❝ 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ❞ ʲᵃˢᵖᵉʳ ʰᵃˡᵉ ( EN )

☇ 𝟯𝟵

As Jasper prepared to snap Maria's neck, his fingers trembling with rage and hatred, repressed memories surged through his mind. He relived every torment Maria had inflicted on him: the relentless battles, the screams of those he had been forced to kill, the way she manipulated him, controlled him, as if he were nothing more than a pawn in her cruel game. Every scar on his body, every mark left by her fangs, all of it dragged him back to a time when he had been nothing but an instrument of destruction in her hands. The weight of those memories overwhelmed him, and he clenched his teeth, struggling to regain his composure. He couldn't falter now. Not when Théodora was counting on him.

But before he could end Maria's life, Estrella emerged from the shadows. In one fluid, swift motion, she extended her hand toward Jasper, and instantly, a searing pain pierced his mind. It wasn't physical pain but a mental anguish, sharp and cutting like a blade. Jasper felt his own mind falter, bending under the intensity of the attack. It was as though thousands of needles were stabbing into his brain, each point dredging up the darkest, most painful memories he had tried to bury.

He collapsed to his knees, his hands pressed against his temples, fighting desperately against Estrella's hold. He saw Théodora again, her face etched with pain, her words echoing in his mind: "Love me less." He heard her cries of distress, the desperation in her voice as she had struggled against Estrella herself. Théodora's anguished gaze jolted him back to reality, and he clenched his fists, refusing to let the pain consume him.

"No... I won't let you win," he growled, his voice rough with suffering, tears streaming from his eyes. "I'll never let you win again."

The Cullens, seeing Jasper on the ground, rushed to his aid. Edward was the first to leap forward, grabbing Estrella's wrist and wrenching her violently away from Jasper, breaking the mental link that bound him. Estrella let out a scream of rage, but before she could retaliate, Emmett seized her by the waist, lifting her off the ground with brute strength and holding her immobilized.

"Don't let her hurt you, Jasper!" Emmett shouted, tightening his grip. "Let's finish this!"

Carlisle and Rosalie rushed to restrain Maria, who was trying to use Estrella's attack as a distraction to escape. "It's over, Maria," Carlisle said firmly, his eyes filled with calm yet unyielding determination. "You're no longer in control."

Alice stepped forward with a lighter, flicking it open to reveal a small, flickering flame. She tossed it onto Estrella's restrained body, held firmly by Rosalie and Emmett. The flames erupted, and a piercing scream tore through the clearing as Estrella writhed in the fire, her body disintegrating bit by bit. The air filled with a choking, acrid smell and the intense heat of the flames.

Jasper, still trembling, raised his eyes, feeling the heat of the fire on his face. His gaze turned to Maria, their eyes meeting one last time. In her gaze, he saw all the hatred, the cruelty, but also the fear. And for the first time, he felt no fear of her. It was as though a veil of fog had lifted, as though he could finally see clearly after years of darkness.

"Why... Why did you always want to control me?" he asked, his voice breaking with emotion.

Maria smiled, even as fear gripped her. "Because you were strong, Jasper," she murmured, her voice soft, almost seductive. "And I couldn't let you go. Not you."

Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, then, with cold determination, tightened his grip on her neck. "What you'll never understand," he murmured, "is that real strength doesn't come from fear or hatred. It comes from love. Love you could never take from me."

"You think you can crush me so easily?" Maria made one final, desperate move, but this time Rosalie and Carlisle grabbed her from either side, holding her firmly in place. Maria thrashed and screamed, her blood-red eyes fixed on Jasper with a mix of terror and hatred. "You're nothing without me, Jasper!" she screamed. "Do you hear me? Nothing!"

Jasper stepped forward slowly, each step heavy with resolve, carrying Théodora's words with him: "Love me less." He had kept those words close, holding them deep in his heart. And with that love, with that hope of protecting her, he leaned closer to Maria. "I may be nothing without you," he murmured, his voice tinged with sadness, "but I will be everything for her."

With a brutal motion, he snapped her neck, her stifled scream fading into the night. The crack echoed through the clearing, followed by a heavy silence. Maria's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, the cruel gleam in her eyes extinguished forever. Jasper stood there, his arms falling to his sides, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Alice approached him, tears glistening in her eyes. "It's over," she murmured, her voice breaking with emotion. "It's finally over."

Jasper nodded, but he felt no relief, no victory—just an emptiness. It was as if, in killing Maria, he had lost a part of himself, a part he had hated but that had always been there. "Why don't I feel better?" he murmured, his eyes fixed on Maria's lifeless body at his feet.

"Because she took so much from you," Alice replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But now, you're free. And sometimes, freedom is the most painful thing of all."

"Burn her," Jasper ordered in a hollow voice. "I never want to see her again. I want her gone forever."

Edward and Emmett stepped forward, and together they tossed Maria's remains into the roaring flames. The fire blazed higher, consuming her body, mingling with the smoke that rose into the night sky, taking with it the last traces of her existence. The Cullens stood in silence, watching the flames dance, their faces illuminated by the flickering light, bearing witness to the end of an era, of a nightmare that had lasted far too long.

Jasper staggered back, his breath uneven, feeling suddenly drained. It was over. The threat to Théodora, to her life, was finally extinguished. But deep inside, a gaping chasm remained, a void the victory could not fill. He collapsed to his knees, his eyes fixed on the flames consuming Maria—the woman who had shaped him into what he was, but who would never hold power over him again.

As the crackling of the flames began to die down, Jasper felt an immense weight lift from his shoulders. He turned to the other Cullens—his friends, his family—who had helped him through the darkness. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice raw, broken. "Thank you for being here."

Esme stepped forward, cupping his cheeks with her hands, her eyes filled with tenderness. "You're not alone anymore, Jasper," she murmured. "We're here, and we always will be."

The Cullens moved closer together, forming a circle around Jasper, their warmth and love enveloping him, slowly soothing the pain that still burned within him. The flames continued to flicker in the night, and Jasper closed his eyes, letting the wind carry away the ashes of Maria and Estrella—carrying away everything that remained of that past, of that pain. For the first time in years, he felt free.