The magical explosion sped toward them like a tidal wave of destruction. Aria's spirit wolf form blazed brighter, forming a shield of pure moonlight around everyone in the room.
The dark power crashed against her barrier and shattered. But the effort made her stumble, her huge paws scraping against the broken floor.
"Aria!" Elena scrambled to her feet, real fear replacing the manufactured hatred in her eyes.
Through the chaos, something incredible was happening. The moment Mara died, her hold on Elena's mind started unraveling like a broken spider web.
Memories flooded back.
Elena pressed her hands against her temples, crying out as two different versions of the same day fought in her head.
Fake memory: Aria's hands pushing her underwater, holding her down while she fought to breathe.
Real memory: Aria's scared face as Elena slipped on the muddy bank and fell into the dark lake.
"No," Elena whispered, shaking her head fiercely. "That's not... I remember...
Aria pushed me..." But even as she spoke, another memory emerged. Aria jumping into the water without pause, her seven-year-old body fighting against the current to reach her drowning sister.
"Stop it!"
Elena screamed, but she didn't know if she was talking to the memories or to herself. Aria shifted back to human form, her white dress torn and bloodstained. She approached Elena slowly, like she was dealing with an injured animal.
"Elena, listen to my voice," Aria said gently. "Remember the real day. Remember what actually happened."
"I... I can't..." Elena's voice cracked. "There are two different stories in my head. I don't know which one is true."
Another memory crashed through Mara's fake ones.
Aria's small hands grabbing Elena's dress, pulling her toward the surface. Both girls going under together when Aria wasn't strong enough to fight the current.
Elena gasped, her blue eyes going wide. "You almost drowned trying to save me."
"Yes," Aria whispered, tears running down her face. "I would have died before I let anything happen to you."
"But I remember... I remember you holding me down..." Elena's voice was confused, urgent.
Fake memory: Aria's face twisted with jealousy and rage as she pushed Elena deeper beneath.
Real memory: Aria's face full of fear and love as she screamed for help, her seven-year-old voice echoing across the lake.
"Help me!" Elena cried, holding her head. "I don't know what's real anymore!"
Rowan, still in his wolf form, padded closer. The spell breaking had left him weak and confused, but he could feel the truth flowing between the sisters.
Caleb, despite his wounds, moved to help Elena. "The real memories feel different, don't they? Warmer. More complete."
Elena nodded slowly. "The fake ones... they're cold. Like watching a movie instead of living it."
Another wave of true memories hit her.
Aria crying on the lake shore, soaking wet and freezing. "Elena! Elena, please wake up!"
Their father running down the hill, his face white with fear.
Aria refused to leave Elena's side while the pack healer worked to save her life.
"You never left me," Elena breathed, looking at Aria with wonder. "Even when they thought I was dead, you stayed with me."
"I held your hand until your heart started beating again," Aria confirmed. "I wouldn't let go."
Elena's knees buckled. Caleb caught her before she hit the ground.
"I... I tried to kill you,"
Elena whispered in fear. "I came here to murder my own sister because of lies."
"It wasn't your fault," Aria said strongly. "Mara twisted your mind. She made you believe things that never happened."
But Elena was shaking her head furiously. "How can you forgive me? I was going to... I wanted to..."
"Because you're my sister," Aria said simply. "Nothing could ever change that."
The last of Mara's false memories collapsed.
Real memory: Aria reading bedtime stories to Elena every night.
Real memory: Aria giving Elena her favorite stuffed animal when she had dreams.
Real memory: Aria taking the blame when Elena broke their mother's favorite vase.
Real memory: Aria crying herself to sleep for months after Elena's "death," whispering apologies to the empty room.
Elena sobbed as the truth rushed through her. "You were the best big sister anyone could ask for. And I... I hated you. I wanted to hurt you."
"The hate wasn't yours," Aria said gently. "It was Mara's poison. Now it's gone."
Elena looked up at her sister through tear-filled eyes. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive," Aria responded. "You were a victim too."
Marcus Thorn, who had been silent through the whole scene, finally spoke up. His voice was broken with guilt.
"I blamed you," he said to Aria. "For ten years, I blamed you for Elena's death. And all this time, you were the one who saved her."
Aria's face hardened. "We'll deal with that later, Father."
Elena struggled to her feet, assisted by Caleb. "There's something else. Something important." Everyone turned to look at her.
"Mara didn't just change my memories," Elena said quickly. "She... she did something to me. Some kind of spell. I can feel it inside me, like a worm eating at my soul."
Aria's eyes went wide with fear. "What kind of spell?"
"I don't know, but it's getting stronger. Ever since she died, it's been growing." Elena doubled over in pain. "It feels like it's trying to take control of me."
Dark veins started appearing on Elena's skin again, but this time they were different. Instead of the black power from before, they pulsed with sickly green light.
"No," Aria breathed. "She turned you into a backup plan."
"What do you mean?" Rowan changed back to human form, grabbing clothes from a nearby chair.
"If Mara couldn't get my power directly, she put a seed of her magic in Elena. It's meant to possess her and use her body to complete the ritual."
Elena screamed as the green lines spread across her arms and neck. Her eyes began changing color, moving from blue to sickly yellow.
"Fight it!" Aria led. "Don't let her take control!"
"I'm trying!" Elena gasped. "But it's so strong. It's telling me to... to kill you and take your power for myself."
The possessed part of Elena's mind began to speak, using her voice but with Mara's cruel tone.
"Foolish girl. Did you think killing me would end this? I planned for every possibility."
Elena's body jerked like a doll on strings. One moment she was herself, the next moment Mara's consciousness was in charge.
"Elena!" Aria reached for her sister.
"Stay back!" Elena warned, fighting for control. "I can feel her trying to make me hurt you!"
Her eyes flickered between blue and yellow. The battle for her soul was obvious on her face.
"You cannot resist forever," Mara's voice said through Elena's lips. "Soon this body will be mine. And then I'll have everything I need to finish my spell."
Elena's body convulsed. When she looked up again, her eyes were solid yellow.
"Hello, sister," she said with Mara's voice and Elena's face. "Ready to give me your power willingly? Or shall I take it by force?"