The world around them trembled, the air thick with the crackling energy of the ritual nearing its final stage. The ancient shadow loomed larger, its amorphous form darkening the sky as it began to take a more defined shape. The rogue leader stood at the altar, a triumphant smirk on his face as he extended a hand toward Daniel.“You’ve come so far, Daniel,” he said, his voice resonating with unnatural power. “But every story has an end. The question is, will it be his—” he gestured to where Rigel lay motionless on the shattered ground, blood pooling beneath him—“or the world’s?”Daniel’s heart pounded as he stared at Rigel’s still form. His chest burned with the heat of his mark, the curse within him raging in time with his emotions. He wanted to scream, to lash out, to break the rogue leader apart for putting him in this impossible situation.“Stop this,” Daniel pleaded, his voice cracking. “You don’t have to do this. There’s another way—there has to be!”The rogue leader laughed, a c
The world isn’t just shaking—it’s unraveling.I can feel it in my bones, in the weight of the air pressing down on me. A shadow looms over the battlefield, darker than the night itself, and when I force myself to look up, my stomach drops.It’s here.The ancient evil, the true force behind everything—the prophecy, the curse, my bloodline. The rogue leader thought he was in control, but he was never more than a puppet dancing on invisible strings. And now, the real mastermind has stepped forward.The entity takes shape before me, twisting and stretching like smoke caught in an invisible storm. Its eyes burn like molten embers, deep pits of red fire that seem to see straight through me. A sickening presence radiates from it, something ancient, something patient—like it’s been waiting for this moment for centuries.A cold whisper slides through my mind, crawling into the space behind my thoughts.“Daniel… You were always meant to be mine.”My breath catches. My mark burns so hot it feels
My skin is on fire.The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before—searing, relentless, as if molten metal is being etched directly into my flesh. It crawls over my mark, twisting and warping it, sending jagged streaks of black through the golden glow that once represented my bond with Rigel.I gasp, clutching my arm, but the heat spreads like poison, curling through my veins, seeping into my bones. My vision blurs at the edges, and the battlefield tilts.The ancient evil’s laughter rumbles through the air, dark and victorious.“It is done.”I hear Rigel shout my name, but it’s distant, swallowed by the thick, oppressive force pressing down on me. My knees buckle. I barely register it when strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.“Daniel! Hey—stay with me. Stay with me.”Rigel’s voice is sharp, raw with fear, but I can’t respond. My breath comes in ragged bursts as the mark continues to shift, the dark veins expanding, consuming the light.Something inside me is breaking.When
The tension in the room is suffocating.No one speaks, but the weight of unspoken words presses down on all of us, thick as smoke. The battle had nearly torn us apart, leaving bruises on our bodies and deeper wounds in our trust. And now, in the aftermath, we are left with one undeniable truth.I can still feel it—the mark searing against my skin, a brand that pulses with something dark and hungry. The whispers haven’t stopped. They slither into my mind when I least expect them, filling the cracks in my resolve, chipping away at the walls I’ve desperately tried to build.And Rigel can feel it, too.He hasn’t left my side since the mark appeared. His presence is a constant force, a tether that keeps me from spiraling completely. But it’s also a storm waiting to explode. He’s barely holding himself together, his fury simmering beneath the surface.We can’t keep going like this.Something has to give.The Breaking Point“I need air,” I mutter, pushing to my feet.Rigel’s hand shoots out,
I come back to myself in pieces.Pain first—sharp, searing, and all-consuming. Then the sensation of being pinned down, a heavy weight pressing against my chest, restricting every breath. The air is thick with tension, crackling with magic. I try to move, but my body is sluggish, unresponsive.And then I see him.Rigel.He’s on top of me, holding me down with everything he has, his breathing ragged. His hands are gripping my wrists so tightly it hurts, but I barely register the pain. His expression is carved from stone, but his eyes—his eyes are filled with something raw, something close to fear.“What…?” My voice is hoarse, foreign. My throat is raw, like I’ve been screaming.Rigel doesn’t answer right away. His chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, his hands trembling slightly as they hold me in place. I realize then—he’s afraid of me.It makes my stomach turn.I try to sit up, but his grip tightens. “Don’t,” he warns, voice dangerously low. “I don’t know if you’re still you.”C
I sit in the healer’s dimly lit sanctuary, my hands shaking as I stare at the floor. The words hang in the air like a death sentence.To save you, your bond must be severed. Permanently.I can’t breathe.The bond—the thing that ties me to Rigel, that has anchored me through every storm, that has given me strength when I had none—gone?I look up at Rigel, my chest tight with panic, searching his face for some kind of reassurance, some kind of denial. But there’s only pain in his eyes.And that terrifies me.“No.” My voice comes out hoarse, barely above a whisper. “There has to be another way.”The healer doesn’t waver. “There is not.”Rigel shakes his head violently, taking a step forward. “That’s not true. You’re supposed to be powerful—one of the best. If anyone can fix this, it’s you.”“I am powerful,” she agrees. “But I do not perform miracles.”I flinch. The bluntness of her words is like a slap.Rigel’s breathing is ragged, his hands clenched into fists. “You don’t understand—”“
