That night, Aura had a dream. In her dream, she saw a dark figure, shrouded in shadows, watching her. It was the God of Malice, the one who had cursed her with his jealousy. Aura trembled at the sight of the god, but he did not seem angry.
"Why do you hate me so?" Aura asked the god.
The god replied, "I do not hate you, Aura. I envy you. You possess a beauty that I could never have. That is why I cursed you, out of my own jealousy."
Aura was taken aback. She had never expected the god to admit his true feelings.
"Is there anything I can do to lift the curse?" Aura asked.
The god hesitated. "There is a way. I can remove the curse, but you must give me something in return."
"What do you want?" Aura asked, feeling a glimmer of hope.
"I want your memories with Caecilius. You will forget him, and he will forget you. But the curse will be lifted, and you will no longer be shunned by the villagers."
Aura was torn. She loved Caecilius more than anything in the world, but she also longed to be free from the curse. She asked the god for some time to think about it, and he granted her request.
The next morning, Aura woke up feeling conflicted. She knew that the god's proposal was unfair, but she also knew that she could not live with the curse forever. She decided to seek Caecilius' advice, but when she went to find him, he was nowhere to be found.