After Miria, Bryan, Eiden, and Axel left, a heavy silence fell around Léana. She was coughing up blood, her body growing weaker by the second. Alix knelt beside her and tried to stop the hemorrhage with her magic, her hands glowing with healing energy. But nothing worked. The blood kept flowing.
"It's useless…" Léana murmured in a broken voice. "It was a magical blade."
She placed her bloodied hand over Klaus's, which was still desperately pressing on her wound.
"However… if I have to die… I would like to obtain your forgiveness before I leave. I'm sorry for having been so blind about Vareck. My gratitude prevented me from seeing all his misdeeds. But I'm glad I was able to regain my conscience before it was too late. And now… I can settle a debt."
Klaus frowned, worried.
"Léana… what are you doing?"
Without answering, Léana, still lying down, weakly raised a hand and began murmuring a complex incantation. Runes of light appeared around her, swirling as in an ancient ritual. Her body gradually began to glow with a golden light.
"Léana, what are you doing?!" Gale exclaimed, alarmed.
Léana coughed again, spitting a little more blood, but a sad smile formed on her lips.
"I've activated a reincarnation spell. It's the spell Vareck often uses to regenerate… or to resurrect the dead by sacrificing someone else's life."
Kira's eyes widened.
"Wait… you mean…"
"Yes," Léana confirmed. "I'm going to sacrifice my life to give you back your Katrina."
Klaus remained frozen, completely shocked.
"You… you don't have to do that."
"Yes, I do," she answered softly. "Besides… I don't want to carry an eternal moral debt toward my rival."
She smiled sadly. The others returned the same smile, their eyes shining with held-back tears.
Léana then turned her gaze toward Klaus, her voice growing even weaker, almost a whisper.
"You know, Klaus… if I fell in love with you, it's because you remind me a lot of my husband… Nico."
Klaus remained speechless. Léana gave a weak, amused smile despite the pain.
"That surprises you, huh… You see… I… am several thousand years old."
"Huh…?" Klaus breathed.
"What?!" Gale and several others exclaimed at the same time.
"Impossible!" the others murmured, stunned.
"Yes," Léana continued. "I died with the man I loved during the War of the Ashes. But Vareck didn't respect our rest. He resurrected us against our will. He flattered us with fine words… he convinced us that his project was for the good of the world. But it was all lies."
She coughed, then continued, her gaze lost in the past.
"Nico realized it. He no longer wanted to continue under Vareck's control. But I… didn't have his courage. I was grateful to Vareck for giving us a second chance… to me and Nico… to be together again and enjoy our love. So I didn't dare rise against him. Nico did. And he ended up assassinated."
A tear slid down her temple.
"I knew it was Vareck. But when he said it was the clans who did it… I forced myself to believe his lies rather than the truth. I had grown used to living in his lies. For a long time I drowned my grief in alcohol… and in sex."
She gently squeezed Klaus's hand.
"But when I met you… I saw in you my Nico. That same flame of freedom. And also… your solitude. Like mine. Then, when you started being with Katrina… you brought out an even better version of yourself. And that made me love you even more than I already did."
She smiled sadly.
"I won't lie to you. At the beginning, between you and me… it was just sex. But little by little, I started to love you. I didn't want to admit it… because I had sworn to love only Nico. Then, when your relationship with Katrina became serious… my heart couldn't bear to lose you. But love… sometimes demands sacrifices. Setting one's ego aside for the person one loves… even if she will never be with you. So if my death can give you back the love of your life… it's worth it."
Her voice trembled.
"However… the only favor I ask of you… is to find a place in your heart… to forgive me… for all the harm I caused you."
Klaus looked her straight in the eyes. His own tears were now flowing freely. He squeezed her bloodied hand with absolute sincerity and a sad smile.
"I forgive you… With all my heart, Léana. I forgive you."
Léana, moved, her eyes filled with tears, squeezed his hand in turn with her bloodied fingers. A grateful and peaceful smile lit up her face.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart… Thank you…"
On that last word, her body relaxed. Her eyes remained open, frozen in a final smile, while her breathing stopped.
Kira, Alix, and Marlie burst into sobs. Isabella buried her face against Ray's chest, who held her in his arms to comfort her. Diana did the same with Gale. Klaus remained for a long moment observing Léana's body, which continued to glow despite her death. Then, gently, he reached out and closed her eyes for the last time.