The silence was suffocating.
Selena awoke not to the rustle of the wind or the creak of the cabin, but to the sound of her own heartbeat—loud, frantic, and uncertain. Her eyes opened to the dim glow of early dawn seeping through the cracked window. She was alone.
Dante was gone.
The memory of last night came rushing back in a storm of sensations—his voice, Alara's threat, the pain that bloomed in her chest. She sat up with a gasp, one hand instinctively clutching her heart.
Still whole.
Still hers.
But for how long?
The door creaked open, and Dante stepped in. His hair was damp, a streak of blood drying across his jaw. He looked exhausted—but his eyes lit up the moment he saw her awake.
"You're okay," he breathed, rushing to her side.
Selena recoiled slightly. Just enough for him to notice.
"I need answers, Dante," she said, voice rough. "Not lies. Not silence. The truth."
He looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. No more secrets."
He knelt before her, hands resting on his knees like a sinner at confession.
"Alara was once my betrothed," he began, voice tight. "Before the curse. Before you."
Selena stiffened.
"I was young, stupid, desperate to please my father. Alara was powerful, respected. Our families made a pact. But I never loved her."
"That didn't stop her," Selena muttered.
"No," Dante admitted. "She wanted power more than love. When I refused the final bond ceremony, she cursed me—and anyone I would ever love. That's why... that's why I avoided you at first. The bond between us—it's real, but it's also poisoned."
Selena's heart clenched. "You knew I'd be in danger if I got close to you."
He nodded, guilt etched into every line of his face. "Yes. But I couldn't stay away."
She stared at him, emotions warring in her chest—fear, fury, longing. "You should have told me."
"I wanted to protect you."
"No, you wanted to protect yourself," she snapped. "From the guilt. From the pain. But I had a right to know."
The air between them crackled with tension.
"Do you want to leave?" Dante asked finally, voice barely a whisper.
Selena's breath caught. "Do I have a choice?"
He rose slowly, stepping back. "You always have a choice with me."
She didn't answer. Not because she didn't have one—but because she didn't know what it was yet.
Before either could say more, the cabin shook.
A distant boom rolled across the hills like thunder, followed by a scream—sharp, real, and too close.
Selena sprang to her feet, Dante already in motion. "Stay behind me," he ordered.
But she didn't listen.
Outside, smoke curled into the sky. Flames danced through the trees beyond the clearing. Figures moved in the shadows—too fast, too silent.
"Hunters," Dante growled. "Alara sent them."
Before Selena could react, an arrow whizzed past her ear, embedding into the cabin wall behind her. She turned just in time to see three cloaked figures charging through the smoke.
Dante shifted.
It wasn't graceful—it was terrifying.
His eyes glowed gold, claws extended, fangs bared. He moved like lightning, intercepting the first hunter mid-leap, slamming him into the ground with a sickening crunch.
"Run!" he shouted to Selena.
But she didn't.
She ducked as another arrow came flying, then rolled behind a fallen log, heart hammering. She needed a weapon.
Her eyes landed on a broken branch—sharp, jagged. It would have to do.
A scream split the air.
Not hers.
Dante.
She turned—and froze.
One of the hunters had driven a silver blade through Dante's side. He roared in agony, flinging the attacker away, but he stumbled, blood pouring from the wound.
"Dante!"
Without thinking, Selena charged. The hunter raised his blade again, but she slammed into him with all her strength, driving the broken branch into his throat. He gurgled and dropped.
Dante collapsed to one knee, clutching his side.
Selena knelt beside him. "Stay with me. Please."
"I'm fine," he grunted. "It's shallow."
"You're bleeding everywhere!"
"I've had worse."
"You're a terrible liar."
He smirked faintly through the pain. "You've always been a terrible listener."
They both laughed—a ragged, desperate sound.
But the danger wasn't over.
A slow clap echoed through the clearing.
Alara.
She stood at the edge of the trees, pristine in a white cloak stained with ash. "Touching," she said. "Really. I almost cried."
Selena stood, placing herself between Dante and the witch. "What do you want?"
"Oh, just a bit of chaos," Alara said sweetly. "And maybe... a soul or two."
"I won't let you take him."
Alara arched an eyebrow. "You still think you're in control, little mortal? Cute."
She raised a hand.
Selena felt it before she saw it—a wave of dark energy barreling toward her.
Then everything slowed.
The wind froze.
The fire dimmed.
And in that heartbeat, Selena felt something ignite inside her—an ancient, wild power she didn't understand. Her veins burned with light. Her vision turned white.
She raised her hand.
And the wave shattered.
Alara staggered back, eyes wide. "What... what are you?"
Selena stepped forward, power radiating from her in glowing pulses. "I don't know," she said, voice echoing with something not quite her own. "But I think I'm done running."
Alara hissed, then vanished in a swirl of smoke.
Silence fell again.
Selena dropped to her knees, shaking.
Dante crawled to her side. "You... you used magic."
"I don't know how."
He looked at her like she was a miracle. "You saved us."
Selena met his eyes, breathless. "We need answers. Real ones."
He nodded. "Then we find the witch who cursed me. The one Alara learned from. She may be the only one who can break this."
Selena nodded, wiping ash from her cheek. "Then let's go."
Together, they stood—bruised, bloodied, bound by fate.
And they stepped into the woods, shadows tangled around them like threads of destiny, unsure where the road would lead—but ready to face whatever lay ahead.