Chapter 34 - The Awakening

Three days pass, and Demika does not leave her room. The book is her constant companion, its pages filled with secrets that she is determined to uncover. She practices the spells, the incantations, the rituals, each one more dangerous than the last.

The power within her grows with each passing day, feeding on the dark magic that she is learning. She can feel it changing her, twisting her, making her into something she does not recognize. But she does not care. All that matters is the power, the control, the thrill of knowing that she is no longer bound by the limitations of the mortal world.

Granny Minama knocks on her door, her voice filled with concern. “Meenu, child, you must eat. You must rest.”

But Demika ignores her, too consumed by the book, by the power. She has no need for food, for sleep. The power sustains her, drives her, fills her with a purpose that she has never known before.

She stands before the mirror, her reflection almost unrecognizable. Her eyes are darker, her sk