the vengeful one chapter 7
511 Words
The night pressed heavy over the village. Selene and Mira walked home together, Mira refusing to let her go alone after what she had confessed.
“Fine,” Mira muttered, “maybe I don’t believe in demons, but if something is after you, you’re not walking these streets by yourself.”
Selene tried to smile, but her stomach churned. She had felt the presence all day — following her, tugging at her thoughts.
And then she heard it.
A whisper. Low. Broken. “They must pay…”
Selene froze. Her vision blurred, the world dimming. Shadows peeled away from the walls until a man’s figure stood before her, transparent, his eyes glowing faint blue. His clothes were ragged, burned, as if fire had eaten him alive.
Mira gasped. “Selene—what—what is that?”
Selene’s chest ached. She could barely speak. “A soul… one that hasn’t crossed over.”
The man’s gaze locked on them, rage twisting his face. “I will not rest until they suffer. Until their blood pays for mine.”
His hand shot forward, icy wind surging. Mira screamed as the air cut her skin like knives.
Selene staggered forward, her palm glowing faintly. “Wait! I can help you—”
“Help?” the spirit hissed. “No one helped me when I burned! No one saved me when they chained my family and fed us to the flames!”
Selene’s breath caught. Pain radiated from his words, raw and jagged. His fury lashed at the world itself, shaking the street lamps, cracking the stone.
Mira clung to Selene’s arm. “We have to run—”
“No.” Selene’s eyes burned with tears. “If we run, he’ll only grow stronger. He’ll never stop.”
She stepped closer, ignoring the icy winds that tore at her skin. Her voice trembled but did not break. “I know your pain. I’ve lost too. I know the fire that eats your heart. But revenge won’t heal you… it will trap you here forever.”
The spirit’s face twisted. “Lies!”
Light sparked in Selene’s palm. She raised her hand, not to fight, but to reach. “Look. Behind the pain, there’s a light. It’s waiting for you. For your family. Do you want them to wait forever… or do you want peace?”
The soul trembled. His rage flickered, grief spilling through. For a moment, his shape softened, the flames dimming.
Selene whispered, “Don’t let them be alone. Go to them. Be free.”
The man’s face broke, tears of light falling. Slowly, his form dissolved into silver sparks. His voice echoed, softer, aching. “Thank you…”
And then he was gone.
The street fell silent. Only Selene’s glowing palm remained, before it faded into the dark.
Mira stared at her, pale and shaking. “Selene… what are you?”
Selene hugged herself, shivering. “I don’t know.”
But deep inside, she felt it: the souls would keep coming. And not all of them would want peace.
- Writer
