Dianna's POV**
"A life, one filled with eternal misery! That is what shall befall your children! They will wander the world till the end of time, transforming into the very beasts you desired. Oh yes, they will be powerful, but they will become slaves to their very own powers. Your family's name shall be feared, just as you wished, but that fear will grow so deep your children will roam the world alone, damned to a life of solitude! They will wish for death, but they shall not be granted such mercy. I curse the very Ravenson name!"
I stood by the window, watching the people of Arcane County go about their business like it was just another normal day in a normal city, but it was all a facade. A city filled with humans and witches could never be normal.
A few days ago, I'd been following the trail of a witch, one that led me back to this damned city. I caught my prey, yes, but she led me to something much bigger…. something my siblings and I had been searching for since the day we were cursed.
We were turned into monsters in this city, condemned to an immortal life of solitude and wild, uncontrollable powers. We became the very beasts she promised we would be. Damaged. Broken beyond repair, some would say. But I've always believed salvation exists for us somewhere.… somehow.
And my prey led me straight to the path.
A loud brawl erupted from downstairs, announcing the arrival of my fellow Ravensons.
"Dear siblings, already at each other's throats the moment we meet." I smiled and walked down the stairs.
"Why is he here?!" Gia yelled as the victim of her anger, Eric, stood completely frozen in place.
"Come on, sister. Unfreeze Eric," I said.
"You didn't tell me he'd be here!" Gia snapped.
"I knew you wouldn't come if I had. Now unfreeze your twin brother before he burns himself out of your freezing spell and aims for your throat."
Ivan chuckled behind me.
"Nice to see you too, brother. Something funny?" I asked, turning to him.
"Oh, I just enjoy watching you all fight. You're so broken," he said with a smile.
"Says the guy who destroys everything he touches. Without those spelled gloves and shoes, you would've burnt us down the moment you stepped in!" I retorted.
He jumped forward in anger. "Say that again and I'll remove these gloves and condemn you to a pain so great you'll wish you were dead!"
"Oh, come at me, Ivan. I'll show you the only place you belong, beneath my feet."
A sudden explosion cracked through the room. Eric had broken free.
"GIA!" he roared and lunged for her.
"Eric, no!" I said, quickly sliding between them.
"Oh come on, don't ruin the fight," Ivan muttered.
"You shut your damn mouth, Ivan!" I snapped.
"She froze me, Dianna! She fucking froze me!" Eric yelled.
"Oh, you deserve more than a mere freezing spell," Gia muttered.
"Oh shut up, you too, Gia!"
A knife suddenly flew across the room, aimed at Gia's face, but I caught it inches before it struck.
"Great, Eric. You want to stab your sister in the face?"
"A stab in the face is better than a stab in the back," he said.
Ivan laughed. "That was a good one, Eric."
I shot Ivan a deadly glare.
"Leave, sister," Gia said. "I need to show this douchebag that his powers are no match for mine!"
"Enough!" I roared.
A fiery flame erupted from my skin, swirling into a massive phoenix that shadowed over me. They all stepped back.
"Oh, this never gets old," Ivan grunted.
"One more word from you, Ivan, and I'll burn that impudent tongue of yours," I warned. Then I turned to the twins.
"And you two, whatever altercations you're harboring, I do not care. But at least hear what I have to say before going for each other's throats. I didn't call you all here just to witness a typical Ravenson reunion."
"Whatever you have to say, it better be worth sparing this arrogant sucker," Eric muttered.
"How dare you...." Gia began, but I cut her off.
"Calm down. For God's sake, you two are supposed to be twins." I sighed. "Let's go sit."
We walked into the living room, and Ivan casually stepped over the dead body on the floor.
"Who's the dead pretty damsel?" he asked.
"Careful. Stain the floor with her blood and you'll be the one cleaning it," I warned.
"You act like a saint, sister, but you've already killed someone upon arriving here," Gia said.
"You and I both know none of us are saints, so spare me. She deserved it. She got me outraged."
"And what did the human girl do?" Eric asked.
"She wasn't human. She was a witch, and she attempted to take my life."
"Take your life?" Ivan snorted. "If she was truly a witch, she'd know you cannot be killed. None of us can. Unfortunately."
"Oh, she was a witch. Apparently I killed her mother years ago. Don't ask me how, I don't keep a list of the people who've met their end at my hand."
"Fair enough. What did she want?" Gia asked.
"She wanted revenge. But she also said something that caught my attention. She said that even if I killed her, The Guardian would find me and my siblings… and end us."
"The Guardian?" Eric repeated.
"Who's The Guardian?" Gia asked.
"I wondered the same thing. I let her escape and followed her trail, which led me back to this damned city. She realized I was following her, tried to run, but I caught her and brought her here. Things went south. She died."
"You mean you lost control and killed her," Ivan said.
"So why exactly did you summon us and force me to endure the displeasure of being in the same vicinity as certain uncultured beings?" Gia asked.
"Oh please, Gia. We're all uncultured beings, you just take the lead," Eric said.
"Oh shut up, both of you," Ivan added.
"Finally! Someone behaving like an elder brother," I said.
"Oh, I'm just learning from you, elder sister." He smirked.
"Back to the matter at hand," I said, pulling out a folded paper. "Since our little witch couldn't speak anymore, I searched her belongings and found this."
An advert poster.
"A circus advert?" Eric asked.
"Yes. But look at the main performer. They call her Guardian of the Hell Gate. Ring a bell?"
"I'll be damned if it doesn't," Ivan muttered.
"The haughty Guardian was the one who cursed us centuries ago," Eric said.
"But I thought she died. We searched everywhere for her," Gia added.
"And yet, here she is." I tapped the poster. "If she cursed us to live forever, she must have made sure she lived long enough to watch us suffer."
"This is our chance," Ivan said. "We can make her undo what she did to us."
"She's performing tonight," I said.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Gia stood.
"Let's go meet the one who condemned us," Eric said.
"She will either break the curse and set us free… or die," Ivan growled.
"Oh, nothing gladdens my heart more than a potential prey." I smirked.
"Let's go, shall we?"