Meanwhile......
The dim glow of candles barely illuminated the ancient stone chamber. Shadows clung to the walls, flickering with every breath of wind. The air was thick with the scent of dried herbs and something older—something almost metallic, like blood long spilled. Romeo stood tense, his body still weak from Eleanor's betrayal. Liana and Damien flanked him, their faces drawn with worry.
They had come seeking answers, but the moment they stepped inside Isolde's sanctuary, an unsettling dread settled in Romeo's chest. Isolde stood before them, her piercing green eyes unreadable. The strange librarian that had always spoken in riddles, but tonight, Romeo knew there would be no more cryptic half-truths. Tonight, he would learn everything.
"You have come for the truth," Isolde said, her voice echoing softly against the walls. "But the truth does not come without pain." Romeo clenched his fists. "Venecia is missing. If there is a way to break this curse, I need to know now." Isolde's gaze softened—just a fraction. "You misunderstand, child. The curse is not something you break." She turned, moving toward the large cauldron in the center of the room. Its surface rippled, as though filled with liquid shadow. "It is something you survive—if you are strong enough."
A chill ran down Liana's spine. "What do you mean?"
Isolde's slender fingers hovered over the cauldron, and with a whisper of magic, the dark water shimmered. A vision formed- Romeo and Venecia, bound by a crimson thread, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Your souls have been tied together by fate itself," Isolde murmured, watching the image swirl. "But fate is not always kind. This curse was never meant to be broken by love alone."
Romeo took a step forward, his jaw tight. "Then how do we stop it?" Isolde exhaled slowly. "By offering something in return." The image twisted blood spilled, a body collapsing into darkness. "A sacrifice." Silence.
Liana stiffened. "What kind of sacrifice?" Isolde turned to Romeo, her expression solemn. "A powerful one. Blood for blood. Life for life." Romeo's breath hitched.
He had known the curse was dangerous, but this— "If you wish to sever your bond completely," Isolde continued, "one of you must die." Damien cursed under his breath. Liana's hands flew to her mouth. Romeo just... stared.
"No." The word came out hoarse, almost broken. "There has to be another way." Isolde studied him carefully. "Perhaps. But that is not for me to decide." She stepped closer, pressing her hand against Romeo's chest. "You must remember who you truly are." Romeo stiffened. "What—"
But before he could finish, the cauldron's surface erupted.
A memory surged through him—not his own, but something deeper, older, buried beneath lifetimes of forgotten truths. But before he could finish, the cauldron's surface erupted.
A memory surged through him—not his own, but something deeper, older, buried beneath lifetimes of forgotten truths. A battlefield soaked in blood. A kingdom lost to time. And at the center of it all—him. Not as he was now, but as he had once been. A Dark Fae Prince, feared and worshiped in equal measure.
Power thrummed beneath his skin, raw and untamed, the very essence of shadows bending to his will. He had ruled with fire and fury, his name whispered in fear, until the curse had ripped him from his throne—binding him to this mortal existence, making him forget.
But now, the truth was clawing its way back.
And it would not be ignored.
******
The night was thick with tension, the air humming with something unnatural. Romeo stood at the edge of the abandoned estate where Ethan had kept Venecia hidden for a week. His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn't fear—it was fury. Power coiled beneath his skin, awakened by the truth Isolde had forced him to remember.
He was no longer just a man desperately searching for the woman he loved. He was a prince of darkness, and tonight, he would reclaim what was his. Venecia was inside. He could feel it, like an invisible thread pulling him toward her. But as he stepped forward, the sound of tires screeching against gravel cut through the silence. His breath hitched.
They were here. From one direction came his family—his father's imposing figure stepping out of a sleek black car, his mother's cold eyes scanning the area, his brothers close behind, forming a wall of authority. From the other—Venecia's parents, their presence just as suffocating. Her father looked livid, her mother shaken but determined. Guards flanked them, ready for war.
And in the center of it all, Ethan. Smirking. Standing between Romeo and the building. Venecia's muffled cries from inside sent a visceral rage through Romeo. His fingers curled into fists. No more running. No more hiding.
"You're too late," Ethan taunted, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "She's already starting to see the truth. To remember." Romeo's vision darkened at the edges. Shadows flickered around him, responding to his fury. "Let. Her. Go." Venecia's father cut in, stepping forward. "Enough of this madness. She's coming home."
Romeo's father sneered. "This farce has gone on long enough. My son will not waste his life chasing some foolish love that was never meant to be." Venecia's mother turned to Ethan, her voice sharp. "You promised us our daughter back, not more theatrics." Ethan spread his arms, feigning innocence. "And I delivered. But as you can see... he won't allow it." He nodded toward Romeo, that infuriating smirk never leaving his lips.
The tension snapped.
