The night outside was thick with tension, as though the very atmosphere held its breath in anticipation. Inside the palace, Celestia's thoughts swirled like a storm. The curse that had been dormant for centuries now hummed beneath her skin, thrumming with a life of its own.
She could feel it, pulsing, awakening. It was a dark, ancient power—fox magic, buried deep within her, waiting for the right moment to rise.
Kael had given her a glimpse of it, had unlocked something in her she hadn't even known existed. It was a gift… or a curse. She couldn't decide which.
"This is madness," she muttered under her breath as she paced the grand chamber of her private quarters. The walls were lined with old tapestries, each depicting victories and betrayals—stories of power, blood, and loss. But none of those stories had prepared her for the one unfolding now.
Her heart pounded in her chest, a wild rhythm that matched the chaos inside her mind. The memories—flashes of her past life, of the fox spirit she used to be—were starting to bleed through. Fragments. They felt like distant echoes, fleeting and half-formed.
She closed her eyes, trying to push the visions away, but they only grew stronger, more vivid.
"No," she whispered, but even she knew it was a futile effort. The magic was inside her, clawing to be freed, demanding to be acknowledged.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"My Queen," Damien's voice came through the wood, smooth and insistent, "There's someone who needs your attention."
Celestia's fingers clenched into fists. She knew exactly who it was. Kael.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke. "Send him in."
Moments later, the door creaked open, and Kael stepped into the room. His presence was like a storm cloud on the horizon—dark, inevitable, dangerous.
But Celestia didn't show the effect it had on her. She remained poised, her mask of indifference firmly in place.
Kael's gaze locked onto hers with a heat that made the air feel even thicker. He didn't speak immediately, but his eyes spoke volumes—of longing, of questions, of a desire that wasn't just about her body, but about her soul.
"You've been quiet," he said finally, his voice low and thick with something else. "Does it hurt?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Does what hurt?"
He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "The magic. The curse. The memories you can't escape. Does it hurt to know that everything you thought you were is nothing but a lie?"
Her breath hitched for a moment. She had been pretending for so long, pretending to be the queen of Virellia, pretending that the curse didn't haunt her every night, that the truth didn't claw at the walls she had built around herself.
But Kael… Kael knew.
"You don't know anything about me," she snapped, her voice sharp. But even she could hear the uncertainty there.
Kael's lips curled into a small, knowing smile, and he took another step forward, his hand brushing against hers. The contact was electric—magic, raw and unfiltered, crackling between them.
"I know enough," he said, his voice soft but intense. "I know that this—what we feel—isn't just a mistake. It's fate, Celestia. You and I. We're bound."
Celestia recoiled slightly, but Kael didn't let her pull away. His fingers closed around hers, his grip firm and sure.
The sensation was strange—familiar, almost comforting—but terrifying all the same.
"Let go," she whispered, but the command lacked the force she intended. Instead, it came out as a plea—a vulnerability she had never allowed herself to show.
Kael's gaze softened. "I can't. And neither can you."
Before she could respond, the room seemed to darken, the air thickening with a pressure she couldn't explain. The magic inside her stirred, restless, as if it recognized him—Kael. The one who had unlocked it.
Her eyes flashed with a wild, dangerous intensity as the magic surged beneath her skin, like a living thing.
"No," she gasped. "This isn't how it's supposed to be."
But Kael wasn't afraid. He didn't step back. Instead, he stepped closer, his voice a whisper of command in the storm.
"It's already too late."
And as those words left his lips, the magic inside her broke free, crackling around them in a violent surge.
The magic swirled around Celestia like a tornado, uncontrollable, a force too powerful to be ignored. It whipped through the air, tangling her hair and tugging at her clothes, as if demanding to be set free.
Her eyes glowed, the colors shifting, flickering between gold and amber—the ancient fox spirit awakening within her. Her breath was ragged, as if she were trying to keep the beast inside her at bay, but it was no use.