The ambush came without warning. One moment we were trudging through the dense woods, Rigel scanning the surroundings with his usual vigilance. The next, shadows burst from every direction, their guttural growls slicing through the eerie stillness. “Stay behind me!” Rigel barked, his blade flashing as he leapt into action. But there were too many of them. Dark, sinewy figures swarmed us, their eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Rigel moved like a force of nature, slashing and dodging with precision, but even he was starting to falter under the sheer number of attackers. They were way too much and fast for him to handle alone. I felt some type of bitterness in my stomach as I saw him struggling with everything he had just to save me.A creature lunged at me, its claws outstretched. Panic surged through my veins as I stumbled back, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind screamed for me to run, but my body refused to obey. “No!” I shouted, throwing my hands up in a desperate attem
The night air is thick with tension, a suffocating weight pressing against my chest. The rogue leader stands before us, a satisfied smirk curling on his lips, watching me like a wolf sizing up its prey.“If you want power, Daniel, you’ll have to prove you’re strong enough to wield it.”His voice slithers into my ears, cold and taunting. The moment the words leave his mouth, the ground trembles beneath us. A pulse of energy ripples through the air, sharp and electric, sending a shiver down my spine.And then—they appear.Figures materialize from the darkness, stepping forward with an eerie grace. Their eyes gleam with unnatural hunger, bodies shifting in the dim light. Supernatural assassins.I count five. Five highly trained killers, each radiating lethal intent. They move in perfect synchronization, their forms blending into the shadows like they belong to them.Rigel tenses beside me, his hand twitching toward his blade. “This is a trap,” he snarls.The rogue leader chuckles. “Of co
The world had tried to destroy them.It had thrown them into the depths of despair, shackled them with impossible choices, and tested the very limits of their souls. They had lost, they had bled, and they had broken—only to rise again, stronger than before.Daniel and Rigel had faced the darkness itself.They had fought for each other when all logic said to let go.They had defied fate, rewritten prophecies, and forged their own destiny.And now, as they stood at the precipice of yet another war, another battle that threatened to take everything from them, they did not waver.Because in the end, love had endured.Not because of fate.Not because of destiny.But because they had chosen each other.Again. And again.A Rare Moment of PeaceThe battlefield stretched endlessly before them, littered with the wreckage of all they had fought for. Ash and embers still danced in the wind, painting the air with the remnants of destruction. The past lay behind them, heavy but unforgotten.Ahead,
A Love That Refuses to BreakDaniel had once believed that fate was inescapable. That no matter how hard he fought, no matter how much he resisted, destiny would always drag him back into the darkness.He had been a pawn before.A vessel. A tool. A means to an end.And for the longest time, he had believed that was all he would ever be.Until Rigel.Rigel had shattered every lie Daniel had told himself. He had stood beside him when no one else dared to. He had fought for him when even Daniel believed he wasn’t worth fighting for.Rigel had been his light. His salvation.His home.Now, as they stood on the precipice of another war—one that threatened not only their lives but the very existence of their world—Daniel realized something with absolute certainty.He would fight.Not because he was destined to.Not because he had no other choice.But because Rigel was worth fighting for.And love was stronger than fate.The Weight of the FutureThe ruins around them stood as a reminder of th
A Silence That ScreamedThe world had changed.Daniel felt it before he could even put it into words. It was in the way the wind no longer carried warmth, in the way the sun felt dim even in the height of the afternoon. The way shadows stretched just a little too far, whispering secrets no one could decipher.There had been peace—a fragile thing, barely held together by the sacrifices they had made. By the lives lost, by the pain endured. But peace was an illusion, and illusions never lasted long.Something was coming.And it was nothing like the darkness they had fought before.The first sign came in the form of silence. A kind of silence that didn’t belong to the natural world. Birds did not sing. Insects did not hum. Even the rustling of leaves had ceased. The very air around them had stilled, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.Rigel noticed it too. His shoulders were tense, his body coiled with unspoken unease. His fingers twitched at his sides, longing for a weapon ev
