A thousand thoughts stormed through Siya's mind — yet all of them blurred beneath a single, haunting question:
Why is my heart refusing to listen to my mind?
Siya, who had wagered everything in battle without hesitation… Siya, who had faced death with steady eyes… why did she now feel defeated before her own heart?
She had no answer.
And worse — she did not know which voice to follow.
The heart… or the mind.
Pushing everything else aside, Siya turned toward the one person who could no longer avoid her questions.
Trikala.
He was seated calmly inside his chamber when she entered, his back to her, occupied with quiet work as though the world carried no weight at all.
Her voice cut through the room.
"Who was he?"
Trikala's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he did not turn.
It was as if he had not heard her.
Siya's fists clenched.
"I asked you — who was he?!"
The raw edge in her voice carried something deeper than anger. It sounded like someone who already knew the truth… but needed to hear it spoken aloud.
Slowly, Trikala turned, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Whom are you talking about?" he asked lightly. "And why are there tears in your eyes, Siya? Don't cry. I'm here."
In a flash, she crossed the distance between them and seized him by the collar.
"Who was he?"
Her hands trembled.
Trikala did not resist. His gaze remained steady.
"Whose name do you want to hear?"
"Who was he?" she repeated, over and over, as if the words themselves were the only thing holding her together.
And then —
He answered.
"Yes," Trikala said, his voice turning cold and precise. "It was him."
Silence fell like a blade.
"Jate," he continued. "Your love. The one who was always with you — everywhere — like a shadow. The one who became George… who merged within him to protect you."
The world tilted.
"You remember," Trikala went on, "even at the brink of your death, it was he who saved you."
Siya staggered back as though struck.
Her tears betrayed what she had buried for years — that somewhere, deep within her, her love for Jate had never truly died.
Trikala's voice flowed on, relentless.
"He never told you because he knew something about you better than anyone. You loved justice more than love. You loved truth more than emotion. And you would never have accepted that a demon — the one blamed for massacres and chaos — was standing beside you, protecting you."
Siya's breathing grew uneven.
"You believed Jate had plunged you into darkness. But the truth?" Trikala's eyes darkened. "The true Jate had no hand in the devastation done in his name. The one you hated… was not the one who destroyed the world."
Her knees nearly gave way.
"He stayed hidden. Saving you. Fighting for you. Dying a thousand silent deaths each time he watched you suffer. He knew the past could not be changed. So he focused only on what could be saved — you… and this world."
Every word was a blade.
"He allowed his own identity to be stained. Allowed himself to remain the villain. Because if you had known… you would have blamed yourself. And that," Trikala said softly, "was something he could never allow."
Siya collapsed.
Not physically — but within.
She had wanted the truth.
But she had never been ready for it.
Trikala caught her as she broke down.
For the first time in her life, Siya wept without restraint — sobbing, gasping, shattering.
The others rushed in at the sound.
No one had ever seen her like this.
She was their warrior. Their leader. Their goddess.
And now she was trembling in someone's arms.
"I'm horrible…" she cried between breaths. "How could I be so blind? What right did I have to judge anyone? I couldn't even see the truth standing before me. I punished him… I hated him…"
Her voice fractured.
The room remained silent.
Trikala held her steady. "You are not evil, Siya. You were placed in impossible circumstances. Anyone in your position would have reacted the same way."
"But I—"
"Blaming yourself changes nothing," he said firmly. "Would he want this? Would he want you drowning in guilt while the world still needs you?"
His tone softened.
"He hid the truth for a reason. Because your mission mattered more. Because this world still depends on you."
His words wrapped around her like fragile reassurance.
Her mind was exhausted — battered by grief, shock, doubt. Her heart, already unstable, could not endure more.
And then—
Her body gave in.
She fainted in Trikala's arms.
He gently wiped her tears and laid her on the bed.
Ali, Andy, and Clara stood frozen.
Ali broke the silence, murmuring to Andy, "Today… she didn't push him away."
Clara heard.
And she began to think.
Ali turned to Trikala. "What caused this?"
Trikala's expression remained unreadable. "It may not be appropriate for me to explain. Ask her when she wakes."
Ali said nothing — but Andy's anger was already rising.
He stepped forward. "I'll take her to her room."
As he bent to lift Siya, Trikala intercepted him, gripping his wrist.
"She's asleep," Trikala said, his voice edged with steel. "Moving her now isn't wise. She needs rest."
There was something cold beneath the calm.
Then, more quietly, "It may cause her pain."
Andy's eyes flashed with fury. He jerked his hand free.
"She will rest in her own room," he snapped. "I don't trust outsiders."
He carefully lifted Siya and carried her away.
Trikala watched without expression.
Ali observed every detail — every pause, every reaction. But he saw nothing overtly suspicious.
One by one, they left.
Later, Clara turned to Ali.
"I think something strange is happening to Siya."
Ali focused instantly. "Strange how?"
"She told me last night… her heart and mind feel divided. As if they're working against each other. I didn't think it was serious then. I told her to rest."
Ali's face hardened.
"That is serious, Clara. If her heart and mind are not aligned, she could make a mistake. And one wrong decision…" His voice lowered. "Could destroy everything."
He exhaled sharply.
"She is not an ordinary human. She is divine energy incarnate. For her to experience internal imbalance like this… is not natural."
Silence stretched between them.
If Siya was unstable—
Then the threat they were facing was far greater than they had imagined.
Ali finally spoke. "We wait until she wakes. Then we speak to her directly. We need to understand what's happening."
His jaw tightened.
"I only pray my fear does not become reality."
Outside, unseen forces were already shifting.
And somewhere in the dark —
Something was waiting for her next decision.