Chapter 19: The shadow of the past
The tension in the temple could be felt in the air, dense and charged like clouds before a magical storm. The shadow remained there, motionless, as if it were part of its own environment. Pandora felt a strange pressure in her chest, as if her heart wanted to escape through the throat, as if something inside her recognized her even before her mind could comprehend.
Lili, still hugging Raven, watched in silence, as if she knew that this moment did not belong only to the present. Morgana put herself forward, in a guard position, and Amy, with her hand ready to cast a spell, glanced at Pandora, waiting for a reaction. Persephone, quieter than normal, felt the flow of ancient magic in every inch of the place.
The shadow took a step.
And it was in this movement that Pandora knew. The memory came like a torrent. It wasn’t yours. But at the same time, it was.
A garden of black stones. A woman with long dark purple hair, a cloak made of rags of ancient silk, eyes like eternal storms. She wielded an enchanted sickle, and spoke to the Gods as if she were one of them. Elyana. The first Veil Keeper.
Pandora took a step forward, her eyes fixed on the figure that now came completely out of the shadows, revealing sharper contours. The face was the same as she saw in the paintings of the secret hall of the library. The same face she saw in a vision. But now he was... changed. Corrupt. As if the darkness had devoured parts of that woman’s soul.
"Elyana..." whispered Pandora, her voice shrunk.
The shadow smiled. Not a warm smile. It was something between nostalgia and irony. As if he knew too much.
"You recognized me, my reincarnation." Elyana’s voice echoed within everyone, but seemed destined only for Pandora. “My successor.”
The world stopped. Morgana stared at Pandora with her tight eyes of confusion. Raven approached, standing by her daughter’s side. Amy took a step back, feeling the whisper of the forest shut up.
Pandora clenched her fists.
"Why are you... like this? You were a Guardian. You protected the veil."
Elyana slightly tilted her head.
"And I was forgotten. Betrayed. Left to perish between two worlds. Do you think sacrifice has no price, little spark?"
Persephone finally spoke firmly:
"We won’t let you take Pandora."
Elyana burst out with a low, bitter laugh. A cold wind ran through the temple.
"Take? No, sweet daughter of the forest. I am already part of it. And it will be part of me. When the third seal is activated, there will be no more division."
Amy held Pandora’s arm.
"We have to stop her. If she completes this cycle..."
But Pandora was in shock. Elyana wasn’t just a memory. She wasn’t an enemy. She was herself. An earlier version, more powerful, more wounded, more... dangerous.
"Why do you want to destroy me?" Pandora asked, almost in a whisper.
Elyana came closer, her eyes amber glowing like embers. She reached out a hand.
"I don’t want to destroy you. I want you to wake up. The real you. Not this version tamed by the rules of a school or by passing affections."
Pandora took a step back. Elyana’s presence was overwhelming, but inside of her something began to shine. Something that came from their friendships, their passions, everything they had learned.
She looked at Persephone, Raven, Amy, Morgana, Lili.
"I’m not you, Elyana." Pandora’s voice was now firm, though her eyes were swollen. "And I don’t want to be."
The temple trembled. Elyana was not pleased with the answer. A thunder rumbled, and the shadow receded slowly to the portal from where it came.
"It is not yet time. But you will come to me, when the last seal is broken. And then there will be no more refusal."
And she disappeared.
The temple was silent for long minutes. The girls looked at each other, all trying to absorb what had just happened.
Pandora fell to her knees.
And the night continued, dense and full of unanswered questions.
The flames crackled silently in the lamps of the castle’s entrance, casting soft shadows on the exhausted faces of the girls. Pandora walked in front, the body tense, still feeling the echo of Elyana’s presence in every heartbeat. There was a new weight on her shoulders, a past that reached her with invisible claws.
The group passed through the lobby, each one immersed in their own thoughts, when Raven, with Lili sleeping in her arms, stopped behind Pandora.
"We need to talk," he said softly, trying not to wake the daughter.
Pandora turned slowly, her face lit only by a distant torch. Her eyes were tired but attentive. Raven took a deep breath.
"I already knew about Elyana. About the corruption... about what she was" her voice came out firm, but sad. "I found out years ago. Read the old records, saw the marks coming out on you and... I could not tell you. I thought protecting you would be enough. I thought hiding the pain would prevent the worst."
Pandora felt her stomach stir. The world seemed to spin for a second.
"Did you know all this time?" she whispered, with a mixture of unbelief and hurt in her voice. "And didn’t you tell me? Saw me discover all this alone... feel all this... and remained silent?"
Raven lowered her eyes, stroking the head of Lili, who was quietly groaning against her shoulder.
“I just wanted to protect you…”
"You betrayed me" interrupted Pandora, the voice ensnared. "To protect is to trust. Not to hide truths. Not to decide for myself what I should know."
She took a step back, feeling her chest clench. Without thinking, she turned and ran down the corridor, eyes searing. The hallways looked darker than ever. He went straight to Amy’s dorm room, clapping his already shaky knuckles.
Amy opened the door, confused and with dark circles, but seeing Pandora in that state, pulled her inside without saying a word. Pandora collapsed in her arms, as if only that hug could stop her from completely collapsing.
Meanwhile, Raven stood in the hall for a few seconds. Pandora’s words still echoed like silent knives. He looked at his sleeping daughter, kissed her forehead with tenderness and whispered:
"You don’t need to see this, my little one. Tomorrow... everything will be different."