The forest around them seemed to close in as Lila followed Lucian deeper into the wilderness. Each step she took felt heavier than the last, her thoughts swirling in a maelstrom of confusion, fear, and reluctant determination. She couldn't escape the feeling that she was walking into a trap, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
The trees here were ancient, their gnarled branches twisting upward like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. The air was thick with the scent of earth and decay, and the silence was unnerving. She couldn't even hear the usual rustle of animals or the wind through the leaves. It was as though the forest itself was holding its breath.
Lucian walked ahead, his stride purposeful, and she had no choice but to follow. His presence was unsettling, his calm demeanor in the face of everything they were heading into only adding to the tension. His words from earlier echoed in her mind, You need allies, Lila. Others like you.
She couldn't shake the thought. Others?
Lila had never believed there were others like her. The serpent's curse had always been something whispered about in her family's dark corners, a shameful legacy passed down through the generations. Her ancestors had been careful to keep it hidden, to avoid anyone discovering the truth of the serpent's hold on them. But Lucian was speaking of it like it was just another part of their world, something to be embraced.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. The power inside her was still there, thrumming beneath her skin like a living thing. It hadn't fully settled since her encounter with the stone, and now, with every step they took, it felt like the curse was waking up again, more insistent, more alive.
Lucian stopped abruptly, and Lila nearly collided with him. He turned and gave her a long, appraising look. His eyes were sharp, unblinking, as if reading her every thought.
"I know what you're thinking," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper.
Lila stared at him, her heart racing. "You have no idea what I'm thinking."
"I don't need to," he replied, his lips curling into a faint smile. "I can feel it—the way the serpent's influence is gnawing at you. It's not just in your mind. It's in your soul."
Lila opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat. He was right. She could feel the serpent's power growing stronger within her, like it was trying to break free, trying to tear her apart from the inside.
"Where are we going?" she asked instead, her voice cold.
Lucian's smile faded, and he turned to face the path ahead, his expression darkening. "To the heart of it all. To where it began."
Lila felt a chill run down her spine, but she forced herself to step forward, determined not to let Lucian see her fear. They walked in silence for what felt like hours, the air growing colder and the shadows longer as they moved deeper into the forest. The feeling of unease in her gut only grew stronger, but she didn't speak again until they reached a clearing.
The trees here were spaced farther apart, their trunks twisted and contorted in unnatural shapes. At the center of the clearing stood a structure, ancient and overgrown with vines and moss. The stone walls were cracked, and the roof had collapsed in some places, but the remnants of what was once a grand building still stood tall. A temple.
Lila's breath caught in her throat. The place felt… wrong. The air was thick with magic, dark and oppressive, as though the very ground itself was cursed. She could almost hear whispers in the wind, words she couldn't quite make out.
"This is it," Lucian said softly, his voice reverberating with something she couldn't quite place—reverence, perhaps? Or fear?
Lila couldn't speak. She felt the pull of the place, a sense of familiarity mixed with dread. Something inside her was telling her to turn back, that this was not a place she should be, but her feet seemed to move of their own accord. She was already too deep into this, too far gone.
"What is this place?" she managed to ask.
"This," Lucian said, stepping forward, "is where the serpent's curse first took root. Where it was bound to your bloodline, where the first of the chosen made their pact with it."
Lila's heart skipped a beat. "A pact?"
He nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the ruins. "Yes. The serpent's power doesn't come without a price. A price that was paid long ago, by your ancestors. It was a bargain. Power in exchange for servitude."
Lila shook her head, unable to process the magnitude of what he was saying. "I… I don't understand. Why would they make such a deal?"
"Because they were desperate," Lucian replied, his gaze distant. "In times of war, of famine, of destruction, people will do anything to survive. They will make deals with the devil, if they have to. And the serpent, with all its power, offered them salvation."
Lila felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "Salvation?"
"The serpent isn't just a creature of darkness," Lucian continued. "It is a force of nature, a being older than the gods themselves. It controls life and death, light and shadow. It can give life to the dead, bend reality to its will. But the price is always the same—you serve it. You become its vessel."
Lila recoiled. "So, I'm—what? A slave?"
Lucian's eyes softened, but his voice remained firm. "You are its heir. But you do not have to serve it, Lila. You can control it. You can choose to wield its power for your own purposes. But you need to understand the cost of such power."
Lila took a step back, feeling like the ground beneath her was shifting, like the world was tilting on its axis. The implications of what Lucian was saying were too much to comprehend, too much to accept. But one thing was clear—this was bigger than her, bigger than anything she could have imagined.
"You're telling me I have a choice?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
Lucian turned to face her fully, his gaze intense. "Yes. But it's not an easy choice. The serpent does not give power freely. It will demand something from you. It will test you. And once you make that choice, there is no turning back."
Lila swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "What do I do now?"
Lucian's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "Now? Now, we find the others. The ones who will help you understand your true power. The ones who will fight alongside you."
Her mind raced. The others. She had no idea who they were, or what they wanted. But she knew she couldn't face this alone.
Lila's gaze flickered toward the ruined temple again, its ancient stones seeming to pulse with a dark energy. The serpent's curse was waiting. And soon, she would have to decide whether to accept it… or destroy it.