«She was no longer Helena».
I had accepted it.
And yet... sothing in my chest was still reluctant to let her go completely.
The mist that surrounded us was dense.
My hands, numb, still trembled around the empty space where my sword had once been.
My body, already exhausted, refused to obey — but my eyes... they never left her. Not for a single mont.
Not out of love.
Not out of hope.
None of that made sense anymore.
She had already made sure to bury it the mont she raised her blade against .
I just wanted answers.
In front of , she — if you could still call her that — didn’t move.
Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.
The sa face.
The sa body.
But no longer the sa eyes.
And then, I heard it.
— ...Daven.
Her voice.
Not the saintess.
Not my wife’s.
It was her voice. The other one. The one I hated most.
The sound faded like an echo among the shadows, her voice was heartbreaking, delicate, and at the sa ti carried a warmth and innocence that struck the deepest part of my soul.
A shiver ran through my entire body; ti seed to stop right then.
Helena had never said my na like that.
Not with that tone, not with that... childlike air.
And yet, it was her mouth.
Her lips that spoke it.
I felt sick for an instant. For a few seconds, I didn’t know whether to laugh or rage.
Because it couldn’t be.
But it was.
I knew it instantly.
She had descended.
— At last... you show yourself... — I murmured, with a mix of disgust and relief.
She smiled at .
Not Helena.
The shadow that had taken over her body.
The presence behind her eyes.
.
.
.
The sky was unusually clear that afternoon.
Helena ran between the trees, her boots already soaked by the snow, laughing sweetly while the wind played with her blonde hair.
— Faster, Daven! — she shouted, turning to look at the boy who followed her, holding a branch like it was so knight’s sword.
— I told you that path is dangerous! — I replied, sowhat annoyed, afraid she might hurt herself.
But she didn’t listen. She almost never did.
She’d been a free spirit from the mont we t — fragile in body, but more stubborn than anyone.
From the mont our eyes t, Helena had changed my world completely.
Each day felt brighter, more exciting.
That very afternoon she had convinced — after much nagging — to go beyond the stream, where the stones frozen by winter were sharp and the trees seed taller and glassier.
She was excited because she’d heard from my grandmother about the beauty of the fish beneath the ice.
I was reluctant to go out; I only agreed after many complaints... and a sweet little threat.
But agreeing that day... I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
A roar shook the surroundings.
The ground vibrated under my feet. From the bushes, a huge figure erged: a bear with red fur, bloodshot eyes, and claws like giants.
Helena froze.
— Run! — I shouted, pushing her hard.
She fell onto the snow, rolling several ters before lying still.
From there, I saw her trying to get up, eyes wide, fixed on .
And I...
I stood there buying ti in front of the bear, trembling with fear, holding an imaginary sword in my hands.
The beast growled, taking a step closer.
I could already feel its icy breath against my skin.
— No! — Helena scread behind , tears covering her eyes. — Please, soone...
Nothing.
No answer.
Only the sound of a roar tearing through the air.
That was when she couldn’t help it.
— Daven!
With her body trembling, Helena ran, screaming my na.
Her boots slipped on the snow but she didn’t stop.
She threw herself toward , sacrificing her body.
— NOOO! — I shouted, but it was already too late.
The monster’s claw ca down.
And then... the world stopped.
The snow hung frozen in the air.
The bear’s roar, halted midway.
Even my breath caught in my throat.
Everything fell into absolute silence.
I didn’t understand what was happening, I just... felt it.
A strange pressure, like sothing imnse — beyond what my mind could comprehend — was approaching.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t think.
I could only watch.
Then, the sound of broken bells echoed, filling the forest with a resonance that seed to co from the depths of the soul.
The sky darkened in an instant, and a spiral of dark light — denser than night, brighter than gold — descended upon Helena.
— Welldone, mychild — whispered a soft, childish, warm voice.
But... it chilled my blood at once.
That voice didn’t co from the sky or the earth; it slipped into my mind. As if it had always been waiting there.
It was then I realized.
The glow surrounding her slowly faded, revealing Helena, but...
Her face was still the sa. Proud. Beautiful.
But her eyes — deep as the abyss, full of lights that seed to contain entire galaxies — there was no trace of the girl I knew.
Her blonde hair turned as black as night.
Her already pale skin now glead like silk.
Above her head floated a halo as vast as the universe... a miniature Milky Way spinning majestically at its whim.
The air around her changed, beca heavier. Reverent, as if the whole forest held its breath.
The bear felt it instinctively, whimpering.
It backed away, its body trembling violently burned into my mory...
and then without a single touch, its form crumbled into black dust by the re presence that had just manifested.
.
.
.
— Long ti no see, Daven — she said casually, breaking my thoughts.
The expression on her face was cheerful, like she’d just reunited with an old lover.
— Finally showing yourself, bitch — I said.
Almost imdiately, the cheerful expression on her face began to distort.
Her smile cracked, her nearly perfect features started to crumble, like the human mask she wore was about to shatter.
Her eyes flashed again, and for an instant — I swear it — behind her I saw another form.
A shadow with wings wrapped in darkness.
Her lips twisted instantly, revealing her displeasure.
But even so, she didn’t attack .
She waited, patient.
I didn’t know what her ga was, I had so many questions, so many doubts, but in this mont...
Only one truly mattered.
— Why? Why did you do it?
...( silence.)
— WHY DID YOU DO IT?! DAMN IT — I roared, my voice breaking.
The pain and rage I’d carried for years finally spilled out.
For a second.
...( silence.)
...( silence.)
Then...
"Ha, ha ,ha..."
A laugh.
Low.
Subtle.
Like a whisper born in the throat of soone who cared about nothing but themselves.
And then it burst.
— AHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHA... HNHEHEHEHEEE...!
A hysterical, overflowing laugh that reverberated through the ruins of the place as if the whole world was laughing with her.
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