Diana The Fallen 3D Render, Digital Art by Sakhow

Diana The Fallen 3D Render, Digital Artwork by Sakhow

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Diana The Fallen

3D Render by Sakhow

Short Story: The Weight of Feathers
Title: The Unspoken Vow

The photography studio was freezing, a stark contrast to the humidity of the city rain pounding against the windows outside. But under the harsh glare of the strobe lights, Diana felt nothing but a familiar, simmering heat.

"Hold that pose," the photographer, Mark, called out. His voice was muffled from behind the camera. "Chin up slightly. Perfect. The lighting on those wings is incredible. Who made them? The texture looks... terrifyingly real."

Diana didn’t answer immediately. She slowly raised her arms, interlacing her fingers behind her head. The movement caused the muscles in her back to shift, and the massive black wings behind her responded instinctively, the feathers rustling with a sound like dry leaves skittering over pavement.

"They are custom," Diana said, her voice smooth like velvet over gravel. Her amber eyes locked onto the camera lens, piercing right through it to the man standing behind.

Click. Flash. Click.

"Well, whoever the prop artist is, give them a raise," Mark muttered, checking the preview screen. "The way they catch the light... it’s like they absorb it."

Diana smirked, a small, knowing curl of her lips. She could feel the blood pumping through the veins in the appendages. They weren't props. They were the burden she had carried since the Fall—since she traded the golden skies for the gray concrete of the human world.

"Mark," she said softly.

He looked up from his camera. "Yeah?"

"Make sure you capture the eyes," she whispered, her irises flaring with a sudden, golden intensity. The wings spread wider, filling the room with a sudden, imposing shadow that swallowed the studio lights. "I want them to know I’m still watching."

For a second, the air in the room grew heavy, charged with static electricity. Mark hesitated, a primal instinct telling him to run. But the beauty of the image was too captivating. He swallowed hard and pressed the shutter one last time.

Diana relaxed, the wings folding tight against her back, looking once again like an innocent, stunning model in a costume.

"Did you get it?" she asked casually.

"I... I think so," Mark stammered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Good," Diana said, walking toward the dressing room. "Because I only reveal the truth once."