They buried the truth.
Buried me.
Burned the records, sealed the gates, rewrote the histories until the world forgot her name.
But power like mine doesn't stay silent forever.
And tonight, the Ruinbringer stirred.
The king found me in the monster's chamber.
His face was unreadable, but his voice dripped with a calm that scared me more than a scream.
"I told you not to come here again."
He looked at the monster—still shackled, still smiling—and his knuckles cracked.
"You forget," the monster said, baring sharp teeth, "I knew her before you did."
"She wasn't yours."
"She was never yours."
The walls shook.
Not from magic—but from something older. Something older than kings, older than curses.
From me.
I staggered backward, grabbing a pillar to steady myself. The pressure in my chest was unbearable. Like something ancient inside me was trying to claw free.
"Make it stop," I whispered.
The king moved fast—too fast. His hands gripped my arms, eyes locked onto mine.
"You need to remember now," he said. "Before it takes over."
"Before what takes over?"
He didn't answer.
Because the monster did.
"The Ruin," he purred. "The goddess of annihilation you once were. The one who burned down the heavens for love."
—
A flash—
Screams. A battlefield littered with ash. Gold blood on my hands. A kiss stolen in the smoke.
Another flash—
My name screamed across realms. A blade through a god's heart. A promise whispered at the end of time.
Vaeleria.
—
I dropped to my knees, gasping.
My power surged through the floor like a wave of fire and shadow. The torches lining the walls blew out. The chains on the monster groaned.
The king stepped back—but not in fear.
In awe.
"She's coming back," he murmured.
I looked up.
Not at him.
At the monster.
And he smiled like he'd just won.
"You feel it now, don't you?" he said, voice velvet and ruin. "The part of you that liked the killing. The part that never wanted peace."
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't have to.
The look in my eyes said it all.
—
"I'm not ready," I whispered.
The king kneeled before me, took my hand, kissed my knuckles.
"You never were."
"But you chose to become her anyway."
—
In that chamber of secrets and chains, I felt something awaken in me.
Not just power.
But purpose.
And once the Ruinbringer remembers who she is… there will be no gods left to stop her.
To Be Continued...