Chapter 63: The Power That Chooses Her
The battlefield was silent.
Too silent.
After everything—
The destruction…
The clashes…
The breaking limits…
There was nothing left.
Only dust.
Only broken ground.
And Meera—
Standing alone in the center.
Her breathing was slow.
Heavy.
Her body…
Tired beyond anything she had ever felt.
But her eyes—
Still awake.
Still searching.
"…Is it over…?" she whispered.
No answer.
No movement.
Even the air felt still.
For a moment—
She thought it was finished.
That she had finally won.
But then—
A faint sound.
A step.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Meera's eyes lifted instantly.
From the shadows—
That same figure stepped forward again.
Unharmed.
Unshaken.
As if everything before—
Meant nothing.
"…Impossible…" Meera whispered.
Her heart dropped.
"…You're still… standing?"
The figure stopped a few steps away.
Its presence—
Heavier than ever before.
"…Did you really think…"
"…that was enough?"
Meera's fists tightened.
Her energy tried to rise again—
But this time—
It didn't respond like before.
It felt… distant.
Unstable.
"…No…" she whispered.
She tried again.
Nothing.
The power that once obeyed her—
Now remained silent.
"…What's happening…?"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"…Your power…"
"…was never truly yours."
Meera froze.
"…What?"
"…You borrowed it."
"…You forced it."
"…But now…"
A pause.
"…it chooses."
Silence.
Those words hit deeper than any attack.
"…Chooses…?"
Her mind raced.
Everything she had done—
Every fight…
Every struggle…
Was it never really her strength?
"…No…"
Her voice shook.
"That's not true…"
The figure stepped closer.
Slow.
Certain.
"…Then call it."
"…Use it."
Meera tried again.
Focused.
Desperate.
But the energy—
Didn't come.
Nothing happened.
Her hands trembled.
"…Why…?"
For the first time—
Real fear returned.
Not fear of the enemy.
But fear of herself.
"…Without it…"
The figure raised its hand slowly.
Darkness gathering again.
"…you are nothing."
The pressure returned instantly.
Crushing.
Overwhelming.
Meera dropped to one knee.
Her body too exhausted to resist.
Her power—
Gone.
"…Is this…"
"…the end…?"
Her voice was barely a whisper now.
The darkness moved closer.
Ready to consume everything.
Then—
A faint warmth.
Small.
Almost unnoticeable.
Meera's eyes widened slightly.
"…What…?"
It wasn't coming from outside.
It was inside her.
Deep.
Hidden.
Something she hadn't felt before.
"…This feeling…"
It wasn't force.
It wasn't chaos.
It was… calm.
Steady.
Real.
"…So you finally noticed…"
A new voice.
Soft.
But powerful.
Meera looked around.
"…Who's there…?"
No answer.
But the warmth grew stronger.
Spreading through her body.
Through her heart.
Through her mind.
"…This power…"
"…has always been yours."
The darkness paused.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Meera slowly stood up.
Her body still weak—
But something had changed.
"…Not borrowed…" she whispered.
"…Not forced…"
Her hands began to glow faintly.
Soft light.
Different from before.
"…But chosen."
The energy returned—
But not like before.
Not explosive.
Not overwhelming.
Calm.
Pure.
Controlled.
The figure stepped back slightly.
"…This… power…"
"…What is it?"
Meera looked up.
Her eyes calm.
Clear.
"…Mine."
The light expanded around her.
Not wild.
But undeniable.
The ground stopped shaking.
The air became still again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was filled with her presence.
"…Now I understand," she said softly.
"…I was never meant to control it…"
"…I was meant to become it."
The figure didn't move.
For the first time—
It said nothing.
Because now—
The battle had changed again.