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Chapter 53: The Breaking Point
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-22 22:42:23
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His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 54: The Return
The world snapped back into focus with a rush of air and blinding light.Lena staggered as she and the others tumbled through the portal, hitting solid ground. The cold, oppressive weight of the Rift vanished, replaced by the crisp night air and the scent of earth. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe—her body still thrumming with the aftershocks of the power she had claimed.Cassian’s arms were around her before she could fall. “Easy,” he murmured, steadying her. “You’re back.”Back.She lifted her gaze, her breath catching. They were standing in the ruins of the old temple, the same place they had been before the Rift had swallowed them whole. The night sky stretched above them, moonlight illuminating the cracked stone and twisted remnants of the Rift’s influence.Dorian groaned as he pushed himself up, brushing dirt off his jacket. “That was the worst trip I’ve ever taken, and I once fell into a cursed lake.”Idris exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “We survived. That’
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 55: Ash and Shadows
The road to the capital was unrecognisable.Once-paved paths had been reduced to crumbling stone, overgrown with wild brambles and scorched earth. Smoke clung to the air, thick and acrid, as distant fires raged. The closer they got, the more Lena could feel it—the Rift’s presence. It pulsed beneath her skin like a second heartbeat, whispering in the back of her mind.Come closer. Come home.She clenched her fists, shoving the voice aside.They moved in silence, the weight of the war hanging over them. Cassian stayed close, his hand brushing against hers whenever the road grew treacherous. Dorian scouted ahead, daggers glinting at his sides, while Idris murmured quiet incantations, sensing for traps.The capital’s walls loomed ahead. Once pristine and towering, they were now lined with jagged cracks, tendrils of dark energy slithering across the stone. The city’s gates had been blasted open, twisted metal barely hanging onto the ruined archway.Lena’s stomach twisted. This isn’t just w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 56: The Beginning of the End
The palace doors yawned open, a gaping maw of darkness swallowing the moonlight. A sickly chill crawled over Lena’s skin as she took a step forward, Cassian at her side, his grip tightening around his sword. Dorian and Idris flanked them, their expressions grim.The masked figure didn’t move, their presence as still as a statue. Only their voice carried through the ruined halls, thick with something ancient and knowing.“You can feel it, can’t you?” They tilted their head toward Lena. “The Rift sings for you.”A pulse of energy throbbed beneath her ribs, responding to the call. She clenched her fists, shoving the feeling down. “The only thing I feel is the need to end this.”The figure laughed, a sound that echoed eerily. “End this? Oh, child, you still don’t understand.” They spread their arms, gesturing to the ruined palace. “This was never about war. This was about balance. You’ve tipped the scales, Lena. You think you’ve won just because you made it back?”The shadows along the wa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 57: The Price of Victory
The air in the ruined palace was thick with the scent of scorched stone and lingering magic. Lena’s heartbeat was a steady drum in her ears as she took in the aftermath.The Rift was gone.The masked figure had fallen.But the city was still in ruins.Lena pulled away from Cassian’s support, straightening despite the exhaustion in her bones. She could feel the lingering traces of the Rift’s energy—faint whispers in the air, like a dying echo. It no longer had a hold on this world, but the scars it had left behind were undeniable.“We need to check the city,” she said, voice hoarse. “See who survived.”Dorian let out a low breath, rolling his shoulders. “Right. Just survived an ancient, world-ending catastrophe, and now we’re doing a headcount.” He shook his head but didn’t argue. “Fine. Let’s move before we get buried in this place.”Idris, still leaning on his staff, nodded. “The corruption may be gone, but not everyone will have been freed instantly. Some might be lost… permanently.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 58: Whispers in the Dark
The realization sat heavy in Lena’s chest. The Rift wasn’t gone. It was lurking, waiting, biding its time beneath the surface. She stared down at the unconscious man, his body still twitching, his breath shallow. The black veins that marred his skin pulsed faintly, as though something inside him was still alive. Cassian’s hand found her arm, grounding her. “Lena… what did you see?” She swallowed, forcing herself to steady her voice. “It’s not over.” Dorian let out a sharp breath. “Of course it’s not. Why would we ever catch a break?” Idris crouched beside the fallen man, his fingers hovering over the corrupted veins. A flicker of magic passed between them, and his brow furrowed. “It’s weak… but it’s still there. The Rift’s influence hasn’t disappeared entirely. It’s just—” He hesitated, his jaw tightening. “Sleeping.” A chill crawled up Lena’s spine. Cassian cursed under his breath. “Then we have a problem.” The city had barely begun to recover. The people were holding on by
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 59: Into the Abyss
Darkness surged around Lena like a living force, swallowing sound and light in its wake. She tried to move, but the shadows clung to her, thick as tar. A sharp chill seeped into her bones, numbing her limbs.Then she heard it.A whisper.You don’t belong here.Her pulse pounded. The voice wasn’t just in her ears—it was inside her head, crawling through her thoughts like venom.Cassian’s grip on her hand tightened. “Lena, stay with me.” His voice was steady, but she could hear the tension beneath it. He was afraid too.The Rift’s magic pulsed again, and suddenly they were no longer standing on the floating rock.They were falling.The world twisted, folding in on itself. The sky shattered like glass, and for a moment, Lena glimpsed something beyond the Rift—a void so deep it made her stomach churn.Then—impact.She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. A dull ringing filled her ears as she tried to push herself up. The ground beneath her wasn’t stone or earth—it felt
