The faint light of the moon shone over Alaric's castle's gloomy hallways and tall towers as it hung high in the night sky. Its light spanned the stone floor, illuminating Celine's illusive route under the guidance of an invisible power that seemed both unbelievably familiar and alien at the same time. She felt as though memories she had never experienced but that the castle itself was whispering to her. Every step she took made her heartbeat faster, as though she were slipping into a different life—her own, perhaps—in a different era.
Celine ran her fingertips over the spines of the old, leather-bound volumes on the library's tall bookcases, feeling pulled to one in particular. The book was thick and nearly heated in her grasp, the cover bearing an emblem she'd noticed engraved on Alaric's ring. Words in an old script seemed to jump out at her as she opened the fragile pages. The narrative described a love that was so intense and frail that it defied the mortal realm's laws and the gods, yet it was ultimately doomed to catastrophe.
There was the name Elara everywhere, braided reverently into the text, the words bearing a compassion she had never imagined Alaric could. She continued reading, learning about the lady who had given her life in an unimaginable situation in order to rescue Alaric, the man she loved despite his evil side. Elara's life was destroyed by treachery, a defiant act against those who thought their love was banned.
When Celine learned that Elara had given her soul to be permanently bound to Alaric—a binding spell so strong and old that it could only be broken at her rebirth—an unexpected tear unexpectedly ran down her cheek. Her heart echoed with echoes of a life she had never experienced, and every sentence she read made her feel more uneasy.
Celine's mind was filled with vivid yet fragmentary recollections as she read on. As the shadows drew in, she saw a woman's hand reaching out for Alaric and a faint, ghostly voice mumbling words of grief and love. She closed the book, putting its cover to her chest as if to stop her own pounding heart, but the feelings were so intense that her hands began to quiver.
Her reverie was broken by the faint sound of footfall, and she turned to see Alaric standing in the doorway with a look that was hard to decipher but that had a raw quality to it. He drew closer, his gaze sharp and piercing, as if he could see the conflict developing in her soul. His stillness filled the room.
"Why did you keep it from me?" Celine hardly raised her voice beyond a whisper. His weight on her felt like he was removing layers of skin from her, revealing every emotion and idea. "What kept you from telling me about Elara?"
Alaric's expression stiffened, revealing a brief moment of weakness behind his normally iron composure. "Because understanding could ruin you," he uttered in a low mutter. Additionally, because I couldn't tolerate the idea that you would experience the same destiny. His jaw tightened as he struggled to get the words out, and his fists clinched at his sides. "Celine, I live with Elara's loss every day. Love was the source of her sacrifice, and love turned into my captivity.
Celine saw his suffering as if it were her own, and she realized then just how deeply Alaric was tormented. He had punished himself for the lady he had lost, and this included his centuries-long seclusion, his inability to suck human blood, and his coldness.
But while she stared at him, his eyes as black as a tempest at midnight, a notion started to form in her head. Was she only a prop in a tragedy that had been going on for ages, or was she somehow involved, connected to Alaric in ways she didn't understand?
She trembled as she murmured, "I don't know who I am." "I'm not sure if I'm Celine or if I'm connected in any way."
"A cruel magic, reincarnation," Alaric cut in, his voice sharpening. It bonds souls to unavoidable destiny. He halted, staring straight ahead. "But even though you were Elara once, you are now Celine." You don't have to follow the same path throughout life.
Alaric's hand stretched for hers while he was speaking, yet even as he was speaking, a scorching pulse and an electric surge that seemed like it may swallow her whole passed through her. She saw it in his eyes—a yearning so great, a desire long forgotten for millennia. He was powerless to draw away; therefore, he was holding back out of fear for what his own hunger may unleash.
She said, "I'm not afraid of who I am," disturbing the quiet. But Alaric, I want to know everything. I want to know why I feel like I've loved you before and who I was to you.
Alaric took her hand and, with a tight breath, led her to a balcony that overlooked the starry valley. He spoke in a voice so low, so full of agony, that it seemed to reverberate through the centuries as the chilly night air brushed across them.
He muttered, "Elara was light in my darkness," keeping his gaze fixed on the far horizon. She was mortal nonetheless. I didn't succeed in protecting her as I had hoped. He tightened his hold on her hand. "I lost myself when I lost her. I changed into this. A trace of regret cast a shade across his face as his eyes glittered. "A creature I abhor."
The sound of leaves gently rustling in the breeze was the only sound to break their shared stillness. At last, Celine faced him and spoke with a firm tone. Alaric, you're not by yourself. If Elara was able to love you despite your darkness, then perhaps you might rediscover how to love yourself.
Alaric's eyes met hers, desperation and hunger in his eyes. He stepped closer, the air between them tense with unsaid words as the moonlight threw them in its silvery glare. He could sense his composure wavering; he could sense her blood's pulse beckoning him with a ferocity that almost sent him insane.
His voice was a deep growl, and before he realized it, his lips were millimeters from hers. "Celine, there won't be a way out if you stay with me. I might not let you go if you get any closer because I am obligated to this darkness.
Heart thumping, she met his eyes and did not back down. Next, attach myself to it. I'm not scared.
Alaric's hold on himself eventually gave way with a quick intake of air. His mouth met hers ferociously, as though attempting to seize her whole being. His contact was a plea and a warning at the same time, and Celine realized she was more than a piece in an old story. Because of a love that transcended time, destiny, and even death itself, she was a part of him.
As the night drew on and the moon dropped low, they clutched each other, two souls linked in darkness, driven by a love strong enough to shake the skies yet plagued by memories. But as morning drew near, Celine understood that this love was as risky as it was lovely since, for the first time, they would have to confront all the forces that had previously tried to kill them—together.
And they made a secret pledge under the last of the moonlight.