(POV Dorcha)

  The closer I get to the Sirens’ palace, the harder my heart pounds.

  Aeltiàfisar and Baelkers were clear.

  When I find Anam… I must kill him.

  That part is not difficult.

  I learned how to kill before I learned how to walk.

  I can look into his eyes. I can watch his soul fade.

  But—

  Will Aileen hate me?

  No.

  Don’t think about that. Not now.

  If the Elves commanded it — they of all beings — then there is a reason.

  Their words echo in my mind.

  “He is not what he seems.”

  I won’t hesitate.

  I’ll do it.

  Whatever it costs.

  …

  What is that glow?

  Aileen.

  It has to be her.

  The light spills from a half-hidden cavern.

  And if she’s there…

  Then so is he.

  Slowly. Carefully.

  I move closer.

  And I see them.

  Entwined.

  Kissing.

  Touching.

  My vision goes red.

  You damned fish.

  You should never have touched her.

  It’s over.

  The sea vanishes. The world vanishes.

  There is only him — breathing hard like an animal.

  One thought. One purpose.

  End him.

  I strike without sound and seize him from behind.

  I want him to feel it.

  His body goes rigid in shock.

  I grab his throat and wrench his head back toward me.

  Look at me.

  Look at the one who will kill you.

  I search his eyes.

  I feel nothing.

  “Let him go!” Aileen screams, throwing herself at me.

  She pounds her fists against my back, desperate to make me release him.

  I wouldn’t let go under a troll’s torture.

  Strange.

  The longer I stare into this triton’s eyes, the deeper my hatred burns.

  There is something feral in him.

  The Elves were right.

  He is not what he seems.

  “Alisea, get away!” he shouts at her.

  Alisea.

  How dare he.

  I tighten my grip.

  He thrashes like an insect caught in a fist.

  The more he looks at me — pleading — the more I want him to suffer.

  Aileen is crying now.

  “Please… let him go. He is my whole life!” she sobs. “Take me instead!”

  Nonsense.

  “Stop raving, Aileen. He’s the one I want.”

  (POV Alisea — Aileen)

  Aileen.

  That name again.

  My head throbs.

  The pain pulses behind my eyes, and my body begins to glow brighter — too bright.

  “I… I’m not Aileen…” I whisper.

  Then I look at the triton who attacked us.

  He is fierce.

  Different.

  Blond hair — not like ours. As if he belongs to another sea entirely.

  And his eyes…

  So green.

  Why is he doing this?

  What does he want from Anam?

  Anam isn’t cruel. He isn’t—

  But the stranger’s grip tightens.

  If he keeps squeezing like that, he’ll kill him!

  “Anam, please! Fight back!” I cry.

  And he does.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  A trident flashes into his hand. With a sharp twist, he breaks free.

  “What does a worthless triton like you think you’re doing?” Anam snarls, clutching his reddened throat. “Alisea — get help!”

  Help?

  From whom?

  I can’t move.

  I can only pray that whatever this is… they settle it without killing each other.

  Anam lunges.

  The other triton does not retreat.

  He draws his sword.

  Metal collides with metal.

  The impact shakes the cavern — a violent clang that reverberates through stone and bone alike.

  The sound is unbearable. I clamp my hands over my ears.

  The water around us erupts. The small waterfall spirals into a furious vortex, scattering flowers, sand, seaweed, broken stone.

  Blows. Fast. Precise. Merciless.

  They’re bleeding.

  Their arms are streaked with red.

  Can’t I do something?

  But what?

  Anam lashes out again — flames race along his tail, searing the blond triton’s fins.

  The scent of burned flesh clouds the water.

  But—

  The sword drives forward.

  It slices across Anam’s abdomen.

  Gods—

  They’re both at their limit.

  Why won’t either of them yield?

  The trident grazes the blond triton’s side.

  My heart jolts.

  It’s deep.

  His face twists in pain.

  It must hurt.

  And yet—

  He doesn’t stop.

  He attacks again.

  Without mercy.

  (POV Dorcha)

  Enough.

  “Stone claim you!” I roar.

  Anam collapses instantly — rigid, frozen, body locked like carved granite.

  I step closer.

  I want to see his eyes when he understands.

  Strange…

  He’s terrified.

  But empty.

  Why is there no depth there?

  Small hands grab my arm. Aileen.

  “Please, stop! Don’t hurt him!” she begs.

  I’m sorry.

  I can’t.

  Without taking my eyes off him, I shrug her off and tighten my grip on my sword.

  It burns beneath my palm.

  Pulses with a dull red glow.

  Deceit. Half-truths. Illusion.

  Aeltiàfisar. Baelkers.

  They were right.

  Anam is not what he pretends to be.

  No more hesitation.

  Now.

  (POV Alisea — Aileen)

  The silence screams in my ears.

  Everything slows.

  I see the blond triton drive his blade straight through Anam’s heart.

  All the way through.

  Anam jerks.

  His eyes widen.

  His head falls to the side.

  It takes less than a second.

  No.

  Anam…

  No.

  This isn’t real.

  It’s a nightmare.

  Slowly, I move toward him.

  His body lies still.

  Cold.

  Like stone.

  No.

  I throw myself over him, clutching him.

  There is no life.

  “No, no, no!” I scream. “No… I don’t believe it… this isn’t real…”

  How do I breathe without him?

  Our wedding. Our future.

  My love—

  My eyes fall on the wound in his chest.

  Something inside me snaps.

  I leave his body and launch myself at the murderer, striking him with everything I have.

  “How could you?! Give him back! Give him back!”

  Why isn’t he fighting back?

  Does he despise me that much?

  He just stands there.

  Watching me.

  Expressionless.

