Thorns of Obsession
---
Lucen's pace was relentless. Through whispering woods and frost-covered fields, we followed him in silence.
Riven was pale, his energy flickering. I stayed close—half ready to catch him, half terrified I'd lose him if I didn't.
---
Lucen (without turning):
"We're almost there. Try not to look surprised when you see it."
Me:
"See what?"
He didn't answer.
---
It took us another hour to reach it.
A cottage—hidden beneath the earth itself.
Lucen tapped three fingers against the bark of an old ash tree. The roots rumbled, then split, revealing stairs descending into shadow.
Riven barely blinked.
I, however, stopped cold.
---
Me:
"A house under a tree?"
Lucen (grinning):
"Welcome to the Hollow. Last safehouse before hell."
---
The inside was strange.
Warm, candlelit. Books floated mid-air. A fireplace burned blue. The air shimmered faintly with magic.
---
Lucen (calling out):
"Wren, we've got guests!"
---
A blur darted past me.
Then returned.
A boy—maybe seventeen. Honey-blond hair. Sharp, foxlike eyes.
---
Wren:
"Riven and the boy he broke everything for. I've heard of you."
He looked directly at me, then leaned closer.
Too close.
---
Wren:
"You smell like fate."
Me:
"…What?"
Lucen:
"Stop being weird."
---
We settled in quickly.
Wren handed us tea that glowed faintly violet. Riven drank half a cup before exhaustion finally dragged him down onto the couch.
The moment he fell asleep, Lucen's expression darkened.
---
Lucen (quietly):
"The curse mark is draining him faster now."
Me:
"Can he survive it?"
Lucen hesitated.
And that hesitation terrified me more than any answer.
---
Lucen:
"He can. But only if the bond stabilizes."
Me:
"And if it doesn't?"
---
Silence.
---
I looked toward Riven again.
Even asleep, he looked tense. Like he was still fighting invisible chains.
Slowly, I sat beside him and brushed a strand of dark hair away from his face.
---
Me (whispering):
"I'm not leaving you."
---
That night, Lucen called me into another room.
Candles surrounded the walls. Strange symbols glowed beneath our feet.
He handed me an old photograph.
---
My breath caught.
It was Riven.
Younger.
Maybe sixteen.
Chained to a chair.
Blood running down his neck.
And behind him stood members of the Crimson Council.
---
Me (horrified):
"What did they do to him?"
---
Lucen's jaw tightened.
---
Lucen:
"They tried to turn him into a vessel."
Me:
"For what?"
Lucen:
"An ancient entity buried inside the Crimson bloodline. Something powerful enough to control every heir after him."
---
I stared at the photo.
Riven looked terrified.
Not dangerous.
Not cruel.
Just… broken.
---
Lucen:
"He escaped before the ritual finished. Killed half the chamber trying to survive."
He looked at me carefully.
---
Lucen:
"That's why he's afraid of loving you."
---
I swallowed hard.
---
Lucen:
"Because every person he's ever cared about has been turned into a weakness."
---
Back in the main room, Riven woke suddenly, breathing hard.
His eyes searched the room frantically—
Until they found me.
And instantly softened.
---
Riven (quietly):
"You're still here."
---
I walked over to him slowly.
---
Me:
"I said I would stay."
---
Something vulnerable flickered across his face.
Not obsession.
Not possession.
Relief.
---
He reached for my hand carefully, almost like he was afraid I'd disappear.
---
Riven:
"You make me want things I was never supposed to have."
---
I sat beside him.
---
Me:
"Then maybe it's time you stop listening to what they wanted."
---
Outside, thunder echoed across the forest.
And deep beneath the Hollow—
Something ancient stirred awake.
---
[End of Chapter 31]