Reincarnated as the Villainess's Unlucky Bodyguard-Chapter 198: Beyond the Darkness (Part I)

With each step deeper into the fortress, Daena felt the weight of the past pressing in, memories sharpening her resolve. She would fight for Liria, even against the girl herself if necessary. Because love was stronger than darkness, and Daena refused to let the shadows claim the one she cherished.

The corridors were silent, cloaked in shadows that twisted and stretched along the walls like living entities. Daena moved cautiously, every sense heightened, each breath measured. The scent of ancient stone and powerful magic saturated the air, mingled with something else a faint, familiar fragrance that sent an ache deep into her chest.

Liria.

She paused, pressing one hand against the cold stone wall, closing her eyes briefly as she steadied her heartbeat. She could feel Liria clearly now, her presence vibrating subtly in the air. Close so painfully close.

Daena continued forward, guided more by instinct than sight, turning down narrow passages until she stood before a heavy, ornate door etched with runes of power. She recognized them immediately: wards meant to repel intruders, designed to keep everyone out everyone but the Dark Sovereign and, perhaps, her chosen protégé.

Without hesitation, Daena reached out, violet flames dancing gently along her fingertips. With a soft, whispered incantation, the wards flickered and then dissipated, recognizing the ancient magic of their former queen. Slowly, silently, the door swung inward.

The chamber beyond was dimly lit, the faint illumination from candles barely reaching the far corners. Liria stood in the center of the room, her back turned, shoulders tense beneath a dark cloak. Her hair cascaded in silver and black waves, familiar yet somehow colder, more distant. Her presence felt sharper, powerful but dangerously unfamiliar.

"Liria," Daena called gently, her voice carrying softly across the silence.

Liria stiffened immediately, though she did not turn. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, betraying the emotions she tried desperately to suppress.

"You shouldn't be here, Daena," she said quietly, her voice carefully devoid of feeling.

Daena took another cautious step forward. "Where else should I be, if not here? You belong home, with us."

Liria laughed softly, bitterly, finally turning to face her. Daena's heart tightened painfully as she met Liria's eyes one amber, one vivid green now filled with a depth of darkness she'd hoped never to see.

"Home?" Liria echoed mockingly. "You think I can simply return, after everything I've done?"

"Yes," Daena replied without hesitation, taking another step closer. "Nothing you've done is beyond redemption."

Liria shook her head sharply, eyes narrowing. "You're naïve to believe that. You don't understand I chose this path willingly."

Daena's expression softened, sadness flickering briefly in her eyes. "Maybe you did. But choices can be changed. Mistakes can be forgiven. Your path doesn't have to end here."

Liria's fists clenched tighter, shadows swirling restlessly around her. "You speak of forgiveness so easily as if it means nothing. Do you truly know what I've become, Daena?"

"I know you," Daena whispered firmly, stepping closer still, undeterred by the dangerous energy crackling in the air. "I raised you. I watched you grow. No amount of darkness could ever erase the heart I know you possess."

Liria laughed again, this time hollow, filled with bitterness. "You speak of a heart I abandoned long ago."

Daena refused to waver, holding Liria's gaze intently. "If that were true, you wouldn't be hesitating now. You wouldn't feel the pain I see in your eyes."

For a fleeting moment, Liria's expression faltered, uncertainty flickering briefly behind the mask of darkness. Then her gaze hardened again, cold and unyielding.

"I feel nothing," she insisted harshly, stepping back, distancing herself further. "And you delude yourself if you believe otherwise."

Daena's voice softened further, desperation seeping into her words. "If you truly feel nothing, why did you hesitate before? Why haven't you cast me out yet?"

Liria's jaw tightened sharply. "Perhaps because I wanted you to see to finally understand that your little human granddaughter no longer exists. I've become something else entirely, something you cannot save."

"You underestimate how far I'd go to save you," Daena whispered, moving forward again, closing the space between them. "I won't abandon you not now, not ever."

For a heartbeat, something in Liria's eyes softened, her resolve flickering dangerously. Daena reached out gently, fingers trembling slightly as she brushed the girl's cheek, warmth and tenderness in the gesture.

"Come home, Liria," she pleaded softly. "You don't have to carry this burden alone."

But the moment her fingertips brushed Liria's skin, shadows surged violently, pushing Daena back forcefully. Liria staggered away, breathing raggedly, eyes blazing with conflicted rage.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed desperately, shadows swirling chaotically around her. "I can't I won't go back. There's nothing left for me there."

