The Blooming Curse
The first time Elias died, it was in Lucien's arms.
Blood stained the ground, petals of red spider lilies scattered around them like the remnants of a shattered dream. The wind carried the scent of death, whispering a cruel lullaby as Elias's breaths grew shallow.
Lucien held him tighter, pressing his forehead against Elias's, refusing to let go. Refusing to accept what fate had done to them.
"You have to live," Elias had whispered, his fingers weakly brushing against Lucien's cheek. Even in his final moments, his smile was soft. Unfairly gentle.
Lucien shook his head. No. He didn't want to live in a world where Elias did not exist. He would rather tear through time itself, rewrite the stars, defy the gods if he had to.
But fate had never been kind to them.
As Elias exhaled one last breath, Lucien felt something inside him shatter.
Then, the world turned silent.
The Red Spider Lily had bloomed once more.
A flower of parting. A flower of tragedy.
A curse that had followed them through lifetimes.
The world changed. Cities rose, myths faded, and humanity forgot the creatures that once lurked in the night.
But Lucien remained. Waiting. Searching. Hoping.
Each year grew heavier, more hollow. Elias was gone—his soul lost to the cycle of death and rebirth. And still, Lucien searched. Alone.
Now, he stood on the edge of a rooftop, looking down at the city below. A world that had forgotten him. A world where vampires were nothing more than stories, and the name Elias was just another whisper lost in time.
For the first time, he wondered if he should finally let go.
Not die—he couldn't, not truly. But disappear. Stop searching. Stop hoping. Stop hurting.
Because what was the point of eternity if the one he loved was never coming back?
Then, at that very moment—fate twisted.
A scent. Familiar. Nostalgic. Unmistakable.
Lucien turned his head. And time seemed to stop.
There he was.
Elias.
He looked different. Older. Worn down by life. His once-bright blue eyes were filled with exhaustion, his shoulders heavy with burdens. His body had changed—taller, leaner, scarred.
But it was him.
Lucien's breath caught in his throat, his entire existence snapping back into focus. The centuries of grief, the loneliness, the nights spent chasing a ghost—all of it led to this moment.
He found him. But something was wrong.
Elias was running.
Lucien's sharp eyes caught the shadows moving below—men in black, weapons in hand, chasing after him.
Gunshots rang through the alley. Elias ducked, cursing under his breath, before vaulting over a fence. He was fast, trained—but he was outnumbered. Lucien narrowed his eyes.
So… his lover had been reborn into a life of conflict.
He didn't know why Elias was being chased. Didn't care. All he knew was this: He wasn't losing him again.
Lucien moved before he could think.
The hunt was over.
And this time, not even fate would take Elias from him.