It's a trap."
"I know. But I have to try." I met his silver eyes. "Kael, I'm balanced now. Light and dark working together. I can handle this."
He studied me for a long moment, then nodded reluctantly. "I'm coming with you."
"No." I touched his arm gently. "She'll only talk to me alone. Those were her terms."
"Aria—"
"I'll be fine. Trust me."
After a tense moment, Kael stepped aside.
I entered Victoria's room alone.
She sat on the bed, looking small and fragile—nothing like the cruel woman who'd tormented me for years. When she looked up, her eyes were clear. Human. No red glow.
"Aria," she said, her voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry. For everything."
"Save it." I crossed my arms. "You wanted to talk. Talk."
"Malachar told me things while he possessed me. Things about your mother. About the night she died." Victoria's hands shook. "Aria, your mother's death wasn't random. It was orchestrated. And not just by Malachar."
My blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"
"Your father." Victoria's voice broke. "Marcus knew what was coming. Malachar contacted him weeks before the attack, offered him money and power in exchange for weakening your mother's defenses. For making sure she was distracted when the assault came."
No. No, that couldn't be true.
"You're lying," I whispered.
"I wish I was." Tears streamed down Victoria's face. "I'm not innocent either. Malachar recruited me because I was obsessed with Guardians, with their power. He told me if I married Marcus and kept you weak, controlled, isolated—I'd eventually get to study Guardian magic up close. I did it, Aria. I helped him. And your father sold out his own wife for money."
I felt sick. My father. My own father had helped murder my mother.
"Why are you telling me this?" My voice shook with rage and pain.
"Because Malachar showed me what happens if he wins. If he gets you." Victoria looked at me with haunted eyes. "He doesn't just want your power, Aria. He wants to use you to open a permanent rift between all realms. Unleash every nightmare, every monster, every dark thing that's ever existed—into every world simultaneously. Billions will die. Reality itself will collapse."
"I won't let that happen."
"You can't stop him alone. He's too powerful." Victoria leaned forward. "But there's a way. A ritual. Your mother knew about it but never told anyone because it required..." She trailed off.
"Required what?"
Victoria met my eyes, and I saw genuine sorrow there. "It required a Guardian to sacrifice everything. Their power, their life, their very soul—to permanently seal Malachar away. Forever."
My heart stopped. "You're saying I have to die."
"I'm saying that might be the only way to save everyone."
Before I could respond, alarms blared throughout the palace.
Kael burst into the room. "Malachar's army is here. They're not waiting until midnight. He's attacking NOW."
Through the window, I saw the sky darken with thousands of shadow creatures.
And at their head, Malachar's giant form, laughing.
"ARIA CHEN!" His voice boomed. "COME OUT AND FACE ME! OR I START KILLING EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT!"
I ran to the window and saw him grab a supernatural being—a young fairy—with his massive shadow hand.
"You have TEN SECONDS!" Malachar roared. "TEN... NINE... EIGHT..."
I looked at Kael, at Finn who'd just run in, at Lyra behind them.
At Victoria, who'd just told me I might have to die to win.
At my hands, crackling with gold and black power.
"THREE... TWO..."
"I'm going out there," I said.
"Aria, no—" Kael grabbed my arm.
I met his eyes. "Trust me. Please. Just trust me."
"ONE!"
I yanked free and ran toward the balcony.
Behind me, I heard Kael shout my name.
But I was already jumping, power exploding from my body as I flew through the air toward Malachar.
Gold and black light surrounded me like wings.
And as I soared toward the enemy who wanted to use me to destroy the world, one thought crystallized in my mind:
I wasn't going to sacrifice myself.
I was going to make him regret ever targeting me.
But when I got close enough to see Malachar's face clearly, I saw something that made my heart stop.
He was smiling.
Not with triumph. With recognition.
"Welcome home, daughter," he said.
And suddenly, I understood why my father had helped kill my mother.
Because he wasn't my real father at all.