The forest swallowed Elara whole.
Branches whipped her face as the horse galloped through twisted trees, her hands bound, vision obscured by the hood. The night air was damp with mist and menace, and even though she couldn't see her captor, she could feel him—Kieran.
They rode in silence until the sound of rushing water grew louder, and the horse slowed. The hood was yanked off.
Elara blinked, adjusting to the flickering torchlight of a hidden cavern beneath a waterfall. Moss-covered stone columns rose like pillars of an ancient temple. And there he stood—Kieran.
He was still wearing the black half-cloak of the cursed guard, but the expression on his face was no longer cold. It was longing.
"You always belonged with me, Elara," he said, stepping forward.
She stared at him, hatred flaring in her chest. "You betrayed him."
Kieran's jaw tightened. "No. Damon betrayed us. He chose duty. I choose you. I've always chosen you."
She didn't respond. Behind her back, she twisted her wrists against the ropes.
Kieran saw it. He came closer and gently undid them.
"You won't run," he said. "Even if you think you want to. You feel it too, don't you? The bond?"
Elara stepped away, her voice trembling. "What I feel is disgust."
His eyes flared. "You think he'll save you? Damon would burn the world to keep his power. You've seen it. I've lived with it. You think I'm the villain? I was made into one by him."
She turned her back,she was trembling with something more than cold.
"You can't love someone who only sees you as a weapon, Elara. But I—"
She spoke, furious. "You kidnapped me. You threatened to kill him! That isn't love. That's obsession."
Kieran faltered, his face was cold, shadows clouding his face.
" Then we will have to see if you will belong to me or to Damon"
---
Back at the Cradle, Damon was a man possessed. His soldiers couldn't keep up as he plunged into the woods, tracking her trail by instinct, rage, and something deeper—his tether to her.
Ajani rode beside him. "General, if we rush into a trap—"
"Then I'll spring it myself," Damon growled.
They found broken twigs, a horse's hoofprints, blood on leaves—too much blood.
"He's not going to harm her," Damon whispered, more to himself than anyone.
Ajani looked grim. "He wants you to follow."
Damon didn't stop. "Then let's give him what he wants."
---
Deep within the cavern, Kieran led Elara to a stone basin filled with silvery liquid. The water shimmered with unnatural light.
"This is the source of the curse. It's alive. It shows truth—and possibility. Come, see."
Despite herself, Elara stepped closer.
The water rippled. A vision appeared.
Damon on his knees, crown falling from his hand. Blood pouring from his chest.
Her own face—cold, queenly, cloaked in black and gold.
And Kieran beside her.
Elara jerked away. "No. That's not my fate."
"It can be," Kieran said, his voice soft. "You weren't meant to be a soldier's bride. You were meant to be a ruler. With me."
Elara shook her head. "You don't understand love. You only understand power."
"I regretted why I ever have anything to do with in the past life" Elara was so regretful.
Kieran's eyes darkened. "I offered you both."
Suddenly, the cavern trembled.
Damon had arrived.
---
The soldiers spread around the outer cliffs as Damon stormed into the cavern entrance. His sword drawn, his eyes fixed on Kieran.
"Let her go."
"Damon why did you come you knew all this was a trap, you still came" Elara shouted,she was happy that he came but also not , because she knew that it was a trap set to capture him.
Kieran stood between them, smirking. "You always rush in without thinking. It's why Father chose me."
"Father chose you to die," Damon snarled. "And I let you live. That was my mistake."
Elara ran to Damon's side. He shielded her, hand never leaving his blade.
Kieran raised his own sword. "Then let's end it. One brother standing. One bond severed."
The clash echoed through the cavern. Steel met steel, fury met fury.
They fought like twins of war—mirror images with opposite hearts.
Elara watched, frozen between dread and destiny.
Until a voice whispered from the shadows.
The Whisperer.
"They will both fall, and you will rise."
She turned. The shadowy specter hovered above the water. "You hold the choice. Bind them both, and the curse ends. But one must die."
She felt the power hum beneath her skin. The choice was hers. The fate of the bloodline—hers.
The brothers fought, oblivious to the ancient eyes watching.
Kieran slashed Damon's arm. Damon drove his blade into Kieran's side. Blood sprayed. Screams echoed.
Elara stepped forward, raising her hands.
Magic surged from her palms—gold and black light erupting from her heart.
The Whisperer screamed.
The cavern split.
Both men dropped to their knees, eyes wide.
Elara stood between them, power crackling in the air. "From this day forward No more blood. No more curses."
And then—darkness.
---