CHAPTER 12 — Homecoming

Elen arrived at her family’s estate, the familiar stone walls and sprawling gardens failing to bring her any comfort. The grandeur of her home—the high ceilings, polished floors, and attentive servants—felt like a cage.

As she stepped into the grand hall, dozens of butlers and maids rushed forward, bowing and greeting her politely.

“Welcome back, Prince Eiden, Princess Eleonora!” a maid said brightly.

Elen didn’t respond. Her eyes were cold, distant.

At the top of the stairs, three figures appeared: her father, her mother, and her younger sister.

“Eleonora!” her mother called gently.

Her father stepped forward, his posture stiff but eyes filled with concern. “My daughter… it’s good to have you back. Are you well?”

Her sister’s voice, small and bright, added, “Eleonora! I missed you!”

Elen’s chest tightened. Anger surged. She thought of every locked door, every rule she’d never understood, every “I’m sorry” that had been all she got when she begged for freedom.

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

Her parents exchanged uneasy glances. They had always feared the dangerous power that had once flared uncontrollably within her as a child. Every restriction, every confinement had been born from that fear—not cruelty.

They wanted to protect her from herself and from the world. Demons, dark forces, hunters—they all sought the ancient power she didn’t yet understand. Her parents’ hearts had been heavy with love, burdened with the knowledge that one wrong step could destroy her life, or the lives of those around her.

But Elen saw only their rules, their control, their silence.

Her older brother stepped forward cautiously, his face serious. “She’s angry because we forced her into a life she didn’t choose,” he said, his voice steady. “Because we pushed her away from someone she loves. Because we tried to protect her without ever explaining why.”

Her parents’ eyes flickered with guilt and fear.

Her mother spoke softly, “We… we only wanted to keep you safe, Eleonora. We were afraid—afraid of what could happen to you.”

Elen’s fists clenched. She wanted to scream, to hit, to break something—anything. She didn’t want their apologies. She didn’t want their reasoning. She wanted the truth they had refused to give her all these years.

She turned sharply and walked past them, skirts swishing over the polished floor, and slammed the door of her room behind her.

Inside, she pressed her forehead to the cool wood, letting the anger and frustration crash over her. She didn’t understand the danger her parents feared. She didn’t understand the ancient, uncontrollable power still dormant inside her.

All she felt was betrayal. All she felt was the burning fire of anger, the longing for freedom, and the ache for the man she had left behind.

Her brother’s voice continued softly in the hall, defending her, explaining her anger to their parents, but she didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

And somewhere deep inside, faintly, the ancient power pulsed—still dormant, still waiting.

Elen didn’t realize it yet. She didn’t understand the danger she carried. But the world would. And soon, she might have no choice but to awaken it.