Shadows Of Rebirth

(Chapter 13: Mira pov) 

 Lorenzo's presence was all around me as he adjusted my stance, his hand guiding mine, his touch sending sparks up my arm. I tried to focus on the lesson, on the magic he wanted me to summon, but my senses were overwhelmed by him—his voice, deep and soft, the way his breath brushed against my skin.

 "Close your eyes," he whispered, his voice warm, laced with something I couldn't quite name. "Feel the energy…here"—his hand rested on my shoulder—"and here." His fingers traced along my jawline, settling just under my ear.

 My pulse hammered beneath his touch, and I did as he asked, closing my eyes, reaching out with my senses to feel the energy. But my mind kept coming back to him. The way his hand lingered. The way he smelled—dark, warm, like spice and mystery.

 "Good," he murmured. "You're connected to the power around you…you just need to let it flow."

 I opened my eyes then, meeting his gaze, and for a moment, everything else faded—the lesson, the magic, everything but him. I didn't know who moved first, but suddenly, his lips were on mine, tentative, then deeper, igniting something inside me I hadn't known was there.

 The kiss was slow, lingering, and I felt every inch of him, his warmth, his restraint slipping. I was lost in him, in the feeling of his arms around me, and the world spun away, leaving only us, bound by something timeless and powerful.

 But then he pulled back, his face shadowed with a look I didn't understand. "We should stop," he said, his voice rough, almost as if he were holding back a storm. "I…shouldn't have…"

 I stared at him, breathless, heart racing, but he'd already turned, putting space between us, leaving me alone with the taste of his kiss and a heart that didn't seem to belong to me anymore.

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 (LORENZO POV)

 I paced the corridor, fists clenched, my mind racing. What did I just do? The taste of her still lingered, her warmth pressed into my skin. I'd spent lifetimes watching her, waiting for her to return, but never letting myself imagine this.

 You shouldn't have kissed her, I told myself, but it was too late. One kiss had unraveled every carefully bound thread of restraint I'd woven over centuries.

 Leaning my head against the cold wall, I closed my eyes, fighting to catch my breath. I'd promised myself I would protect her, that I would stay in the shadows, guarding her from the darkness that surrounded me.

 And yet, in one reckless moment, I'd thrown that away. She deserves a life free from me—from my curse, my shadows. But I knew, no matter what I told myself, that she was already tangled in them. And for a selfish, dangerous instant, I'd wanted her to be.

 (VICENZO POV)

 The shadows welcomed me as I moved through the winding halls, the ancient stone walls whispering secrets only I could hear. Tonight, something in the air felt charged, as though the world held its breath, waiting.

 I'd felt it the moment her power stirred, like a thread tugging at the edges of my consciousness. Mira was changing—awakening. And perhaps… remembering.

 The thought sent a flicker of excitement through me, though I hid it well beneath a mask of indifference. I had waited lifetimes for this, watching from afar, letting the strands of fate weave her back into this world. And now, with each passing day, she was coming closer to who she once was.

 Still, Lorenzo was a complication. Watching them stumble toward each other, bound by a connection even he could not deny, made me almost wary. Lorenzo, of all people, understood the cost of love in our world.

And yet here he was, caught in her orbit once again, tempting fate, as he always did.

 It was dangerous. And it was a risk I would not allow to ruin everything we had planned.

 I paused just outside her door, my fingers brushing against the old wood. Her magic hummed faintly, raw and unrefined, but potent. A reminder of the power she had once commanded—a power she was beginning to reclaim.

And if she could only remember…

 I slipped through the door, my eyes adjusting to the soft darkness. There she was, standing by the open window, her face cast in silver by the moonlight. She looked… different. Stronger, even in her unawareness. And yet, there was a softness in her that reminded me of the Mira I once knew—a Mira who had been a force of nature, a presence that even the most ancient beings respected.

 "You're tapping into more than you realize," I said quietly, letting my voice break the silence.

 She turned sharply, her surprise flashing across her face. For a moment, I saw the confusion in her eyes, a reminder of just how much she didn't know, before realization dwelled on her. 

That am not just an ordinary human. 