Kael stepped closer, unafraid, his eyes locked onto her like a predator watching its prey, yet he wasn't hunting her. No, there was something deeper in his gaze. Something that told her he was trying to understand, trying to unravel the chaos within her.
"You can't control it," Kael said, his voice calm but laced with urgency.
"I've always controlled everything," Celestia spat, her voice thick with defiance. "I've never let anyone—anything—take control of me!"
But even as the words left her mouth, she knew they were a lie. Because this magic, this curse, was beyond her control. It had been waiting for the right moment to rise, to claim her as its own.
Kael's hand reached out, brushing against the skin of her arm, sending a shock of heat through her body. His touch was both soothing and dangerous, igniting a fire inside her that she didn't want to acknowledge.
"I can help you," he said, his voice low, the words coated with an emotion that was as much a command as it was a plea. "You don't have to fight this. Let me help you control it."
Her eyes narrowed, the fox spirit stirring with a new hunger. "Why would you help me?" she demanded, her voice laced with suspicion. "What do you want from me?"
Kael's hand hovered near her, his fingers twitching as though he were holding back the urge to pull her into him. "You think I'm doing this for my own gain? I'm here because we're connected, Celestia. Your curse, your past—it's tied to me, to us. Whether you accept it or not, I'm the only one who can help you."
For a moment, silence fell between them, thick and suffocating. The air crackled with tension, the only sound the distant thunder rumbling outside the palace. Celestia's heart beat erratically in her chest, a drum of fury and fear.
"You're a fool," she whispered, though there was no conviction in the words. "You think you understand what I am? What I've become?"
Kael didn't flinch. "I don't have to understand it. I just have to help you control it before it consumes you."
Celestia clenched her fists, the claws of the fox spirit beginning to emerge from her fingertips, glowing with an ethereal light. She could feel the magic building, rising like a tide threatening to drown her. "I don't need your help," she said through gritted teeth, but even she knew that the lie was fragile.
Kael's eyes softened with something she didn't want to acknowledge. "You do. But you're too proud to admit it."
Her anger flared, but before she could lash out, Kael moved, closing the distance between them in a single, swift motion. He grabbed her wrist, his touch burning, anchoring her as she tried to pull away.
"Kael, let go!" Celestia snapped, her voice a growl, but the magic inside her swelled, fed by the intensity of her emotions.
He didn't let go. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against her ear. "I won't let you destroy yourself."
The words sent a shiver through her. No one had ever spoken to her like that. No one had ever dared to care about her—about what she was.
Before she could respond, the magic inside her surged violently, and the walls of her chamber seemed to pulse with energy, crackling in the air like lightning. Her power was flooding out of her, uncontrollable, unpredictable.
Kael tightened his grip on her wrist, and in that moment, Celestia felt something shift. The anger, the rage, the fear—it all melted away, replaced by a strange sensation. Surrender.
She wasn't used to it. Not used to giving up control. But for a fleeting second, the chaos inside her quieted, and she found herself leaning into him.
"Kael…" she whispered, her voice a mix of confusion and need. "What have you done to me?"
Kael's eyes darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line. "I didn't do anything, Celestia. You did this to yourself."
His words hit her like a slap, a cold reminder of her own brokenness. She had brought this upon herself, had hidden away from the truth for too long. She had built walls, castles of ice around her heart, and now… they were crumbling.
"You think you can fix me?" Celestia scoffed, but the words felt hollow in her own mouth.
Kael's grip tightened, and he pulled her closer, their faces inches apart. "I don't want to fix you," he whispered, his breath warm against her lips. "I want to love you, Celestia. And maybe… maybe that's the only thing that will save you."
In that moment, her world tilted. She felt the magic still swirling, felt the beast inside her clawing for release, but it was Kael's presence that anchored her. His words, his touch—they pulled her back from the edge. But how long could this last?
How long before the darkness inside her consumed them both?