The sky burned crimson the night the kingdom fell.
Screams echoed between the marble towers of Elarion, where moonlight once danced upon silver spires now stained with ash and blood.
Lady Ariselle stood alone upon the citadel wall, her armor shattered, her blade trembling in her grasp.
The wind carried whispers of betrayal, of a love once sworn eternal.
The one she had trusted most… had turned against her.
Her long hair, once a cascade of gold, clung dark and heavy with soot. Beneath the streaks of dirt, her eyes gleamed like dying stars. She could still see him, standing amidst the ruin the man she had once loved, the knight who now led her enemies. His name was lost upon her lips, replaced only by pain.
"So it ends," she whispered, voice breaking between thunder and fire.
"Was our love nothing but a lie?"
But there was no answer. Only the hiss of steel and the roar of flames devouring everything she'd fought for.
From the heavens, divine light pierced the battlefield the decree of the Celestial Order, judging both mortal and immortal alike. The curse came as a storm: golden sigils spiraled through the sky, weaving chains of light that bound her soul.
"Lady Ariselle of Elarion," the voice of the gods thundered, cold and final.
"You defied destiny, and loved what was forbidden.
For your sin, your soul shall wander… until love redeems you, or destroys you once more."
Her sword slipped from her hand, the last warmth leaving her body.
As darkness closed in, she felt the faintest trace of a touch his touch. Rough, desperate, trembling.
"Ariselle," a voice broke through the haze, deep and trembling, "if there is another life… I'll find you."
She tried to smile. "Then I'll wait, no matter how long."
The last thing she saw was the man she once called her enemy cradling her body, his tears mingling with the ash that fell like snow.
And then silence.
The world ended.
Her soul began to fall through time.