May i enter?
Nita nodded, and Charis entered, his presence filling the room. Valentin remained on the balcony, watching with intense eyes.
Charis approached Nita, his voice low and gentle. "I know you're torn, Nita. But I can't let you go. I need you, not just as a singing companion, but as the one who brings light to my darkness."
Nita's heart ached, her emotions conflicting. Valentin's passionate words still lingered in her mind, but Charis's vulnerable expression tugged at her soul.
With a heavy heart, she made her choice. "Charis, I...I choose you."
Valentin's face fell, but he nodded in acceptance. "I knew it. You two are bound by something deeper than love."
Charis's eyes lit up with hope, and he reached for Nita's hand. "Then let us face whatever comes next, together."
As their hands intertwined, a strange glow enveloped them, and the room faded away.
Valentin's eyes blazed with determination. "I won't let her go without a fight, Charis. I'll prove my love is stronger."
Charis smirked, confident in Nita's choice. "Let her choose, Valentin. I'm sure she'll see our bond is unbreakable."
But as they declared their intentions, Nita's eyes rolled back, and she fainted. The brothers' argument ceased as they rushed to her side.
As they revived her, they discovered she needed to return to the sea to resolve a crisis in her underwater home. With a heavy heart, Nita departed, leaving the brothers behind.
Weeks passed, and Charis's sadness turned to wickedness. He terrorized the village, capturing women and children to satiate his bloodlust. Valentin tried to stop him, but their fights became more frequent and intense.
The brothers' bond was crumbling, and their love for Nita was tearing them apart.
Charis's darkness consumed him, leaving only a glimmer of humanity. The thought of Nita was all that kept him tethered. But then, the butler arrived with a devastating letter from Nita's friend in the sea.
Nita was gone.
Charis's world shattered. His anger and grief unleashed a terror upon the land. He became the devil himself, ruling with an iron fist. His castle grew dark, filled with slaves whose blood he drank daily. His enemies cowered in fear, having never seen this side of him.
One misstep meant death, and Charis showed no mercy. Heads rolled at the slightest provocation. His reign of terror was absolute, and his heart was forever lost to the darkness.
Meanwhile, Valentin, who had been trying to stop Charis, was shocked by the news of Nita's fate. He realized too late that his own actions had contributed to Charis's downfall.
As the darkness closed in, Valentin knew he had to escape or risk becoming Charis's next victim. He fled, vowing to find a way to restore his brother's humanity and bring peace back to the land.