Chapter 175

The world around me seemed to blur, the sounds of the village distant and muffled as if I had been plunged into deep water. My heart pounded in my chest, heavy with grief, guilt, and the bitter sting of regret. The weight of what had happened pressed down on me, suffocating me as I stared into the snowy horizon where Sirius had stood just moments ago. His figure was long gone, nothing but an eerie, haunting memory, but the destruction he left behind would never fade.

Lira.  

Yong.  

Their lifeless faces burned into my mind, the images refusing to leave me. The sight of Yong’s body, his blood staining the snow like spilled ink on parchment. The way Lira lay so still, untouched by the cruelty that had taken her father. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat.  

How could he? How could he kill a child?  

I had known him once, had known the man beneath the rage and fire, but now I wasn’t sure if that man had ever truly existed. The Sirius I had loved would have never done this. He had been filled with passion, yes, but also love—love for me, love for the child we had once dreamed of raising together.  

And yet, here we were.  

I let out a shaky breath, my body trembling as my mind unwillingly wandered back to the prophecy, the warning that I had ignored, the omen that had been staring me in the face from the very beginning.  

The Seer’s voice echoed in my mind, the words chilling, now more than ever.  

"Take your child and run"

I had dismissed it, convinced that I could change fate. I had thought that love could tether him, could anchor him to something more than just his fury. I had believed in him.  

What a fool I had been.  

The prophecy was true and I shouldn't have let him in.

I felt my breath catch in my throat, my hands clenching into fists. I should have known. I should have seen it coming. He had walked the same path as his father, with blood staining his hands and vengeance guiding his every move. The Sirius that I had once known, the man who had whispered his love to me beneath the stars, who had held me as if I were the only thing that mattered in the world—he was gone.  

He had been gone for years.  

I squeezed my eyes shut, the dream from my pregnancy flashing through my mind, clearer now than it had ever been.  

I had seen it then, the flames engulfing the world, my child crying out in the darkness, the shadow of a dragon looming over us. I had awakened drenched in sweat, clutching my stomach as if to shield the life growing inside me. It had been a warning, a glimpse into what was to come.  

But I hadn’t listened.  

I had told myself it was just a nightmare, the fears of an expecting mother. I had convinced myself that it meant nothing.  

And now?  

Now my hands were stained with blood, not because I had wielded the sword, but because I had let him in. I had opened the gates, I had begged for him to be allowed to stay, I had trusted him.  

I had let the wolf into the flock, and my family had paid the price.  

My breathing grew unsteady as the truth settled deep into my bones. This was not just about Yong or Lira. This was about the choices I had made. I had spent years hiding from Sirius, keeping Aster safe within the confines of the village, and yet, when faced with him, I had faltered. I had let my heart rule my head, and in doing so, I had doomed those I loved.  

My knees buckled, and I barely caught myself before I fell to the ground.  

How could I have been so blind?  

Aster’s voice pulled me back to the present, his steps hesitant as he approached.  

“Mom?” His voice was quiet, uncertain.  

I turned to face him, my heart twisting at the sight of my son. He had grown so much seventeen years old now, no longer the small child I had once rocked to sleep. And yet, in his eyes, I saw the same innocence, the same longing for answers that I didn’t know how to give.  

He looked at me, his expression torn between anger and grief. “Did you know?”  

My breath hitched. “Know what?”  

“That he would do this.” His voice wavered. “Did you know what kind of man he had become?”  

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my hands trembling. “I… I thought…” The words caught in my throat, my excuses crumbling before they could even leave my lips.  

He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “You thought what? That he would change? That he would be the man you wanted him to be?” He stepped closer, his blue eyes burning with emotion. “People warned you, didn’t they? And you still let him in.”  

A sharp pang of guilt sliced through me. “I didn’t know he would”  

“But you should have,” Aster cut me off, his voice breaking. “You should have.”  

Silence stretched between us, heavy with everything that had been lost.  

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, but the words felt hollow.  

Aster turned away, his shoulders tense. “Sorry won’t bring them back.”  

I wanted to reach for him, to comfort him, but I knew he wasn’t ready. Maybe he never would be.  

The village was in mourning, but it wasn’t just for Yong and Lira. It was for the illusion of safety that had been shattered, for the trust that had been broken. The people who had once called me their own now looked at me with suspicion, with anger.  

I could feel their gazes, the whispered words carried by the cold wind.  

"She let him in."

"She brought this upon us."

I couldn’t argue with them.  

I turned my gaze toward the sky, toward the path Sirius had taken when he had flown away, leaving nothing but death in his wake.  

He was gone.  

But he would be back.  

And next time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.