Kaelith's scream cut through the ether like a blade.
Seraphina lurched toward him. "Kaelith—!"
But he twisted away, writhing on the ground, his hands clawing at his chest. Black veins pulsed beneath his skin. His eyes—those eyes that once held stars just for her—now flickered with something unrecognizable.
Something ancient.
Something cruel.
> "I told you," Aetherion said coldly from above. "The soul you pulled back from the brink… was tainted the moment you broke the rules."
Seraphina's voice trembled. "I don't believe you."
Aetherion smirked. "Then watch."
---
Scene Break – The Curse Awakens
Kaelith let out a guttural growl, doubling over as a dark sigil burned across his back.
Seraphina tried to touch him—tried to soothe him—but he snapped his head up.
His face had changed.
Twisted. Contorted.
Gone was the warmth in his expression, the softness in his voice.
> "Stay away from me," he rasped. "I can't… control it…"
She stepped closer anyway. "You're stronger than this. You fought for me. Let me fight for you now."
Kaelith's pupils dilated—beastlike.
> "You don't get it!" he roared. "He's inside me! His will—his rage—his HUNGER—"
A pulse of black magic erupted from his chest, throwing her backward.
She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs.
---
Scene Break – The Turning Point
Aetherion descended like a shadow, walking toward Kaelith with quiet purpose.
"Look at what you've become," the god whispered. "A beast born from love's defiance. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Kaelith trembled, on his knees, gripping his head. "Get out of my mind…"
"You think she can save you?" Aetherion taunted. "She doesn't even know what she's becoming."
Kaelith's gaze jerked up. "What…?"
Aetherion turned to Seraphina now.
"She thinks she rewrote fate. But all she did was step into a different role. One the world's been waiting for."
Seraphina stood, defiant despite the blood on her lip. "I won't play your games."
"But you already are," Aetherion said smoothly. "The Heir of Ruin. The flame that consumes gods."
Seraphina's heartbeat stopped.
> The Heir… of Ruin?
---
Final Scene – The Break
Kaelith suddenly snarled and lunged—not at Aetherion.
At Seraphina.
His hands wrapped around her throat, his eyes black and wild.
> "I'm sorry," he choked, voice shattered. "I can't stop it—"
She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She just looked into his eyes and whispered:
"Then I'll save you. Even if it kills me."
His grip faltered—but only for a second.
Then the world flashed white.
And everything went dark.