A Moment Borrowed from TimeThe world was quiet.For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no battle, no bloodshed, no desperate fight for survival. No whispers of darkness in Daniel’s mind, no looming council orders, no factions warring over his existence.Just silence.Just them.Daniel and Rigel lay side by side in the dim glow of their bedroom, their fingers lazily entwined between them. The air smelled faintly of lavender and rain—Rigel had opened the window earlier, claiming the night breeze felt nice against his skin.Daniel had said nothing, only watching as the wind ruffled the edges of Rigel’s hair, as the moonlight painted silver streaks across his face.He looked peaceful.It was an illusion, of course.They both knew the truth.This wasn’t real peace. It was just a pause between storms, a brief inhale before the world tore itself apart again.But for now, it was enough.Holding On, Even When It HurtsRigel shifted, propping himself on one elbow, his eyes tra
A Fragile Peace ShatteredThe café was quiet, filled with the soft hum of conversation and the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Daniel and Rigel sat at a corner table, their hands loosely entwined on the surface between them.For the first time in weeks, they had managed to carve out a moment of peace.It wouldn’t last.Daniel felt it before he saw it—a shift in the air, a ripple in the fabric of reality itself. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as the café door creaked open, and a cold wind swept through the space, chilling the warmth around them.A stranger stepped inside.Tall, cloaked, his presence heavy with something ancient and unreadable. He moved like a shadow, soundless, his gaze locked directly onto Daniel.Every instinct in Daniel’s body screamed danger.Rigel tensed beside him, his grip tightening ever so slightly. “You feel that?” he whispered.Daniel nodded, already rising from his seat as the stranger approached.The café patrons continued on as if nothing was wron
A Fragile PeaceDaniel had always imagined that if he ever made it out of the darkness alive, he would finally get his chance at a normal life.No more wars. No more nightmares. No more fighting to survive.But now, as he stood in the quiet stillness of the morning, feeling the weight of the supernatural world pressing down on him, he realized—That had been a lie.There was no going back to normal. Not for him. Not for Rigel. Not after everything they had endured.The world had changed. And so had they.A Life That No Longer FitsRigel was still asleep, his body curled into the sheets, exhaustion weighing him down after weeks of endless chaos.Daniel sat at the edge of the bed, watching the slow rise and fall of his lover’s chest, trying to take comfort in the rhythmic breathing that had once soothed him.But even now, with Rigel beside him, Daniel felt unsettled.His fingers twitched against the fabric of the blanket, still feeling the strange sensation from the night before—the whi
A Hollow VictoryThe battle was over. The darkness was gone.Yet Daniel felt empty.He should have been relieved. Grateful. Overwhelmed with joy that he had somehow survived when every force in the universe had tried to claim him.But as he sat in the dim glow of the morning light, staring at his own trembling hands, all he could feel was loss.For the first time in a long time, he felt human.Too human.The once-familiar energy that had coursed through his veins—the power that had defined him, tormented him, shaped him into what he had become—was gone.No flicker of magic at his fingertips. No heightened awareness. No lingering shadows whispering in his mind.He was just… Daniel.And that terrified him.The Weight of Mortality“You’re quiet.”Rigel’s voice was soft, careful, as if one wrong word might break him.Daniel glanced up from where he sat on the edge of their bed, his gaze meeting Rigel’s. The man looked exhausted. Dark circles framed his eyes, his usually steady hands gripp
Awakening from the AbyssAt first, there was only darkness.A quiet, weightless void where time didn’t exist—where there was no pain, no fear, no past or future. Just an empty nothingness.Then came a voice.Soft, broken, full of so much love and desperation that it shattered through the silence like a lightning strike.“Daniel…”It called to him. Anchored him.The void trembled. The weightless abyss cracked, and suddenly—he felt warmth.A heartbeat.His own.And then, he opened his eyes.A Love That Never Let GoThe first thing Daniel saw was Rigel.Tears streaked his face, his lips trembling as he hovered over him, his hands cupping Daniel’s face like he was afraid to let go—as if he feared that at any second, he would disappear again.Daniel felt weak.His body was drained, his limbs aching as if he had been ripped apart and stitched back together. But despite the exhaustion, despite the lingering traces of something unfamiliar inside him, he could feel one thing with absolute cert
The Cost of VictoryThe battle was over.The ancient darkness—the force that had plagued them for centuries, that had threatened to consume everything Daniel was—was finally gone. The abyss had collapsed in on itself, erased from existence. The supernatural world, once caught in the storm of war and fear, had finally found peace.But at what cost?Daniel’s lifeless body lay still in Rigel’s arms.The very man who had saved them all, who had sacrificed everything to stop the darkness, was gone.The air around them was eerily silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The supernatural council, the warriors, the allies who had fought beside them—all stood frozen, watching the heartbreaking scene unfold before them.No cheers of victory. No relief. Just the crushing weight of loss.Rigel couldn’t breathe.He clutched Daniel against his chest, his fingers digging into the fabric of his torn, bloodstained clothes. “Daniel,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, desperate. “Come back t