The city streets were slick with rain as Damian and Ariella stepped into the black SUV waiting outside Blackwood Tower. The tension in the car was thick, the silence punctuated only by the steady hum of the engine and the rhythmic tapping of rain against the windows.
Damian's mind raced as he processed the news Lydia had just relayed. A series of strange accidents had begun occurring at Blackwood Enterprises' subsidiary factory on the outskirts of Avalen — equipment failures, unexplained injuries, and now a mysterious fire that had broken out in the storage wing.
"It's too coincidental," Damian muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "The curse is reaching out, trying to remind me it's still here. It's no longer just about me — it's targeting everything I've built."
Ariella reached over and placed a steadying hand on his. "We'll figure this out. Together."
His eyes flickered to hers, a rare vulnerability showing beneath his usual composed exterior. "You don't know what you're getting into."
"But I do," she said, voice fierce. "I'm not afraid."
They arrived at the sprawling factory complex, where emergency crews were already hard at work. Smoke still curled faintly from one of the buildings, casting a ghostly haze over the scene.
Damian's assistant Lydia rushed to meet them, her face pale. "There's more," she said, handing over a report. "Several workers reported seeing shadowy figures near the site — but the security cameras show nothing."
A chill ran down Ariella's spine. Shadowy figures. The kind of thing that didn't belong in a world ruled by reason and technology.
Damian's jaw clenched. "This is exactly what the curse does — it feeds on fear and chaos."
He turned to Ariella. "You need to stay close. The curse will try to isolate you, weaken you. It wants to break us."
As they toured the damaged factory, Ariella couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching from the darkness. The air was thick with tension, and the shadows seemed to pulse and move just beyond the edge of sight.
Back in the safety of the Blackwood Tower, Damian pulled out a silver dagger inscribed with runes from a hidden drawer.
"This belonged to my ancestor," he explained grimly. "It's said to repel dark spirits. We'll need every advantage we can get."
Ariella studied the dagger, feeling its cold weight in her hand. This was no ordinary love story. It was a war — between light and shadow, love and curse.
And they were both fighting for the same prize.
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