Chapter 35: Fractured Bonds

Chapter 35: Fractured bonds


Lea and Arie stood frozen, their eyes wide in disbelief. The one person they least expected to see, the one who had always been the least possible suspect—was standing in front of them. It was Mira. She was there, in front of Mondryn's seal and prison.
"M-Mira, what are you…" Lea's voice trembled, her words cut off as she tried to make sense of the situation.
Before Lea could finish, Mira lunged at them without a word. The sharp glint of a dagger flashed in the dim light as Mira's figure moved with deadly precision. Instinctively, both Lea and Arie dodged, their hearts pounding in their chests.
"W-what are you doing?" Lea demanded, her voice quivering with hurt and confusion. She couldn't comprehend why Mira, of all people, would turn against them.
But Mira said nothing. She didn't even react to Lea's desperate plea. She only continued her relentless attack, her eyes void of any recognition, her expression hard and cold.
An illusion? No, it couldn't be. It's too real. Maybe an impostor? Or… a clone? Lea's mind raced with theories, each one more far-fetched than the last, but none of them brought her any closer to understanding what was happening.
Then, her gaze met Mira's eyes—eyes that had always been familiar and full of warmth. But now, something was different. In that fleeting moment, Lea saw something she hadn't expected, pain. Hurt. It was so brief, she almost doubted it, but it was there.
Her heart skipped a beat. A blade was coming straight for her head, and the realization hit her too late. Her mind was clouded by what she had just seen. She couldn't react in time.
But then, a hand grabbed Mira's arm, pulling her back. The attack was stopped. Arie. Had saved her.
"Mira…" Lea whispered, her voice breaking as she regained her focus, her mind struggling to process the whirlwind of emotions. 
"Why are you doing this?"
Mira stepped back, her dagger still gripped tightly in her hand. Her expression twisted into one of frustration. Arie's voice cut through the tension, his words filled with worry and disbelief.
"Mira might be under some kind of hypnosis. This isn't her choice. There's no way she'd want to free Mondryn."
Mira's face twisted in anger, her teeth grinding as she took a step forward again. 
"Fools!" she spat. "Yes, it's me. Mira. So what?!"
"No you are not" Arie said firmly, shaking his head. 
"I refuse to believe it. Mira would never do this. She has no reason to free Mondryn. There's no way she would do something like that."
Arie's words hung in the air, full of disbelief, but Mira's gaze never wavered from Lea. Her expression was a storm, and as Lea's eyes met hers, a deep, aching confusion filled her heart.
"Mira... why?" Lea whispered, almost pleading, her voice trembling with the weight of the question. "Why are you doing this? After everything—what happened to you?"
But Mira only gritted her teeth harder, her face a storm of frustration and emotion. 
"You still don't get it, do you, Lea?!" Mira's voice cracked with an explosion of fury, her whole body trembling. 
"You've always been the golden child, the one they adored, the one who could do no wrong! And I… I was just the damn afterthought! The one they never cared about, the one who had to fight for scraps while you were handed everything on a silver platter!"
Her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms, but she didn't seem to notice the pain. 
"I gave everything, Lea! Everything! I pushed myself harder than anyone, tried harder, fought for every bit of attention, every shred of affection—and what did I get in return? Nothing. You got it all. You were the one they wanted. The one they praised. The one they loved!"
The Kingdom? They're all blind to everything but their precious perfect little princess. You."
Her voice rose, full of venom, every word dripping with disgust. 
"They don't care about what I went through, what I suffered. They never gave me a voice. They gave you everything. Power. Attention. Love. And what did I get? Nothing. Just the scraps, always. And that's not even the worst of it."
Mira's eyes darkened, her rage swelling. 
"This Kingdom—this so-called 'family'—it's all a damn lie, Lea. A facade built on favoritism, on hollow promises. They've used us, manipulated us, and discarded anyone who wasn't perfect in their eyes. They don't care about the people they're supposed to protect. All they care about is their image, their legacy. And you, Lea? You're their puppet, their perfect little doll they can control."

She dropped her head in defeat, her hands trembling as she gripped the dagger tighter. 
Lea's heart ached as she watched her once beloved friend unravel. She had always known Mira as strong, as someone who would never let emotions cloud her judgment, but now, Mira seemed to be a stranger, someone who had been consumed by jealousy and neglect.
Mira took a shaky breath and continued, her words laced with bitterness. 
"So, you see, nobody cares about me. I bet when you saw the kingdom was in ruins, when everything was falling apart, and when everything was in total chaos… You didn't think about checking on me even for a second, did you?"
Lea's eyes widened in shock, the weight of Mira's words hitting her with the force of a physical blow. She had never seen it from this perspective, never understood just how much Mira had been suffering in silence.
But it was too late to turn back. Mira's resolve had been made.
"I'm done being ignored. I'm done being second." Mira's voice was cold now, her resolve as sharp as the dagger in her hand. 
"You can't stop me. Not anymore."
She took a slow step forward, her eyes locked onto the seal that held Mondryn prisoner. The weight of her determination was palpable. She wasn't just a betrayed friend. She was someone with a purpose, someone who had decided to take matters into her own hands.
Lea and Arie watched helplessly as Mira moved toward the seal. It was clear now. The girl they had known was lost, consumed by her own pain and anger. And no matter how much they wanted to stop her, they couldn't. Not when Mira had already decided what she needed to do.