CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Esmeralda Bastian stood poised on the shoreline, her silhouette bathed in the eerie luminescence of the full moon. The waves crashed and hissed against the jagged rocks, the rhythm echoing like a heartbeat through the stillness of the night. She took a deep breath, the salty tang of the ocean filling her lungs, and allowed herself a rare moment of satisfaction.

The faint ripple in the air, subtle yet unmistakable, signalled that Zahra was drawing near. A wicked sneer curled her lips as the sense of victory surged through her, intoxicating and all-consuming. After centuries of anguish and imprisonment, her liberation was at hand. Soon, she would leave her misery behind, reclaim her power, and rewrite her destiny.

"For someone who hates the ocean, you seem to find yourself drawn to it often," Zahra's voice rang out, soft yet resolute, cutting through the stillness of the night. Her figure appeared at the edge of the beach, her steps slow and laboured as she trudged through the wet sand. The wind whipped at her hair, and though her body was fragile and visibly weak, her gaze was unwavering. It burned with a quiet defiance that refused to be extinguished.

Esmeralda turned at the sound, her cold laughter mingling with the crashing waves. But the sight of Zahra made her laughter falter. The young selkie was a shadow of her former self—her skin pale, her movements burdened with the weight of exhaustion. Each step seemed to cost her dearly, yet she pressed on. For all her malice, Esmeralda couldn't suppress a flicker of pity.

For a moment, the enchantress allowed herself to wonder how things might have been if fate hadn't bound them as enemies. She had always admired Zahra's purity, her unshakable kindness, and the quiet strength that seemed to radiate from her. But admiration was fleeting, and Esmeralda had long since convinced herself that Zahra's death was a mercy—a release from a world too cruel for someone so untainted.

"Does my death truly give you what you desire?" Zahra asked, her voice steady despite the weariness etched into her features. She stopped a few feet away from Esmeralda, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow around her. There was no fear in her eyes, only a calm acceptance. Zahra had made her peace with what was to come. Her life had been one of sacrifice, and in saving Old Quil, she believed she had done her part.

Esmeralda's bitter smile returned as she tilted her head. "Your death means the end of the underwater kingdom. With the selkies' power gone, the barriers binding me will collapse. Of course, it gives me what I want." Her voice dripped with conviction, yet a faint tremor betrayed her.

Zahra studied her, unflinching. She had always seen beyond words, beyond facades, to the emotions people tried to bury. Even now, at the brink of her own end, she wielded her empathy like a blade. "And what about love?" Zahra's words were soft, yet they struck like a thunderclap. "Wouldn't you want the person you loved to find happiness?"

Esmeralda's expression darkened. Her arms crossed over her chest as she barked out a sharp laugh. "Happiness? At the cost of my own? I've given everything for love—centuries of pain, of loneliness—and where did it leave me? Alone, forgotten." Her voice broke slightly, and she quickly masked it with venom.

"And you think I haven't sacrificed?" Zahra's voice rose, her frustration breaking through. She staggered forward, her knees trembling but her resolve unbroken. "I've been lied to my entire life. My history was erased, my identity rewritten, and my freedom stolen. For centuries, I've endured solitude and pain, not knowing what's real or who I even am."

Esmeralda's eyes narrowed, her bitterness flaring. "Do you think that makes you special?" she snapped. "I've lived far longer than you, child. I've endured more than you could ever imagine. But unlike you, I have nothing—no one. You, at least, have something to lose."

Zahra took another unsteady step forward, now only inches from the enchantress. Her voice softened, but her words were fierce. "I have something because I chose to keep going. No matter the lies, no matter the pain, I refused to let the past define me. I chose to live."

Esmeralda's sneer deepened, her bitterness clawing at her. "And yet here you stand, barely alive. You're a breath away from death, Zahra. Defiance is meaningless when you're already doomed."

Zahra straightened, summoning the last reserves of her strength. "Maybe to you it's meaningless," she replied, her voice unwavering. "But to me, it's everything. Because even in the pain, I've known joy. Even in the darkness, I've found light. That's what it means to live—and that's something you'll never understand."

Esmeralda faltered, her steely exterior cracking as something unfamiliar flickered in her eyes—doubt, perhaps, or regret. But before she could respond, Zahra's body betrayed her. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed onto the sand, her vision blurring as the world dimmed around her. Yet even as her body failed, her gaze remained locked on Esmeralda, burning with defiance and peace. Her eyes, unyielding and filled with truth, seemed to say: Even in death, I never felt more Alive..

Esmeralda stood rooted to the spot, the image of Zahra's unwavering spirit seared into her mind. It was a reminder, a mirror of something she had long since buried within herself. For the first time in centuries, a crack appeared in the walls she had built around her heart. But the waves crashed on, relentless, and she forced herself to turn away. Doubt was a luxury she couldn't afford—not when freedom was so close.

As the wind carried the sound of distant footsteps approaching, Esmeralda hardened her resolve. Whatever sliver of humanity Zahra had stirred within her was crushed beneath the weight of her desperation. Her liberation was at hand, and nothing—not even the selkie's defiant spirit—would stand in her way.