The first time Cedric felt it, he was lying awake in his quarters, staring at the ceiling as moonlight filtered through the cracks in the window shutters. It was subtle at first, like a distant hum vibrating in the very marrow of his bones. He tried to ignore it, but the sensation grew stronger, relentless—like the pulsing of an unseen force deep inside him.
It was only discomfort at first, the tautness in his chest, dizziness that caused him to hold onto the edge of his bed in the thought that either the world outside was spinning, or it was something deeper inside. He felt his body, which had been a vessel of control and strength, gradually betraying him in ways he could not explain. His mind was sharper than it had ever been; his body, however… was coming undone.
He had always known, in the back of his mind, that his role in this story was more than just that of the male lead. His connection to Leona-deeper than anyone could have ever known-was part of the reason the world itself had started to collapse. He had been the bridge between the threads of fate and the fractured realms, and now the weight of that responsibility was becoming impossible to ignore.
The change came slowly, like the first signs of a storm over the horizon. It began with the bruising around his ribs-small, purple-black marks that seemed to appear overnight. At first, they were faint, barely noticeable, but as the days passed they deepened, spreading like cracks in the surface of his skin.
Cedric tried to hide it. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone, least of all Leona, who already had enough on her plate. He couldn't even let her see him so weak, something that was falling apart. But when he looked at himself in the mirror, the man staring back was no longer the same old confident Cedric that once stood tall. His once-powerful build was now gaunt, and his muscles strained against the unnatural pressure building inside him.
Something about it terrified him. The more it changed him, the more he could feel the story's boundaries stretching, distorting around him. It was as if his very being was being rewritten, restructured to fit the fractured narrative. And in this world of shifting alliances, treacherous lies, and shattered promises, he wasn't so sure if the person he was becoming would even be able to recognize himself in the end.
Leona had noticed the changes before Cedric said anything. She had seen the way his eyes had grown distant, how he began to flinch when people spoke to him, as if the words themselves hurt. She had seen him lean against the walls, as if trying to hold himself together, his hands trembling when he thought no one was watching.
She hadn't asked about it—until now.
They were standing together, the soft rustling of the leaves in the evening breeze the only sound between them. Cedric leaned against the cold stone wall, scanning along the horizon, it would seem, for something he had expected to see coming towards him from afar. There was a tight clench of his jaw, but in the ways of his standing, there was something broken.
"You're not fine," Leona said softly, her voice cutting through the silence. She had learned to trust her instincts when it came to Cedric, and right now, something was wrong. Deeply wrong.
Cedric didn't look at her. "I'm fine."
Leona stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face. "I know you better than that." She reached out, gently placing her hand on his arm. It was the first time in weeks she had allowed herself to be this close, to let her guard down, but she knew there was no other way to reach him now. "Cedric, what's happening to you?"
He let out a hard exhalation, the tension in his body setting it rigid under her touch. For a long while, he said nothing at all, his gaze fixed at the horizon as if something was out there that could give him an answer. Finally, quietly, with a weight on his voice that was unmistakable, he spoke:.
"I can feel it. The rift inside me." He turned his head then, and his eyes were dark with some unreadable emotion. "It's happening, Leona. The story… it's breaking apart, and I'm the one who has to stitch it back together. I can feel it in every breath I take, in every move I make. It's pulling me apart."
A cold shiver ran down Leona's spine. She had known that Cedric's connection to the fractured worlds ran deep, that his role was somehow tied in with the very fabric of their reality, but to hear him say it so plainly-to hear the pain in his voice-struck her in a way she hadn't expected.
She had seen it too: the strange markings on his skin, how he had aged overnight, how his once clear eyes had become shadowed-appearing to be always in search of something that wasn't there.
"What do you mean?" she whispered, her voice shaking despite herself.
The hardness in Cedric's expression softened, but only just. He looked so broken in that moment, so fragile, and it made Leona's heart ache in ways she didn't know it could. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that my body-my mind-can't keep up with the changes. It's as if every time I try to take a step forward, the world around me pulls me back. The rifts, Leona… they're inside of me now."
She shook her head, stepping closer, her hand tightening around his arm. "No, Cedric. This can't be happening. You're the one who can fix this. You're the one who's supposed to make everything right."
He closed his eyes, his lips trembling. "But what if I can't? What if I'm the one breaking everything instead of fixing it?" He looked at her then, his gaze raw with vulnerability. "I'm not strong enough, Leona. I can't hold this together anymore."
For a long moment, Leona said nothing; her heart was breaking while she watched him struggle for something so much deeper than mere physical pain. She had always known that it was upon Cedric a burden was meant to fall, but she had not known how heavy that weight would be, nor how consuming. This was not about saving the kingdom or fixing the narrative but about his very existence.
She pulled him into her arms then, holding him close, pressing her forehead against his chest. "You're not alone," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "We're in this together. You don't have to carry it by yourself."
Cedric stood still, his arms slowly wrapping around her as he let out a shaky breath. "I don't want to lose myself," he murmured.
"You won't," she promised, though a part of her wasn't so sure if she could keep that promise. The weight of the rift inside him was unlike anything they had faced before. It wasn't just a battle for the kingdom—it was a battle for Cedric's very soul.
Days passed, and the condition of Cedric further deteriorated. The changes had become impossible to hide, and the cracks in his body were now visible to all. His skin had taken on an eerie pallor while his usually bright eyes dimmed with the wear the transformation was inflicting upon him. But worse than the physical changes were those moments when he would lose himself completely, would stare into space as if he listened to voices no one else could hear.
Leona spent every waking moment trying to keep him anchored, reminding him of his strength and purpose. But even she could feel the pressure start to build, could feel the way Cedric was slowly slipping away.
One night, while the kingdom slept, Leona sat at his bedside, her hand wrapped around his as she watched him sleep. His face was drawn, pale, but there was something hauntingly beautiful about the way his features softened in his dreams, as if the pain he carried could vanish for just a moment.
But then, a sharp intake of breath shattered the silence.
The body of Cedric jerked upright in the bed, eyes wide, the light in them replaced by some strange, unnatural glow. "Leona," he rasped, his voice shaking. "I see it. I see the threads."
Leona's heart was pounding as she leaned closer, placing her hand on his chest. "Cedric? What do you see?"
"The rifts—they're inside of me," he said, his voice low and strained. "The threads are breaking… and I'm the one holding them together."
His body began to shake violently, the glow in his eyes flickering like a dying flame. Leona screamed for help, but in that moment, she realized there was nothing anyone could do. The battle for Cedric's soul had begun.
And she was helpless to stop it.