Daena steadied herself quickly, undeterred, though sorrow pierced deeply through her heart. "You're wrong. We're still waiting for you Enara is still waiting. She hasn't stopped believing in you. Neither have I."

At the mention of Enara's name, Liria's expression fractured sharply, genuine pain flashing vividly across her features. She turned away quickly, pressing trembling fingers to her temples, shadows thickening protectively around her.

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"Stop," Liria begged quietly, voice cracking. "Please, Daena, stop."

But Daena pressed gently, relentlessly. "She dreams of you, calls out to you even in her sleep. She hasn't forgotten she could never forget. Neither could you."

Liria shook her head desperately, shadows writhing violently around her. "She deserves better than what I've become."

"She deserves you," Daena countered softly, moving closer once again, ignoring the fierce resistance swirling between them. "The real you. The girl who fought fiercely to protect her, who laughed and loved and felt deeply. She's still there I see her clearly, beneath all this darkness."

Liria spun suddenly, eyes blazing with desperate fury, shadows surging dangerously forward. "Enough! You don't understand what I've done what I've become capable of!"

"Then show me!" Daena challenged fiercely, refusing to back down. "Show me your darkness, your power show me everything you think I should fear. Because I promise you, I've seen far worse. And I'm still here."

Liria hesitated sharply, breathing ragged, gaze locked onto Daena's. "You can't know that. You can't possibly—"

"Then prove it," Daena whispered defiantly, spreading her arms wide, leaving herself open. "If you truly believe there's no hope, then strike me down. Prove that you've become the monster you claim."

For a heartbeat, silence stretched painfully between them. Liria stared, eyes wide, body trembling faintly as she battled internally. Daena waited, heart aching yet fiercely determined, offering herself willingly as the test Liria so desperately needed.

Finally, Liria's shoulders sagged, shadows retreating slightly, conflict etched deeply within her gaze.

"I can't," she whispered brokenly, voice barely audible. "Not you."

Relief surged briefly through Daena's heart, hope flickering gently. "Then come with me please, Liria."

But slowly, painfully, Liria shook her head again, sorrow twisting her expression. "I still can't leave. Not yet. Not like this."

Daena felt desperation rise sharply. "Why? What's keeping you here?"

Liria's gaze hardened slightly, determination flickering fiercely behind sorrow. "Because if I leave now, she'll destroy everything. She'll destroy you, Enara, everyone I care about."

"You're stronger than she is," Daena insisted urgently. "We can fight her together."

Liria's jaw tightened sharply, eyes blazing with newfound resolve. "Not yet. Not until I know I can win. Until then, I can't risk losing everything losing you."

Daena's heart clenched painfully. "Don't push me away. Let me help you."

Liria's expression softened again briefly, genuine pain reflected clearly in her eyes. "You can't help me—not this time. But you can trust me. Please."

Daena's throat tightened sharply, understanding finally dawning. Liria wasn't rejecting her—she was protecting her. Her granddaughter hadn't surrendered completely—she'd simply chosen a battle Daena wasn't allowed to fight.

"I can't just leave you," Daena whispered brokenly, feeling helplessness seep deeply into her chest.

"You must," Liria murmured gently, shadows swirling gently, separating them softly yet firmly. "I'll find my way back to you, I promise. But not today."

Daena felt herself gently pushed backward, her protests dying helplessly upon her lips as shadows enveloped her, pulling her softly yet insistently from the room.

"Liria!" she called desperately, reaching forward once more.

But the last thing she saw was Liria's quiet, sorrowful smile beautiful, heartbreaking, resolute as the door closed firmly between them, sealing Daena away from the girl she loved, leaving her alone again in darkness.

Her heart shattered quietly, yet hope lingered stubbornly within the pain.

Because despite everything, despite the shadows, Daena knew one truth clearly:

Liria hadn't given up.

And neither would she.

Daena stood in the silent corridor, her fists trembling at her sides, heart pounding with anguish and quiet resolve. The door behind her remained sealed, a cruel boundary between her and the girl she had once cradled in her arms, now cloaked in shadows of her own making.

She wanted to scream, to shatter the stone with her fury, but instead, she inhaled deeply, steadying herself.

"This isn't over," she whispered, eyes burning. "You may have closed that door, Liria… but I will be the one to open it again."