The symbol burned.
Damian hadn't spoken in over an hour. He stood at the edge of the rooftop garden of Blackwood Tower, rain-drenched roses swaying around him like mourners at a funeral. The rune carved into his palm pulsed red, glowing faintly even in the dim city night. It was alive.
Ariella stood behind him, arms crossed, her breath coming in short, anxious bursts. The silence between them wasn't just heavy — it was suffocating.
"So what does it mean?" she finally asked, stepping forward. "This bond... this seal between us?"
Damian turned slowly. The hard lines of his jaw had tightened, but his dark eyes were unreadable. "It means your life is no longer your own."
The words struck her like a slap.
"You don't mean that," she whispered.
"I wish I didn't." He moved closer, lifting her hand and turning her wrist gently. The same faint rune that appeared on him was now etched into her skin. Glowing. Breathing.
"It's the mark of soul tethering," Damian explained. "An ancient binding that connects two people through emotion — often unwillingly. In our case, the curse did it. The more time you spend near me, the more it pulls you in."
Ariella's voice cracked. "So what happens if I walk away?"
Damian's jaw twitched. "The bond will fight it. You'll feel pain. Physical. Emotional. Like a piece of your soul is tearing in half."
Ariella stepped back, overwhelmed by the flood of information. "So I'm cursed too, now?"
"No," he said quietly, stepping toward her again. "You're protected. But you're also connected. And the deeper we fall..." He paused. "...the stronger the curse becomes."
She looked up at him, a storm of questions in her eyes.
"Then why not let me go now? Cut the bond. Save me."
For the first time, she saw something raw in his gaze — fear. Not for himself. For her.
"Because I already tried," he confessed. "I tried to push you away the moment I met you. But the curse doesn't care about what I want. It chose you... because you're the one thing I was never meant to have."
Ariella's heart clenched.
"And still," he added, voice lower now, "I can't stay away from you."
Their eyes locked.
And for one breathless moment, the wind stopped.
The pull between them — whatever dark, magical thread tied their souls together — surged with unbearable intensity. Ariella stepped forward before she could think, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek.
His skin was cold, like marble kissed by shadow.
"I don't care about the curse," she said, her voice fierce and trembling. "I'm not leaving you."
But as they stood there, closer than ever, a crow shrieked somewhere high above.
And in the shadows of a nearby rooftop, the figure with gold eyes and a bone-white mask watched… smiling.
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