Chapter 16: When She Becomes the Danger
Silence.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Dust still floated in the air.
The room—
Almost completely destroyed.
Arjun stood frozen.
His eyes locked on Meera.
"…Meera?"
No response.
She stood there.
Perfectly still.
But something was wrong.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
Cold.
Empty.
Not the same girl he knew.
"…No…" Arjun whispered.
The shadow figure stepped forward slowly.
"…Beautiful, isn't it?" it said.
Arjun didn't look at it.
"Fix this," he said coldly.
The figure chuckled.
"Why would I?"
"This is exactly what I wanted."
Arjun clenched his fists.
"You're destroying her."
The figure tilted its head.
"No," it replied calmly.
"I'm revealing her."
Meera's fingers twitched slightly.
The energy around her flickered again.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
Arjun stepped forward carefully.
"Meera… listen to me."
Still no response.
"You're stronger than this."
Nothing.
"Don't let it control you."
For a second—
Her eyes flickered.
A small reaction.
But it disappeared instantly.
The figure smiled.
"She can't hear you."
Arjun's jaw tightened.
"She's gone too far."
"No…" Arjun shook his head.
"She's still there."
He stepped closer.
"Meera!"
Suddenly—
She moved.
Fast.
In a blink—
She was in front of him.
Her hand shot forward.
Grabbing his throat.
Arjun's eyes widened.
"…Meera…?"
Her grip tightened.
No emotion.
No hesitation.
"You… are… in… my… way…"
Her voice—
Cold.
Broken.
Not hers.
Arjun struggled to breathe.
"Fight it…" he managed to say.
"Please…"
For a brief second—
Her grip weakened.
A crack.
A sign she was still there.
But then—
The energy surged again.
Stronger.
Darker.
Her grip tightened again.
"MEERA!" Arjun shouted.
The mark on her wrist burned brighter.
Almost out of control.
The figure watched silently.
Satisfied.
"This is her true power," it said.
"Uncontrolled… unstoppable…"
Arjun's vision blurred.
But he didn't stop.
"You're not… this…"
His voice weak—
But determined.
"You're stronger… than this…"
Meera's expression twitched.
Pain flickered across her face.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"No…" she whispered.
Her grip loosened slightly.
"I… I don't want…"
The energy flickered violently.
Two forces clashing inside her.
Arjun saw it.
"YES!" he shouted.
"Fight it!"
"You're still here!"
The figure's smile faded slightly.
"…Interesting."
Meera screamed.
The energy burst again.
Wild.
But this time—
Different.
Not just chaos.
Struggle.
"I… won't… lose… myself!" she cried.
Her grip released completely.
Arjun dropped to the ground, gasping.
Meera stepped back.
Shaking.
"I… I can't control it…"
Tears streamed down her face.
The energy still surrounded her.
But now—
It was unstable again.
Arjun slowly stood up.
"You don't need to control it all at once," he said.
"Just hold on."
Meera nodded weakly.
Trying.
Fighting.
The figure stepped forward again.
"This is pointless," it said coldly.
"She will break eventually."
Arjun turned sharply.
"Not today."
The figure's eyes glowed brighter.
"Then I'll make sure of it."
The air shifted again.
Another attack was coming.
But this time—
Meera wasn't just afraid.
She was fighting back.
Against the enemy.
And against herself.