Asher approached her. His voice became softer, calmer.
"I've lived with two versions of Miria. And both were incapable of harming anyone on purpose. Naïve and stupid… yes, that's true. I remind you that back then, you were stupid enough to want to commit suicide, right? And you were naïve enough to trust Ray… despite all the signs that showed he still loved Isabella."
At those words, Miria felt her guilt lighten just a little. Asher placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.
"Miria… you can tell me everything. What really happened?"
She exhaled at length, the tears still fresh on her cheeks. Then, in a broken voice, she began to tell the story.
"At that time… My parents knew the secret of the grimoire. They only talked about the grimoire. They wanted me to train, to prepare for the battle. Me… I just wanted a normal life. To enjoy my youth. I met a boy… Kil. He was free, insolent… everything I wasn't. I fell in love with him. Blindly."
She clenched her fists.
"I disobeyed my parents to see him. I took risks for him. Even one day, because of a stupid game he had invented, I fell into the icy water. I didn't know how to swim. Everyone fled… including him. It was another boy who saved me. Because of that, my father decided we were moving."
She inhaled shakily.
"Eight years later, I returned to Ashenford. I found Kil again. He seemed changed… but I was still naïve. I told him everything. The grimoire. My powers. He betrayed me. He kidnapped me. He tried to take control of the grimoire by force… by penetrating my mind."
Her voice broke.
"I resisted… I gave everything. But I couldn't, and the grimoire took over. The town… was completely destroyed. Kil was reduced to dust. My friends… Lira… and even… Leo… everyone… there was nothing left."