When Elara opened her eyes, everything felt wrong.
The sky above her wasn't black or gray; it swirled with dark crimson and silver mist, moving like a living storm. The ground beneath her was cracked and glowing faintly, like veins of light ran through the earth. She sat up slowly, feeling dizzy, her heart racing.
This wasn't the forest anymore. This was a different place, colder, older, and much more dangerous.
Her breath fogged in the air. "Where… where am I?"
A soft laugh came from the shadows.
"Welcome, little witch," a voice said smoothly. "To my world."
Elara turned around. Riven stepped out of the mist, tall and calm, as if this strange place shifted around him. His silver eyes gleamed like the moon in still water. He looked almost beautiful, in a way that could also be cruel.
She stumbled back. "Stay away from me."
Riven raised a hand as if soothing a scared animal. "Relax. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be breathing."
His words sent a chill through her.
"What do you want?" she asked, trying to sound brave, though her voice shook.
He smiled faintly. "I already told you. You carry something that belongs to me: the old flame, my family's bloodline, my curse."
Elara shook her head. "You're lying. I'm not— I'm not one of you."
Riven's expression softened, almost out of pity. "Oh, but you are. Do you think magic like yours comes from the wind or the stars? No, it comes from blood—ancient blood. The same blood that flows in me… and in Kael."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Kael?"
"Yes," Riven said quietly. "My brother. My curse. My mistake."
He began to walk slowly around her, his boots making no sound on the cracked ground.
"Long before you were born, our family ruled the Lunar Realm—a kingdom bound by moonlight and magic. But Kael broke the sacred vow. He fell in love with a witch. Your ancestor."
Elara froze. "That can't be true."
"It is," Riven said softly, his voice curling around her like smoke. "When he defied the gods to save her, the curse was born. It spread through him, through me, through every drop of that forbidden blood. You are the last spark of it, Elara—the final link in a chain that should have died centuries ago."
Her throat tightened. "Then why do you want me?"
"Because," Riven said, stopping in front of her, "you can end it. Or awaken it fully."
He reached out and brushed his fingers against her wrist. A searing pain shot through her arm—the black veins pulsed angrily, glowing beneath her skin. Elara gasped and pulled away, but he caught her hand easily.
"Stop fighting it," he murmured. "This power is who you are. The more you resist, the more it burns."
"I don't want your power!" she yelled, yanking free.
For a moment, the crimson mist flickered in response to her outburst. Riven's expression shifted, and something dark flashed in his eyes. "You sound just like him," he whispered.
"Like Kael?"
"Yes." His voice dropped lower. "Always defying what he doesn't understand. Always choosing love over strength. And look where that led him."
Elara's anger flared. "He's still fighting. He hasn't given up."
Riven tilted his head, almost amused. "He's still pretending he can win. But the truth is—"
He leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear.
"Every time you use your power, you feed my curse. And when it's full, he dies."
Elara's eyes widened in horror. "No…"
"Oh, yes." Riven smiled coldly. "His fate is tied to yours. The bond you feel? That pull between your souls? It's real. But it's also the curse. The more you care for him, the faster it consumes him."
The ground trembled beneath her as she staggered back, shaking her head. "You're lying—you're trying to break me."
"Perhaps," Riven said with a faint shrug. "Or perhaps I'm saving you from a fate worse than death."
He snapped his fingers. The mist around them shifted, swirling until it formed an image in the air—Kael, kneeling in the forest, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes dimming.
Elara gasped. "Kael!"
"See for yourself," Riven said softly. "He's dying as we speak. He'll come for you. He always does. But every step he takes closer will drive the curse deeper into his soul."
Tears burned her eyes. She reached toward the image, but it faded into mist.
Riven stepped closer again, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You could save him. You could end the curse for both of you. Stay here in my realm. Give me the flame, and I'll set him free."
Her pulse raced. "You'd… release him?"
He nodded slowly. "He'd live as a man again. Free of me. Free of the beast."
The offer was everything she wanted—and everything she feared. Could she trust him? He was the one who caused Kael's suffering. But what if he wasn't lying? What if giving up the flame really could save Kael's life?
She looked down at her trembling hands. The faint glow under her skin flickered like dying firelight.
Riven's voice grew softer, more persuasive. "You don't belong to the light, Elara. You belong to the flame. Give it to me, and you'll never have to run again."
She looked up at him, her eyes fierce despite the tears. "And if I refuse?"
Riven's smile faded. "Then the curse will take him before the next moonrise. And you'll watch it happen."
Her breath caught. The world felt like it tilted beneath her.
For a long moment, silence stretched between them—heavy, fragile, and filled with unspoken fear.
Then, from deep within the red mist, a faint sound echoed—a howl. Deep, powerful, and familiar.
Kael.
Riven's eyes narrowed. "He found the path…"
He turned toward the sound, his calm finally cracking. "Impossible. No one escapes the veil."
Elara's heart surged with wild hope. The howl came again, closer now. Louder.
"He's coming for me," she whispered.
Riven's expression darkened. "Then he's walking straight into his death."
The ground shook violently. Cracks of light ripped through the dark soil, spreading fast. The crimson sky split open, a beam of white moonlight cutting through the realm. Elara shielded her eyes as the mist screamed and twisted away.
Through the light, a shadow emerged—huge, furious, unstoppable.
Kael forces his way into the Shadow Realm — breaking an ancient barrier — but every second he stays weakens his soul.
Riven prepares to face him, while Elara must choose between saving Kael's life… or saving her magic.