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 60: The Aftermath
The cavern walls no longer pulsed with dark energy. The air, once thick with malice, now hung heavy with silence. Lena could still feel the remnants of her magic flickering through her veins, the aftershocks of the battle leaving her drained.Cassian hadn't let go of her hand. His grip was firm, steady—a grounding force in the wake of chaos.Dorian ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Well, that was fun. Who wants to do it again?"Idris shot him a glare before kneeling beside the fallen man’s body. He pressed two fingers to the man’s throat, waiting, searching.Lena already knew.“He’s gone,” she whispered.Idris nodded grimly. “The Rift used him until there was nothing left.”A sick feeling curled in Lena’s stomach. This man—whoever he had been—had been alive before the Rift took him. A vessel, a shell, but still human.And now, because of them, he was dead.Cassian shifted beside her. “It wasn’t your fault.”She swallowed hard, not sure if she believed that.Dorian crouch
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 61: Shadows of the Past
Lena woke to the scent of burning wood and damp earth. The fire had dimmed, its embers glowing softly in the pre-dawn light. Cassian was still beside her, his arm draped loosely around her shoulders.For the first time in days, she had slept.But the moment of peace was fleeting.A rustling sound came from the edge of camp, followed by hurried footsteps. She sat up just as Idris appeared, his expression grave.“Something’s wrong.”Cassian stirred at her movement, instantly alert. “What is it?”Idris glanced toward the treeline. “Scouts spotted something near the Rift site. Or what’s left of it.”Lena’s stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”Idris hesitated before answering. “They say it’s still there.”Dorian, who had just emerged from his tent, scoffed. “That’s impossible. We shut it down.”Idris nodded grimly. “That’s what I thought, too. But they swear they saw something moving. And there’s… a sound.”Lena was already on her feet. “Take me there.”Cassian rose beside her. “Lena—”“
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22
Bab terbaru
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 76: The Road to the Capital
The night air was thick with tension as they prepared to leave.Lena adjusted the cloak around her shoulders, the fabric heavy with the scent of old magic. Idris had insisted she wear it—an enchanted weave designed to mask her presence.Cassian stood beside her, double-checking the straps on his weapons. His golden eyes flickered in the dim torchlight, scanning the darkness like he expected an attack at any moment.Dorian leaned lazily against a tree, but the sharp edge in his gaze betrayed his usual nonchalance. “So, let me get this straight. We’re sneaking into the capital, breaking into the most secure library in the kingdom, stealing forbidden knowledge, and trying not to get murdered by the High Council?” He smirked. “Sounds fun.”“No one’s getting murdered,” Cassian said flatly.Dorian snorted. “That’s optimistic.”Idris tightened the straps on his satchel. “If we move quickly and keep our magic concealed, we’ll be in and out before anyone notices.”Lena exhaled slowly, ignoring
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 75: Bound by Shadows
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken fears.Lena still felt the Rift’s presence coiled inside her, like a shadow waiting to unfurl. She could sense Cassian’s steady grip on her shoulders, grounding her in reality, but something deep inside her had shifted. She wasn’t sure if she was stronger now or if she had simply invited something far more dangerous into herself.“We need to know what this means,” Idris finally said, his voice measured but tense. “If you’ve claimed part of the Rift… then what has it claimed from you?”Lena exhaled sharply. That was the question gnawing at the edge of her mind.“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I felt something. Beyond the throne, beyond her.” She hesitated, then whispered, “Something was watching me.”Cassian stiffened, his fingers tightening against her.Dorian muttered a curse. “Well, that’s not horrifying at all.”Idris’s eyes flickered with unease. “Describe it.”Lena searched for words, but all she could recall was the sens
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 74: The Rift’s Whisper
The air crackled with magic.Idris knelt before Lena, his fingers moving in careful, precise motions as he drew symbols in the space between them. The lines of energy glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with the mark on her skin.Cassian sat at her side, his presence solid, grounding. His fingers brushed hers, a silent promise that he was here.Lena focused on that touch, anchoring herself as Idris began to chant.The words weren’t in any language she recognized. They were ancient, raw—power woven into sound. The symbols he’d drawn pulsed brighter, casting eerie shadows against the walls.And then—The mark on her chest burned.Lena sucked in a sharp breath, clutching at her skin as a searing heat spread through her veins. The world around her twisted, the study fading—No. Not fading.Peeling away.A dark wind howled, pulling at her, dragging her into something deeper.Cassian’s grip tightened. “Lena!”She tried to answer, but the Rift took her.—She landed hard, her knees slamming ag
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 73: The Mark’s Price
