The next morning, Elara awoke to the sound of birds singing outside her window. It felt like a new beginning, the air crisp with the promise of something she couldn't yet understand. Her mind was still reeling from the night before—the strange and vivid vision, the letters, the connection with Alexander. The whole thing seemed impossible, yet she could still feel him there, in the back of her mind, as though he were just a thought away.
The sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the dusty edges of the old room, but it didn't feel like her family's crumbling estate anymore. It felt like a bridge between two worlds—one where she belonged and one where she was still waiting to return.
She stood up from the bed and walked over to the desk, her fingers brushing over the letters she had found in the attic the previous day. They were gone now, seemingly whisked away by the same invisible forces that had pulled her into Alexander's world. Yet the memory of the letters—the words he had written—felt real, etched into her heart like an indelible mark.
"I know you must feel it too." She whispered the words aloud, as if calling out to him.
There was a sudden knock at the door, making her jump. It was Vivienne, her grandmother, her face lined with worry. "Elara, you must come downstairs. There's something you need to see."
Elara's stomach churned, a sinking feeling growing as she followed her grandmother down the grand staircase and into the library. The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made Elara's skin prickle. As she stepped into the library, she noticed that the atmosphere had changed.
Vivienne had already laid out the letters in front of her—those same letters she had found in the attic. But they weren't in the same state as before. The wax seals had begun to crack, the ink fading as though they were being drained of life.
"They've started to deteriorate," Vivienne said, her voice tight with concern. "It's happening faster than I thought."
Elara stepped closer, her fingers hovering over the fragile parchment. "What does this mean?"
"It means the curse is coming to collect," Vivienne said, her eyes darkening with fear. "The longer you hold onto these letters, the more you risk being pulled into the past. Time is shifting around you, and it's becoming harder to hold onto reality. You must let go before it's too late."
Elara's breath caught in her throat. She had always known the curse was real—it was something her family had whispered about for generations, an ancient bond that no one dared to question. But now it was happening. The letters weren't just relics of a bygone era—they were alive, shifting through time, tying her to something she couldn't escape.
"But I can't," Elara whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't let go of him. I've felt it-there's something between us. I'm meant to find him, to help him."
Vivienne shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. "You don't understand, Elara. Alexander is not just a man. He is the key to breaking the curse. But that doesn't mean you can love him."
Elara felt her pulse quicken. "But I do love him. I feel it every time I touch those letters. Every time I think of him. He's real, and I know he's out there, waiting for me."
Vivienne's face softened for a moment, but her eyes were filled with an unspoken dread. "And that's why this is so dangerous. The curse has claimed the hearts of every Whitmore woman before you. We've always been drawn to the past, to Alexander, and it's never ended well. The letters, the time—you must sever the connection, or you will be lost."
Elara's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to process everything. The connection she had with Alexander-it wasn't a fantasy. She knew it. But now, it seemed like the price for that connection was far too high.
Suddenly, the room seemed to shift, and Elara felt it again-a pull. This time, it was stronger than before, an invisible force tugging at her very soul. She looked down at the letters, feeling the weight of them, and she heard his voice again, calling out from the depths of time.
"Elara..."
Her knees nearly buckled, and she grabbed the edge of the desk for support. The world around her swam, the walls closing in as she felt herself being drawn back into that strange, shimmering place-the same place where she had first seen Alexander. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pull, but it was like a current she couldn't resist. She was being called to him again.
Vivienne's voice broke through the haze, full of fear. "Elara! Don't let it take you!"
But it was too late. The world around her dissolved, and she felt herself falling-through time, through space-until everything went dark.
When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the library, no longer in the present. She was back.
The cobblestone streets stretched out before her, the sound of the bustling market surrounding her. The air smelled of fresh bread and spices. She stood there, breathless, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized where she was.
And there, by the old fountain, standing just as he had been before, was Alexander.
He was watching her, his eyes locking with hers across the centuries, as if nothing had changed.
"Isolde,"he whispered, the words like a balm to her soul. "I've waited for you."
But this time, it wasn't a vision. It was real.
To be continued...