The mark on Kaelen's palm glowed hot and goldden in color, like it was burned into his skin.
I noticed It beat in time with my heart.
Not his but mine
We stood in the damaged temple. The relic sat dead on the Altar, nothing but ash now completely burnt . It had crumbled the second Kaelen touched it, like that was all it had been waiting for.
But this didn't feel like freedom.
"You said the curse was gone," I whispered, staring at his hand. "But it's still there, isn't it?"
He stayed quiet. Then he nodded.
"It's not gone," he said. "It's… watching."
My stomach tightened in fear.
"Watching?"
What?
He looked at me. "Us."
I didn't answer. I just stood still my hands and legs trembling.
I knew he was right. The curse wasn't gone. It had just changed.
We didn't go far that night we were too drained.
We camped right outside the Hollow. Kaelen slept, but it was restless kind of sleep His body jerked now and then, like something inside him pulled the strings. I sat awake, hugging my knees, just watching.
The moon was bright, but not as supposed it felt like even she was holding back.
I called to my magic. Normally it came quick, warm in my hands.
But tonight… it didn't respond
Like it was waiting too.
Then i heard a sound from the ground just beneath me
It was Kaelen.
It was not the curse.
It was definitely Something else.
I stood up immediately, scanning the trees.
Just as I turned around I saw a figure walked out of the shadows.
With deep red robe and a hidden face . But the symbol around their neck made my stomach drop.
A seven-pointed flame.
A witch.
not from my coven. Not even from one that still existed.
"You're trespassing," I said, fire sparking in my hands.
They lifted one hand, calm. "Not trespassing. Summoned."
"By who?"
"You," they said. "Or… your blood."
I frowned. "What does that mean?"
They pushed their hood back.
I froze.
She had my eyes.
"My name is Elira," she said. "Daughter of the Red Flame. Sister of the first hybrid."
My chest went numb. "That's not possible. The first hybrid died centuries ago."
"That's the story they gave you," Elira said with a small, tired smile. "But stories come from survivors, not truth."
She stepped closer
"I was there when the curse was born. The covens broke the oath and My brother's death wasn't just a tragedy. It was a sacrifice. And now the curse wants what it was denied."
"Unity," I whispered.
She shook her head. "No. Control. It doesn't want peace. It wants a vessel. And it's already chosen."
Her eyes shifted to Kaelen.
I immediately moved in front of him. "You won't touch him."
"I don't need to," she said. "The bond is already sealed. But you need to know, Seraphina."
I froze. "How do you know my name?"
Her smile turned heavy.
"Because we share blood."
"You're not just a witch," Elira said. "Your mother was. Her mother too. But your father… he was different."
My throat tightened.
"My father died when I was six," I said. "He was"
"A shadow," she cut in. "A man with no name, no past. But he carried the mark of the Hollow. You carry it too. It's been buried, Until now
She held out her hand. "Come. I'll show you what your blood hides."
I shook my head. "I can't leave Kaelen."
"If you don't come now, there may be no Kaelen left to save," she said. "The curse is moving faster than you think. When he wake s upv he won't remember you."
My heart crenched! How?
"You're lying."
"I don't need to lie. I only need to wait. But your time is shorter than his."
Then she turned into the trees.
I hesitated for one breath.
Then I followed.
We walked for what felt like hours. Or maybe minutes. Time is difficult to keep track of here. Finally, we reached a grove. Flames burned in a perfect circle, not moving even with the wind.
At the center was a pool.
Still, Black and Endless.
"This is the Mirror of Ashes," Elira said. "It shows the first curse. And your place in it."
I stepped closer.
When my fingers touched the water, i was in a different world
I stood in a chamber of fire.
Two witches on either side of a stone table.
A child lay on it. Not breathing.
A mark carved into its ribs.
Blood pooled across the stone. Wolves howled far away as Magic cracked in the air.
Then the child's eyes opened.
And it spoke.
One word.
"Seraphina."
I pulled my hand my hand back, trembling
"You saw it," Elira whispered.
I nodded. "What does it mean?"
"It means the curse isn't old," she said. "It's a cycle. The hybrid child is born again and again, until the bond holds."
My hand moved to my stomach without me realizing.
And the thought hit me like ice.
If the curse is a cycle if the hybrid child keeps being reborn
What if I'm already carrying it?