Fallen Star Angel

The night air felt heavier than ever.

Eleana's pulse pounded in her ears as she stood between two forces pulling her in opposite directions—Leon, glowing with celestial determination, and Victor, whose golden eyes no longer held the same warmth she once believed in.

Her hands trembled. The fragmented visions refused to make sense, like pieces of a puzzle scattered across time.

She had seen glimpses of her past. A cup, a voice, a promise of protection. But why? What had she been protected from?

Victor's jaw clenched. He had always been in control—but now, for the first time, he wasn't sure of her anymore.

"You're confused," he said, his voice softer than before. "You're overwhelmed. This is all Leon's doing."

Eleana hesitated. Was it?

Everything she knew—her family, her future, the life she had prepared for—Victor had been a part of it. But then…

Why did Leon's presence make her heart ache with a longing she didn't understand?

Leon took a cautious step toward her. "Eleana, you feel it, don't you?" he whispered. "Something inside you is trying to wake up. You've felt it since the moment we met."

A sharp pang struck her chest.

She had felt something.

That strange familiarity. That pull toward him that made no sense.

Victor saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes and stepped forward. "Eleana," he said firmly, "you don't need to listen to this nonsense. Come with me."

She turned to him, searching his face. "Victor… did you know?"

His expression darkened. "Know what?"

She swallowed hard. "That my memories were taken from me?"

Victor didn't answer.

That silence told her everything.

Her breath hitched. He had known. All this time.

"You lied to me." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Victor's fingers twitched. "Eleana—"

"No." Her hands curled into fists. "You said you loved me. That I could trust you. But you never told me who I really am."

Victor's golden eyes flickered, something dangerous brewing beneath them. "I was protecting you."

She shook her head, stepping back. "No. You were protecting yourself."

Leon tensed, watching the scene unfold. He had known Victor was manipulative, but now, Eleana was finally seeing it for herself.1

And Victor knew it too.

The Weight of the Past

Eleana pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing, something was changing inside her.

More fragments of memories flashed through her mind—her parents whispering in fear, the glow of an unknown power, the sensation of her body weakening after drinking something.

A promise.

"You will live as a human. You will forget. It is the only way to keep you safe."

Her knees nearly buckled. She wasn't meant to remember.

She wasn't meant to become whatever she had once been.

Leon's voice was gentle but firm. "Eleana, you were never meant to belong to him."

Victor's gaze snapped toward Leon, his patience finally unraveling. "You think you've won her over, do you?" His voice dripped with disdain.

Leon's wings flared with light. "I think she deserves to make her own choice."

Eleana's breath came in short gasps. Choice.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't being told what to do.

Victor had controlled her, her parents had hidden her truth, and even Leon, though he had tried to protect her, knew more than he was saying.

But this was her life.

And she was done being a pawn in a game she didn't understand.

She lifted her chin, strength returning to her voice. "I will decide my own fate."

Victor's expression twisted. "Eleana—"

"No," she said, cutting him off. Her hands trembled, but her voice remained steady. "If you ever truly cared about me, you'll let me go."

For the first time, Victor had nothing to say.

A Dangerous Path

Leon exhaled slowly. She had chosen.

Not him. Not Victor.

Herself.

But before relief could settle, he felt something shift in the air.

Victor wasn't going to accept this.

Not without a fight.

Dark energy crackled around him, his golden eyes turning cold. "You think you can just walk away from me?" His voice was no longer smooth—it was sharp, edged with barely controlled rage.

Leon immediately stepped in front of Eleana. "It's over, Victor."

Victor let out a bitter laugh. "No. It's not."

And then—the ground beneath them shook.

A pulse of dark magic erupted from Victor, knocking Leon backward. Eleana gasped as a force wrapped around her, freezing her in place.

Leon lunged forward. "ELEANA!"

But before he could reach her—

Victor vanished with her into the darkness

The Beginning of the End

Leon's heart stopped.

She was gone.

His fists clenched as the wind howled around him, his wings still glowing.

Victor had her.

And if he had been dangerous before, now he would stop at nothing to keep her.

Leon inhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus. This wasn't over.

He would find her.

He had lost her once.

He wasn't going to lose her again.

Not this time.

Not ever.

Page 11