Romeo lunged. The world erupted. The air trembled with dark energy as Ethan stood at the center of the ruins, a cruel smirk curling his lips, his eyes alight with something twisted and ancient. Behind him, Venecia struggled against the invisible force keeping her in place, her screams lost in the roaring wind. Romeo's blood burned.
He had finally found her—only for Ethan to stand in his way, drenched in the shadows of their past "ends tonight," Romeo growled, stepping forward, his fists clenched. Ethan chuckled, a slow, mocking sound. "Oh, Romeo. How many times have you said that before?" His hand lifted, dark tendrils twisting between his fingers. "You never learn." With a flick of his wrist, the world around them shifted. Romeo gasped as reality shattered. Memories crashed into him like waves—painful, merciless, inescapable.
Ethan smirked, his golden eyes gleaming with cruel amusement as he loomed over Romeo who was on the ground writhing in pain. "Ah, Romeo," he drawled, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "How does it feel to be trapped in this endless cycle of failure? Because I remember everything. Every. Single. Life. And guess what? In all those lives, i was the sole reason for your death'. He took a step closer, his presence suffocating. "Shall we start with the second life?" He tilted his head, his smirk widening.
"Leonhart, wasn't it? You were Venecia's loyal bodyguard or whatever it was. Then, my dear Venecia was Princess Evanna. Do you remember that night? That night when she clung onto you, Leonhart, as the castle burned around you. How she begged you to stay, how she swore she didn't care about the throne, but only you." His voice softened mockingly. "And yet, even then, fate was so, so cruel to you."
Ethan leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Do you remember how it felt, Romeo? When the sword ran through your back? When her hands trembled against your chest, warm with your own blood? Do you remember the way she screamed for you? How she held on, even as the castle collapsed around her?" He chuckled darkly. "And then—poof. Gone. Just like that. All your love, all your promises, snuffed out by fate. Again."
He watched for the flicker of recognition in Romeo's eyes, for the pain to surface. But he wasn't done. "Then there was the third life," Ethan continued, his voice laced with mock fascination. "Kael Morrow, the ever-loyal soldier. Oh, how you fought, how you schemed, how you tried to resist falling for her." His grin turned vicious. "But you couldn't, could you? You always fall for her. It's almost pathetic, really."
Ethan circled Romeo like a predator savoring its wounded prey. "And yet, even after everything—the stolen glances, the aching longing, the slow descent into inevitable tragedy—you still couldn't protect her. You watched as I, Cassian wormed my way into her trust, into her heart. You sat back and let it happen, knowing damn well that it was all leading to betrayal." His voice dropped to a taunting whisper.
"And what did it get you in the end? Nothing but death. You should've not fallen in love with her. You sure knew I loved her. So, I did what was beast-- to kill you because I can't let fate be good to you." He straightened, looking down at Romeo with mock pity. "Tell me, Romeo—how many more lifetimes will you fail? How many more times will you watch her as you slip through your fingers? Because the way I see it..." He smirked. "No matter how hard you fight, no matter how much you love her, you'll always lose her. Over and over again."
Then, his eyes gleamed with something darker. "And the worst part?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "You remember it all now, don't you?"
Romeo gasped, falling to his knees as the memories tore through him. Ethan circled him, satisfied. "You see, Romeo? You were never meant to have her. Every lifetime, you lose. Every time, I take her from you." He crouched beside him, whispering like a devil in his ear. "Do you know why? Because you are cursed to suffer. And she is cursed to forget you."
Romeo's vision blurred. His whole body burned with the weight of his past selves, the agony of dying over and over again. Venecia's voice cut through the chaos. "No!" She fought against the force holding her, her Light Fae magic sparking at her fingertips. Her body glowed softly, an angel against the night. Ethan turned to her, eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this, Venecia. You don't even remember everything."
But she did.
As she looked at Romeo—broken, bleeding—something inside her shattered. Memories rushed back, flooding her mind. Their first kiss. Their secret meetings. Their stolen dances under the stars. Their deaths.
Her heart ached. She knew who she was. Who they were. And she would not let fate win. Venecia raised her hands. A golden light burst from her palms, slamming into Ethan. He staggered back, snarling. She rushed to Romeo, dropping to her knees beside him. He was barely breathing. His skin was cold. His wounds too deep.
"No, no, no," she whispered, pressing her glowing hands to his chest.
The power surged from within her, a force she had never fully embraced until now. A healer. A Light Fae. His salvation. Golden warmth spread from her hands into his body. His wounds began to mend. His breath steadied. The darkness gripping him recoiled.
Romeo's eyes fluttered open. And when he looked at her, he knew.
She remembered. Venecia smiled through her tears. "I choose you, Romeo. In every lifetime, I choose you." Ethan let out a roar of fury, but the balance had shifted. Venecia helped Romeo to his feet. Their hands intertwined, their magic burning brighter together. It was time to end this.
For good.
********************
To be continued.