Chapter 3: Threads of the Forgotten
Bella didn't want to let go.
Kael's arms were around her—warm, real, strong. His cloak was torn, and his hair was damp with sweat and blood, but he was here. Alive. Not just a memory. Not just a flicker of magic. Here, breathing beside her beneath the silver sky of the Moon's sanctuary.
She buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of night and fire. His heart beat steady beneath her cheek.
"I thought I lost you," she whispered.
Kael held her tighter. "You've never lost me. Not in this life. Not in any."
She pulled back slowly, hands pressed to his chest, eyes searching his.
"I remember now," she said. "I remember the vows we made. The lives we've lived. The fire. The fall. All of it."
"And?" he asked softly.
Her voice trembled. "I'd do it again."
Kael leaned in, brushing his forehead against hers. "You always say that."
A soft chime echoed through the garden. The petals began to fall again—gentle and glowing. The silence wrapped them in a blanket of peace, but it was fragile. Fading.
Bella stepped back, noticing the bruises on his arms, the gash along his ribs.
"Kael—what happened after I left? How did you escape the Night Court?"
His expression darkened. "They almost won. Their shadows consumed half the garden. I used the last of my strength to summon the Moon's blade."
Bella's eyes widened. "You used the blade? But… it drains your essence—"
"I had no choice," he said quietly. "They wanted to erase this cycle, end the garden forever. I couldn't let them."
"And the Guardian?"
"She helped me find you," he said. "But she also said something I don't understand."
Bella tilted her head.
"She said our bond is unraveling. That if we don't restore the Thread of Memory soon… the next cycle may not come."
Bella froze.
She knew what that meant.
The Thread of Memory—an ancient force woven through time by the Moon herself. It connected Bella and Kael through every lifetime. Without it, their souls wouldn't recognize each other again.
If it broke… this would be their last chance.
Forever.
Kael saw the realization on her face and gently touched her cheek. "We can stop it. Together."
Bella nodded slowly. "But how?"
They left the sanctuary garden by twilight, crossing the threshold into the outer realm—a dreamlike version of the world they once knew. The ground shimmered beneath their feet, and the stars shifted with every step. Time didn't pass here in the normal sense, but the danger still grew.
Kael led her to a cliff overlooking a sea of clouds. There, an ancient altar waited—cracked, forgotten, but humming with memory.
"This is where we first pledged ourselves to each other," Kael said softly.
Bella stepped forward.
Her hands brushed the stone.
Visions flickered again.
A younger version of herself—crowned in moonlight—knelt before Kael as he placed a silver ring upon her finger.
Their hands wrapped with a glowing thread.
The Thread of Memory.
A bond that not even death could break.
But now, the altar was fading. The thread barely visible.
"We need to rebind it," Kael said. "Before the shadows return."
Bella glanced at him. "How?"
Kael stepped forward and placed a hand on the stone. "We must offer a memory. A moment of true love. One that defines us."
Bella hesitated, then reached into her pocket—and drew out the vial of moonlight.
"My first memory," she whispered. "The one the Guardian gave me."
Kael nodded solemnly. "It must be shared. Not hidden."
Bella opened the vial. The silver light poured onto the altar and spiraled upward, wrapping around them both.
In that instant—
They were back.
Back in a memory that wasn't just a dream.
Bella stood in a moonlit meadow, laughter in her voice as she raced through the blossoms. Kael chased her, his smile wide and free.
They collapsed together under a silver sky, the stars reflected in their eyes.
"I'll love you even if the stars forget us," Bella had whispered.
"And I'll find you, even if the Moon shatters," Kael replied.
Their lips met in that timeless moment—and the Thread of Memory glowed bright and whole again.
The vision faded.
Back at the altar, the thread now shimmered between them—real, unbreakable.
"We did it," Bella breathed.
But the joy was short-lived.
A shadow swept across the cliff.
Kael turned instantly, his body tensing.
A figure emerged from the mists—a man in dark armor, with a silver scar slicing across one eye.
"Lord Theron," Kael muttered.
Bella's blood ran cold. She remembered him now.
The commander of the Night Court. The one who tried to sever their bond in every lifetime.
"Touching," Theron drawled. "But too late."
The ground trembled beneath their feet. The cliff split with a crack. Blossoms flew into the wind like fleeing spirits.
Kael summoned a blade of silver light. "You won't take her."
Theron sneered. "I don't need to. The curse is already in motion."
Bella stepped forward. "What curse?"
"The one your soul cast, when you chose love over your crown," Theron said. "You doomed every version of yourself, Bella. Each time you fall for him, the world pays the price."
Kael growled. "You lie."
"Do I?" Theron smirked. "Look around you. The stars dim. The garden dies. The cycle collapses. And all because she dares to love."
Bella shook her head. "No. Love isn't the curse. It's the answer."
Theron raised his hand, and shadows erupted.
Kael charged.
Bella screamed.
Silver and black clashed in the sky, the air exploding with light and fury.
But Bella wasn't helpless anymore.
She raised her hands.
The power inside her—once dormant—flared to life.
The stars bent. The moonlight obeyed her.
She unleashed a wave of pure silver that slammed into Theron, throwing him off the cliff into the abyss below.
Silence fell.
Kael turned to her, eyes wide. "Bella…"
She dropped to her knees, panting, the magic flickering around her.
"I remember now," she whispered. "Who I am. What I am."
Kael knelt beside her. "You're everything."
They looked out over the cliff together, the Thread of Memory glowing softly between their hands.
But far below… the shadows stirred.
And from the depths of the abyss…
A voice whispered.
"This is only the beginning."
To be continued…