We woke up in a puddle of water. I opened my eyes, and there it was again—the statue.
We were back.
Honestly, I wasn't even sure if we had left to begin with. That was before Sora ran into the room.
"Melody, your mother has been worried sick about you!"
"Wait, what? How long have I been—"
"It's been four days, child. You'd better get decent and go explain yourself," she said.
Then she turned to Maddox. "She's awake."
Those words shook my soul. I knew exactly who she was talking about—Eliza.
How was I supposed to face her? What could I even say? Was it even my place to say anything?
And, more importantly—what if she hated me now?
What do I do?
"Get out of that water and get warm and decent. I believe there's a lot that needs to be said tonight," Sora added.
She helped us prepare, changing into dry clothes. The walk up the stairs and down the corridor was nerve-wracking. Each step echoed in my mind until I found myself standing in front of her door.
Just behind that door was Eliza.
In a bed.
Waiting.
Crying.
Maybe angry.
Whatever it was, I didn't know if I had the strength to see it.
I gripped the doorknob and turned it. As the door flung open, there she was—Eliza.
But different.
Her long gray hair had turned black for reasons I didn't understand. But besides that… she was the same.
She looked at me, and in that moment, I braced myself for whatever she had to say. No matter what it was, I was ready to hear it.
If she needed to blame me—I'd take it.
If she needed to scream at me—I'd accept it.
If she needed to hit me, curse me, hate me—I'd take it all.
I shut my eyes and prepared for the worst.
Then, I heard footsteps rushing toward me.
I clenched my fists, waiting for impact.
But instead of a hit, I felt arms wrap around me. My body toppled backward, hitting the floor with a soft thud.
Warm, wet droplets hit my face.
I opened my eyes.
Eliza was holding me in a tight embrace, her eyes locked on mine, tears falling freely.
"Maddox, I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "I'm so, so glad."
She tightened her grip around me, sobbing. "And I'm sorry."
A tidal wave of emotions crashed over me. Relief that she didn't hate me. Sorrow for the pain she carried. Anger at myself for being unable to stop it.
But most of all—I was just grateful I wasn't alone.
I still had someone.
I still had my family.
---
Hours later, we sat on her bed. Everyone else had left. It was just us now, staring at the ceiling.
A chandelier hung above us—white and gold, decorated with delicate chains and gemstones. It looked fancy, Expensive.
"Remember the two-blade fan we had in the orphanage?" Eliza chuckled. "Big upgrade from that, huh?"
I smirked. "It only had two blades because Ren broke one off to make a sword."
"Don't put this on him! You would've taken another blade down too if we didn't pin you down to stop you," she laughed.
For a moment, things felt normal again.
But then, I hesitated. "El…"
I wanted to say something. Anything. But before I could, she spoke first.
"When I woke up and looked in the mirror, I almost fell over. Lilith says the trauma must have been so bad that it changed my hair color. Isn't that weird?" She ran her fingers through her dark strands.
Then her voice softened.
"Maddox, I have never felt so hopeless in my life as I did that night. Never."
Her words cut deep.
"I've never felt so much pain. The images are burned into my head—my sister, Ren, Bethany, Isaac. Just thinking about it makes my heart break all over again."
She clenched her fists.
"But then, I remembered something. Our job isn't done. There are still kids in that hellhole of an orphanage who need us, Maddox. They need us to save them."
She exhaled sharply. "And maybe I'm just trying to distract myself. Maybe I'm lying to myself. I don't even know anymore. But that's the only way I can keep going."
She looked back at her reflection.
"This hair—it's not just a reminder of the trauma Magnus inflicted when he took everything from me. It's proof that I'm still here. Still fighting."
Lilith said scars show who we truly are. And now, every strand of Eliza's hair felt like both a memory of pain and a promise—that she would rise above it.
She turned back to me, her eyes filled with something fierce.
"I lost my friends. My sister. Everything that night." Her voice was steady now, unshaken. "But I wasn't meant to crumble into hopelessness."
She took a deep breath.
"I was meant to carry on—for those kids. For everyone we lost."
Then her expression hardened.
"But most of all, Maddox—"
Her voice was filled with venom.
"I'm going to kill him."
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
"I'm going to tear him apart."
Her voice trembled, not with fear—but with rage.
"I swear, I'm going to make him feel pain worse than anything he's ever made us feel."
She met my eyes, her next words as solid as stone.
"I swear on my life."
---
Eliza was strong.
Stronger than I ever could be.
I had broken down. I had wanted to give up. It had taken me days to come to terms with what happened that night.
But here she was—standing tall, holding herself together, all on her own.
Eliza was so strong.
And now, I was never going to let her down again.
It's hard to fix a broken heart.
But she made me want to try.