The mark burned.Not in a way that seared flesh or caused pain—but in a way that felt wrong. Like something foreign had slipped beneath Lena’s skin and taken root.She clenched her fingers against the sensation, willing it to stop, but it pulsed again—slow, rhythmic, like a second heartbeat.Like a claim.Cassian’s gaze hadn’t left her chest, his expression carved from stone. “We need answers.”Dorian scoffed. “Oh, you mean beyond ‘Lena’s cursed, the Rift is a manipulative bastard, and we’re all about to die in a horrifyingly poetic way’? Because I think we’ve covered that.”Idris ignored him, stepping closer. “That mark…” He didn’t touch it, but his fingers hovered near her skin, his magic stirring in the air. His eyes narrowed. “It’s layered.”Lena swallowed. “What does that mean?”“It’s not just Rift energy. There’s something else—something alive.”Cassian went rigid. “Alive?”Idris nodded. “Like a binding spell… but more intimate. As if the Rift isn’t just connected to her—it’s wa
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 72: Into the Rift
Cassian’s body went cold the instant he let go. The world around him vanished, and the weight of reality slipped away.He wasn’t falling.He wasn’t moving.He just was.A breath—if he could call it that—echoed around him, soft and slow, like the Rift itself was breathing him in.Then—Lena’s scream.The sound shattered the silence, raw and desperate. It didn’t come from in front of him, or behind. It came from everywhere.Cassian forced himself forward, even though there was no direction, no path. He followed the pull of his instincts, the tether that bound him to Lena, and the shadows twisted around him, shifting and writhing like something alive.Then he saw her.She was on her knees before the dark throne, her body trembling, her hands clutching at her head. She looked smaller than he had ever seen her. Vulnerable. Trapped.And standing over her—Her shadow.The other Lena.Cassian didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, fire surging through his veins. “Get away from her.”The shadow
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 71: Shadows of the Past
The journey stretched long, the silence between them filled only by the rhythmic clatter of hooves against dirt. The further they traveled from the capital, the more the air seemed to shift—thicker, charged with something Lena couldn’t quite name.She had grown up in these lands, but as they neared the village, an uneasy weight settled in her chest. Everything looked the same—the rolling fields, the dense tree lines, the familiar stone path winding toward her family estate—but it felt wrong.Like a place she no longer belonged to.Cassian rode closer, his golden eyes scanning the horizon. He was on edge, too. Whether it was from the Rift’s presence or something else entirely, she wasn’t sure.Idris broke the silence first. “Are we expecting trouble, or do I just always feel like we’re about to die when I’m with you?”Dorian chuckled from behind them. “Oh, I think that’s just her.”Lena ignored them, her focus narrowing as her childhood home came into view. The sprawling manor stood un
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 70: The Ties That Bind
Lena spent the rest of the night in the war room, poring over Idris’s ancient texts while Cassian remained close, his presence steady and unwavering. Dorian, ever the reluctant ally, stayed long enough to grumble about the lack of good whiskey before disappearing.Idris worked tirelessly, flipping through brittle pages, his fingers glowing faintly as he traced old magic woven into the parchment. Every so often, he’d mutter something under his breath, but nothing useful emerged.Lena clenched her jaw, pushing aside her exhaustion. She wasn’t sure what she was searching for—an answer, a warning, a way out. But the more she read, the clearer it became.This wasn’t the first time the Rift had chosen someone.And each time, it ended the same way.They were taken.“Damn it,” she muttered, slamming one of the books shut. The noise echoed through the dimly lit room, breaking the silence. Cassian barely flinched, his arms crossed as he leaned against the far wall, watching her.Idris sighed. “
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 69: Into the Void
Lena sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of the war room, the flickering torchlight casting jagged shadows along the walls. The air was thick with tension, every breath measured, every movement deliberate.Cassian stood beside her, arms crossed, his golden eyes locked onto her with a fierce intensity. He hated this. She could see it in the way his fingers flexed against the hilt of his sword, in the rigid line of his shoulders.Idris knelt before her, hands hovering over the mark on her wrist. “I’m going to guide you in,” he said, voice steady but edged with warning. “I won’t be able to follow, but I’ll keep a tether on you. If things go south, I’ll pull you out.”Dorian, leaning casually against the wall, rolled his shoulders. “No offense, but let’s not count on that. Lena, if you feel like you’re getting lost in there, you force your way back. No hesitating.”Lena nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was ready. She had to be.Idris exhaled, then pressed his fingertips
His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 68: Beneath the Surface
The journey back to the city was tense, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them like an unseen force. The jungle remained eerily silent, the usual rustle of wind through leaves absent. Every step Lena took felt heavier, as if the Rift’s pull still lingered beneath her skin, a whisper just beneath her thoughts.Cassian stayed close to her, his body positioned slightly in front of hers, protective in a way that made her chest ache. Dorian walked beside them, his usual sarcasm subdued, while Idris led the way, his hands occasionally glowing as he checked for traces of Rift energy.Lena’s fingers brushed over the mark on her wrist, the skin still warm to the touch. She could feel it—an awareness of something vast and ancient pressing against her mind, waiting.Watching.They reached the outer edges of the city just before dawn. The once-bustling streets were quiet, the looming threat of the Rift’s influence keeping people behind locked doors. Even the lanterns that usua
