Chapter 16: A Hunger Unleashed

The blast sent Zara flying backward, her body slamming into the forest floor with a force that rattled her bones. Luca was beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms. "Are you okay?"

Zara coughed, nodding weakly. "I—yeah. I think so."

A storm of energy swirled around the Siren, her silver cloak now black at the edges, unraveling like threads of darkness. "You could have had everything," she spat, her voice losing its eerie calm. "But now? Now, I’ll take it from you piece by piece."

The ground trembled as tendrils of shadow shot toward them.

Luca reacted instantly, pulling Zara up and dodging just in time. "We have to get to the ruins," he panted. "The wards there might hold her off."

Zara didn’t hesitate. Hand in hand, they ran through the dense undergrowth, the magic-charged air crackling around them. The ruins were just ahead—a crumbling temple covered in ivy, the last remnant of the old world before the Veil had begun to seep into reality.

But just as they reached the entrance, a tendril of darkness lashed out—and wrapped around Zara’s ankle.

She screamed as she was yanked backward, her body dragged across the ground.

"Zara!"

Luca lunged, grabbing onto her arm, his muscles straining as he fought against the pull. But the Siren’s power was stronger. Zara could feel it clawing at her skin, trying to drag her deeper into the dark.

Then something changed.

A pulse of energy erupted from within her—a burning heat, unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Her fingers glowed.

The shadows recoiled from her touch, as if burned.

The Siren hissed in pain.

Zara gasped, her body tingling as the power surged through her veins. It was something ancient, something buried deep inside her—something the Siren had not expected.

Luca’s eyes widened. "Zara… what did you just do?"

"I don’t know," she whispered. But she didn’t have time to figure it out. The Siren was recovering, her fury growing.

"We need to go. Now!"

Zara and Luca burst into the temple ruins just as the Siren let out a deafening scream—a cry that shook the very foundations of the world.

And as the stone doors slammed shut behind them, sealing them inside, Zara knew one thing for certain.

The fight wasn’t over.

It had only just begun.