  I hate him.

  I keep hitting him.

  (POV Dorcha)

  I feel hollow.

  It happened.

  She hates me.

  And she’s in pain.

  Because of me.

  A sudden explosion rocks the cavern.

  We both turn.

  Anam’s body shatters into a storm of razor-sharp crystals, scattering through the water like a thousand blades.

  Instinct takes over.

  I pull Aileen into my arms as the shockwave hurls us backward.

  My spine slams against stone.

  My vision blurs.

  But I keep my body over hers.

  I won’t let her be hurt.

  “Let me go!” she screams.

  My grip loosens.

  She breaks free and swims toward where Anam had fallen.

  I push myself upright, dizzy.

  The crystal shards are gathering.

  Drawing together.

  Piece by piece, they reform.

  Until—

  A mirror.

  Floating in the water.

  Calm.

  Untouched.

  As if nothing ever happened.

  Inside it, a fragment of golden parchment inscribed with ancient words.

  The Secret of the Sirens.

  So Anam…

  “Aileen,” I say, reaching her.

  She turns on me, furious.

  “Stop calling me Aileen! I don’t even know who that is! Where is Anam’s body? What did you do to him? And what is that mirror?!”

  Every word cuts.

  I don’t have the strength to explain everything.

  And she would never hear it like this.

  Wait.

  Maybe—

  “That mirror,” I say carefully, “is Anam. If you read the words inside it aloud, he will return.”

  “Liar!”

  “I swear to you.”

  “Then why kill him?”

  “To save you.”

  She goes still.

  Her eyes burn with venom.

  If she believed she could defeat me, she would try.

  “Save me? From whom? From my future husband?” Her voice is ice. “I did not need saving, triton. I love Anam. I don’t know who you are, but leave. Before I have you executed.”

  She isn’t listening.

  Maybe she can’t.

  Maybe she won’t.

  It’s happening.

  Exactly what I feared.

  She cannot understand that Anam was her own soul made flesh by magic.

  He was never real.

  Only her reflection given life.

  I knew the moment I saw the mirror.

  But something is wrong.

  When Anam died, Alisea should have collapsed back into Aileen — memories restored.

  Why didn’t it happen?

  Is the Sirens’ magic stronger than I imagined?

  Will Aileen never return to being a Clouder?

  I’ve lost her.

  Forever.

  My mind feels like it’s tearing apart.

  She is curled in the corner now, clutching the mirror, sobbing.

  She doesn’t even remember I exist.

  How do I fix this?

  Guilt crushes me.

  And for what?

  I’ve lost her.

  Forever.

  I need to carve that truth into my heart.

  But I can’t.

  Without her—

  Tears sting my eyes.

  My strength drains.

  Outside the cavern, small luminous fish begin to drift.

  Dawn is near.

  I have to leave.

  When the guards wake and discover my absence, they’ll raise the alarm.

  If they capture me and strip my powers again, I won’t survive it.

  If I stay hidden… maybe I can free Grogher. The others.

  And then we flee.

  But not without them.

  Never without them.

  I look at her one last time.

  Aileen…

  My love.

  How do I walk away from you?

  It hurts too much.

  I can’t.

  I move to the cavern entrance and sit in the shadows.

  From here I can watch her without being seen.

  I won’t disturb her grief.

  I’ve already done enough.

  (POV Adalgisa)

  It is deep night.

  What is a delegation from the Lake Sirens doing here — led by Queen Silèna and King Niùt?

  Rocchino and I exchange a glance before swimming forward to greet them.

  “We are here to confer with our daughter and her consort. Open the gates,” the Queen commands.

  Protocol forbids immediate entry.

  “Your Majesties,” Rocchino says carefully, “we understand your urgency. However, we must first announce your arrival.”

  The Queen’s face twists with restrained fury.

  “Preposterous. Move.”

  She glides past us, regal and unstoppable, her husband and retinue following.

  At the gate she places her hands on her hips.

  “Open.”

  She doesn’t need us.

  One word from her would shatter the barrier.

  She is choosing restraint.

  Choosing to respect her daughter’s authority.

  For now.

  Rocchino and I exchange a silent understanding.

  We open the gate.

  Without another word, the Sovereigns of the Lake swim toward the palace.

  (POV Selìna)

  It is far too late for confrontation tonight.

  We will retire.

  But tomorrow morning…

  Selìna and Nèilos will answer for this.

  They have gone too far.

  AUTHOR’S CORNER

  Thank you for reading the fortieth episode of Sigillum Maximum – The Webnovel.

  This was not just a battle. It was something deeper.

  And now, I want to hear from you.

  Dorcha — killing to save

  Dorcha knew what he had to do. He knew Aileen would hate him. And he did it anyway.

  Do you think it was an act of courage?

  Would you have made the same choice?

  Aileen — watching what you love die

  Aileen watches her world collapse. The one she loves is pierced before her eyes.

  If someone destroyed the very thing that means everything to you…

  would you be able to listen to their explanation?

  Anam — who was he, really?

  A body that shatters. Crystals. A mirror. And inside it, a scroll.

  Anam was neither enemy nor ally. He was never truly real.

  He was a projection. A fragment.

  What did you feel when you realized he was part of her?

  Did it change the way you saw what happened?

  Dorcha — losing even when you win

  Dorcha does what he was asked to do.

  And yet, he loses everything.

  Did you feel his loneliness?

  When he sits in the shadows watching her cry… did you ache more for him — or for her?

  A question just for you

  After everything that has happened,

  what do you think must occur for Aileen to truly return?

  I’m very curious to read your thoughts.

  May light find its way into even the smallest corners of your life.

  With love,

  — Eleanor Lian