Aaron muscles tensed, his head swimming with questions. The sight of the woman standing before him so familiar yet entirely new had left him stunned. Her smile was warm, her presence commanding. She looked like his mother but carried an air of mysticism that set her apart.
"I’m not your mother, Aaron," she said gently, her voice steady and melodic. "My name is Hydra. I’m her twin sister."
Aaron blinked, his heart racing. "What? That’s impossible. She never told me she had a twin. Why would she keep this from me?"
Hydra’s smile faltered for a moment, replaced by a shadow of regret. "To protect you," she explained, her tone laced with sorrow. "Your mother knew the dangers tied to my existence and to the Phoenix Ring you now bear. As the High Priestess, my life is deeply entwined with the
