Chapter 55 Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Chapter 55

Yulia

I couldn’t help but think about the voice that spoke to me in the dark earlier. An experience as otherworldly as that should have felt unbelievable.

But it didn’t, that voice… it didn’t feel like a stranger.

That thought sat in my chest, heavy and uncomfortable.

It felt familiar.

Too familiar for comfort.

I squeezed the fabric on the bed without even realizing it while I desperately tried to push the feeling away, but unfortunately it was here to stay. 

It stayed there, lingering at the back of my mind like something I wasn’t ready to face.

I drew in a slow breath. Then…Pain exploded in my chest.

A painful whimper escaped out of me as my body jerked forward against my will. It wasn’t like before. This wasn’t the slow, burning pain from the ritual.

This was sudden, violent.

“Yulia?”

Luci’s voice cut through it, but it sounded far away, almost as if he wasn’t right in front of me.

My fingers gripped his shirt tightly as I battled the pain.

“I—” I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out properly.

Something was wrong.

The pressure built rapidly, pushing outward from deep inside me like it was trying to force its way out. My breathing turned uneven, each inhale sharper than the last.

The room started to blur, I felt as though I was being suffocated.

“Yulia, look at me.”

His voice was closer now. Stronger. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t look.

My vision fractured completely. Then everything disappeared.

The voices were already there when I opened my eyes. Low. Whispering.

For a moment, I didn’t even breathe. Because I knew… I wasn’t in the room anymore.

The ground beneath my feet was cold and black, stretching endlessly in every direction without a break.

I stood still, my chest rising slowly. I should’ve been afraid. But I wasn’t.
 And that made it worse. 

The whispers grew louder. “…late…”

“…finally…”

“…awake…”

I turned sharply, scanning the space.

“Who’s there?”

My voice echoed, but strangely, like the space was holding onto it instead of throwing it back.

The ground rippled. I froze. Then something began to rise from the darkness.

A figure. Tall. Unclear.

Its shape didn’t stay still, like it couldn’t fully exist.

“You came back,” it said. My throat felt dry.

“What is this place?” I asked.

The figure tilted its head slightly.

“Not a place,” it said.

“Then what is it?” I asked.

A pause, then it broke the silence. 

“You.”

The word landed heavily. Something in my chest dropped. The figure stepped closer, and the space around it seemed to shift with it.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” it continued.

“Felt what?” I asked.

“The awakening.” A sharp pulse shot through my chest.

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The figure made a soft sound.

“Liar.”

The word hit harder than it should have. Because a part of me knew that It wasn’t wrong.

The figure lifted a hand. And suddenly… Everything broke.

The darkness shattered around me, splitting into fragments as images flashed through the space.

Too fast to fully grasp. Blood. Fire. A battlefield.

And in the middle of it, someone standing. Still. Unmoving.

My breath caught. Because I recognized it. It was me. But not me. Colder. Stronger.

Something else entirely. I staggered back. “What is that?” I demanded.

The figure didn’t hesitate. “That is what you were.” The words sank deep. “No,” I said immediately.

The space pulsed again. “And it’s waking up,” the figure said.

The pressure hit me again, stronger this time. My body dropped to one knee, my hand clutching my chest.

“Stop—”

“You can’t stop it,” the voice said calmly. The pressure increased. “It was never gone.”

My head snapped up. “What?” The figure stood directly in front of me now.

“Your power was sealed,” it said. The words felt sharp, as if there was no way it could be wrong. “ Not taken.”

Everything inside me stilled. “A seal?” I echoed. The figure hesitated slightly.

“We’ll get there,” it said. Frustration rose quickly. “No. Tell me now. Who sealed it?”

The darkness around us shifted violently. Before it could answer, something yanked hard.

The space cracked. The ground beneath me shattered into nothingness. I gasped as my eyes flew open. 

I was awake and I was back in my body.

My lungs dragged in air like I’d been holding my breath for too long.

The room came back slowly into my vision slowly.

Luci’s hands were on me, firm, steady.

“Yulia. Look at me.” I blinked rapidly, trying to focus.

“I’m here,” I managed. His grip tightened slightly, like he wasn’t fully convinced.

My chest was still rising too fast, but the pressure was gone. For now. I swallowed.

“…It happened again.” His expression darkened. “What did?” he asked.

I hesitated. “I wasn’t here,” I said. “I was somewhere else.” He didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t question it. “There was something there,” I continued. “It said… this wasn’t the ritual.”

My fingers curled slightly. “That it was me.” The silence that followed was heavy.

Because now I knew it was true.

And whatever had been sealed inside me…wasn’t waiting anymore.