Chapter 23
"What do you mean I've been summoned to the underworld?" Natasha asked, her heart thudding with panic.
"I don't know... they just said it's urgent. Something about you being involved in... something important. They didn't tell me more." Gracie's expression was as unreadable as ever.
Natasha's voice rose an octave. "And how am I supposed to get there? I'm not even dead!"
"I can take you."
"What the hell? That means I'm gonna die, right?" Natasha's eyes widened as she backed away.
"No, it's not like that." Gracie sighed, pulling out a crescent-shaped dagger from her cloak. "If I were going to collect your soul, I'd use this. But this is different. I just need to pull your consciousness out of your body—with my hand. Your body will stay alive; it'll just... sleep."
"That sounds... horrifying," Natasha muttered, but she shook her head. "Alright, I'll come with you. Not like I have much of a choice."
---
The underworld was worse than Natasha imagined. The air was cold, biting at her skin, and the heavy scent of ash lingered like a ghost in the darkness. She stood frozen in the grand hall of a palace carved from black stone. Shadows seemed alive, crawling over the walls and watching her.
Drake, a man who looked more like a phantom than human, sat on a throne of twisted bones. His icy eyes bore into her as she entered. Gracie bowed low, but Natasha didn't move. Her body refused to cooperate, leaving her standing like a cornered animal.
"So," Drake said, his voice deep and unsettling, "you're the woman Drogen saved."
Natasha swallowed hard. "Y-yeah, I guess that's me."
"You guess?" He chuckled darkly, sending a shiver through her. "I trust you've been seeing... things?"
Natasha blinked. How did he know? "What kind of things?" she asked cautiously.
"Memories," Drake replied, his voice dripping with grim amusement. "Fragments of your past life."
She stiffened. "Wait, you're saying those memories are real?"
"Indeed. They began returning because you were revived. However, Drogen remembers none of his past because he has shut himself off. He buried his heart to escape a memory too painful to endure."
Natasha's chest tightened. "Are you saying... I was part of his past?"
Drake leaned forward, his expression unreadable. "You were more than just a part. You were the one who killed him."
The words hit Natasha like a blow to the gut. She staggered back, shaking her head in disbelief. "No. That can't be true. Why would I—" so her memories weren't wrong.
"Calm yourself." Drake's tone was icy. "You were blinded by revenge back then. Also, I did not curse Drogen with immortality. He asked for it."
Natasha blinked, her mind spinning. "What? Why would he...."
"He made a deal," Drake cut in. "Immortality, in exchange for losing the chance to ever be reborn. A heavy price, but he accepted it willingly, just to protect you"
"To protect me?..."Her voice cracked as she asked, "Then why does he think he was cursed? Why doesn't he remember any of this?"
Drake's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Because his heart doesn't want to remember. The truth was too much for him, so his own mind rewrote the narrative. I merely allowed it. His loyalty to me is invaluable, and it is far easier to keep him bound in service when he believes he has been wronged."
Natasha's anger flared. "You're a monster. You let him live a lie just to use him? What do you think will happen when he finds out the truth?"
Drake's smile faded. "That's precisely why you're here. Your memories... they're dangerous. They weren't meant to resurface. I must take back what you've seen before it unravels everything."
Natasha clenched her fists, her voice rising. "Fine! Take them. I don't want to remember being the one who killed him. But tell me one thing—how do I end his curse?"
For the first time, Drake hesitated. His expression darkened. "That's not something I will entertain. Drogen is my most trusted servant. I have no intention of losing him."
Natasha stepped closer, defiance burning in her eyes. "You don't care about him, do you? He's just a tool to you. But I do care, and I'll find a way to end this, whether you help me or not."
Drake's laughter echoed through the hall, cold and sharp. "Brave words for someone who doesn't even know what she's up against. Be careful, Natasha. Some truths are better left buried, besides....if you end his curse of immortality, he'll die and never get the chance to be reborn...is that what you want?"
Natasha was Short of words, there was no way she would let him die, she might have killed him in the past but this time, she was going to protect him.
Natasha made a deal with Drake: he could take away the memories of her past, but the feelings she had for Drogen must remain. As fragments of her past life resurfaced, so did the love she once had for him, reigniting the same deep emotions she felt before. She feared that if the memories were erased, the feelings might vanish too—and that was something she wasn't willing to lose. To her relief, Drake agreed to the terms.
"*******
As Gracie pulled her back to the surface, Natasha's mind swirled with questions. Who was she in her past life? What had really happened between her and Drogen? And most importantly, could she save him from a fate worse than death?
"Hey, what did you and lord Drake discuss, you seem lost" Gracie asked, looking worriedly at her friend.
"I don't remember"