(MIRA POV) 

 I stood by the open window, the chill night air wrapping around me like a blanket of shadows. My mind replayed the kiss with Lorenzo, every detail etched into my memory—the brush of his lips, the weight of his hand at the small of my back, the brief but undeniable vulnerability in his gaze. I'd felt an ache there, something beyond desire, something that whispered of a past I couldn't quite touch.

 I closed my eyes, my hand drifting to the necklace around my throat, the stone warm against my skin. Since that kiss, I could feel my magic humming stronger, pulsing as though alive beneath my skin. My fingertips tingled with energy, as if my body held secrets it was waiting to tell me.

 I raised a hand, trying to summon a spark, a flicker of power. Lorenzo had shown me the basics, guiding me with patience I hadn't expected. But now, as I focused on the energy within, I felt it deepen, like a reservoir stretching far below, waiting to be tapped. I inhaled and focused harder, feeling warmth bloom in my palm.

A faint glow flickered to life, like the heartbeat of a small flame. My heart raced. I'd done it. On my own.

"You're tapping into more than you realize."

I turned sharply, my heart skittering at the sudden voice. Vicenzo leaned against the doorframe, watching me with that curious, unreadable expression of his.

"Vicenzo," I breathed, tucking my hand behind me to hide the faint glow that was quickly fading. "What are you doing here?"

"I was passing through," he said, stepping closer. "But I couldn't help but notice the surge of power. It's… impressive."

 I looked away, suddenly self-conscious. "I was just… practicing."

 A hint of a smile tugged at his lips, and his gaze softened, just a little. "You're remembering."

"Remembering?" The word fell from my lips, an echo that felt oddly familiar, as though it held weight beyond itself.

"Your magic," Vicenzo replied, tilting his head slightly. "It's part of you, Mira. It always has been. But there's more than that, isn't there? A feeling, maybe? A memory from… before."

 A shiver ran through me. Since that kiss with Lorenzo, it was as if something inside me had cracked open, as if echoes from another life were flooding into the gaps. But they were faint, like trying to catch smoke in my hands.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, forcing a lightness into my voice. "I just… had a breakthrough, that's all."

Vicenzo's gaze was unwavering. "If that's what you'd like to think." He paused, his voice gentler. "But know this: the past has a way of finding us. And some things… some people… are bound to us, whether we remember them or not."

 I frowned, a strange pressure building in my chest. "Why are you telling me this?"

 "Because I want you to be ready." He took a step closer, his eyes searching mine. "When the time comes to remember, you might find you already know the answers."

 And just like that, he turned and slipped back into the shadows, leaving me alone with the darkened room, the hum of magic under my skin, and the weight of words that felt both foreign and painfully familiar.

 I turned back to the window, staring into the night, feeling Lorenzo's kiss linger on my lips like a ghost from a forgotten life.

 (VICENZO POV)

 I left her in the quiet of the room, disappearing back into the shadows that had always been my refuge. The taste of our conversation lingered, leaving a bitter-sweetness I had not anticipated. Mira was close, closer than she realized, and yet so far from understanding the true depth of her power… and her past.

And then there was Lorenzo.

 I'd seen the way her gaze faltered, how her fingers drifted to her lips as if feeling the ghost of his kiss. The thought stirred something unpleasant within me. Lorenzo's presence threatened everything we had worked toward, his foolishness as likely to lead to salvation as to ruin.

 He would not tell her the truth—that much I was certain of. He was too bound by his guilt, his eternal cycle of self-recrimination. But she would see it in him sooner or later. And when she did, what would she choose? The memories she had yet to reclaim or the life she was building now?

 I knew what the old Mira would have done. She was fearless, unrelenting. But this new Mira—she was softer, more… human. She had lived lifetimes without the weight of her past bearing down on her. Perhaps she would be happier never knowing, and yet, she was drawn to the past like a moth to flame.

 It was only a matter of time before the truth unraveled. And when it did, I would be there to guide her—or to pull her back from the brink, if that was what fate demanded.

 But until then, I would remain in the shadows, watching, waiting.

 I have long taken care of Reese for her, I have always knew Reese has bad intentions towards Mira but not to the extent of killing her, they where best friend, such betrayals are what I distaste the most, I make sure to give her seven layers of hell before I killed her, such a wimp.