The voice that drifted from the darkness was deep, cold, and impossibly hollow—like it came from beneath the earth.
Rhea's blood ran cold.
Adrian tightened his grip on her hand until she almost winced.
"Your… father?" Rhea whispered.
Adrian didn't answer immediately. His throat moved as he swallowed, eyes locked on the pitch-black room.
"My father died before I turned eighteen," he finally said.
His voice shook.
"He was buried. I saw his body. I—"
The voice came again.
Deeper.
Closer.
"You shouldn't have opened this door, son."
Rhea felt her heart drop into her stomach.
Something inside the room shifted—slow, heavy, like footsteps dragging across stone.
The shadows thickened, gathering like storm clouds.
Adrian stepped in front of Rhea, shielding her.
"Stay behind me," he murmured.
Rhea clutched the back of his coat, her voice trembling.
"Adrian… how is he here?"
"I don't know," he whispered.
"And that's what terrifies me."
The darkness rippled.
A faint outline appeared—tall, imposing, with shoulders broad and posture rigid, exactly like Adrian's silhouette.
But wrong.
So wrong.
As the figure stepped closer, Rhea saw pale, lifeless skin.
Eyes like hollow voids.
It wasn't a man.
It was a memory wearing skin it didn't own.
Rhea whispered shakily, "That's not your father."
The shadow-man laughed—a sound that scraped against the walls like claws.
"I am what remains of him."
Adrian's jaw clenched.
"If this is another one of Lilith's games—"
The voice hissed, sharp and angry.
"Lilith was my mistake. And now she is yours."
Rhea stiffened.
Adrian went perfectly still.
"…Your mistake?"
The figure's head turned slowly toward Rhea.
"You think Lilith cursed you?" it whispered.
"She cursed herself first."
Rhea's breath halted.
"What do you mean?"
The voice drifted closer until it felt like frost brushing her skin.
"Lilith didn't bind Adrian alone."
Rhea's eyes widened.
The figure leaned forward.
"She bound herself… to me."
Adrian's face drained of color.
Rhea whispered, "No… that's impossible. She was your wife—"
"She was more than that," the spirit rasped.
"She wanted the Knight legacy. She wanted the power our bloodline hid for centuries. She pretended to love me… pretended to care…"
A long pause.
"And when she knew she couldn't control me, she chose Adrian."
Rhea stepped back in horror.
"WHAT?"
Adrian's chest rose sharply.
"Explain. Now."
The spirit moved like smoke—fading, then sharpening, flickering with anger.
"She wanted a vessel she could shape. Bend. Own."
Rhea felt sick.
"She planned everything," the spirit continued.
"The rituals. The curse. The marriage."
Adrian whispered, "Why me?"
The spirit's hollow voice softened, almost sorrowful.
"Because she knew… you inherited your mother's gift."
Rhea's stomach knotted. "Gift? What gift?"
Adrian's hand trembled at his side.
The spirit answered:
"Adrian can break spiritual bonds. He was born with that power. And Lilith wanted to twist it into something she controlled."
Rhea's eyes widened in shock.
"She cursed him… because she feared him."
Adrian stared at the shadow-figure, breath shallow.
"You should have told me," he whispered.
The spirit stepped closer, the air freezing around them.
"I couldn't."
A pause.
"She silenced me. Killed me. Trapped what remained of my soul in this room."
Rhea felt tears prick her eyes.
"So Lilith killed you?"
The spirit let out a sound—half laugh, half cry.
"Yes. And then she cursed my son to finish what she started."
Adrian looked like the ground had vanished under him.
The spirit turned toward Rhea.
"And you…"
Rhea backed away instinctively.
The voice deepened.
"You threaten her because your presence weakens her hold. Not because you're strong…"
Rhea's heart dropped.
"…but because Adrian feels something for you."
A whisper.
"A bond Lilith cannot break."
Silence crashed into the room.
Rhea froze.
Adrian stiffened, breath catching.
The spirit smiled—a broken, tragic smile.
"That's why she fears you. Because Adrian's heart woke… for the first time since the curse began."
Rhea's lips parted, but no sound came out.
Adrian didn't look at her.
Couldn't.
Finally, the spirit's voice lowered one last time.
"There is one way to break the curse."
A pause.
"But it requires what Lilith hates most."
Rhea whispered, "What?"
The spirit lifted a ghostly hand and pointed at the two of them.
"Two souls choosing each other… willingly."
Rhea's entire world stopped.
Adrian inhaled sharply, finally meeting her eyes.
"Rhea…"
Before he could say anything—
A violent blast of cold wind shot through the room, and the spirit was sucked backward into the darkness like it was being dragged by unseen claws.
A shriek shook the walls.
Lilith's voice.
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"
The door slammed shut with a boom.
The chains flew back onto the door by themselves.
Silence fell.
Rhea stared at the sealed door, breath trembling.
"Adrian… she heard everything."
Adrian didn't move.
He stared at the door, jaw tight, eyes storm-dark.
"Yes," he whispered.
"And now… she's going to come for you harder than ever."