The night air was cool against my skin as I walked through the forest. The trees loomed overhead, their dark branches swaying in the wind. My mind was still tangled with the words my mother had spoken, each one sharper than the last. The guilt, the anger—it was too much to carry. But then, just as I was about to lose myself to the storm inside my chest, I saw her.
Thalia stood at the edge of the woods, her figure barely visible against the dimming sky. She didn't move, didn't call out to me. She just stood there, waiting. I knew what she wanted. She always came when things were at their worst.
Without a word, I walked towards her, the ground soft beneath my boots. The silence between us stretched out, heavy and thick, until she finally spoke.
"You're angry," she said, her voice low but clear, cutting through the quiet.
I didn't answer at first. How could I? Anger was just the beginning. Everything I thought I knew about myself, my family, even Elias—it was all slipping away. I felt lost in a world that had suddenly become too big for me.
"I have every right to be," I muttered, barely able to keep the bitterness from my voice. "You don't know what it's like to have your entire life turned upside down."
Thalia tilted her head slightly, her piercing gaze never leaving mine. "I know more than you think."
She started walking, and without thinking, I followed. There was something about the way she moved, like she always knew where she was going, even when the rest of us didn't. We walked in silence for a while, the only sounds the soft crunch of leaves underfoot and the distant call of night birds. When we reached a small clearing, she stopped and turned to face me, her eyes dark with something I couldn't quite place.
"The prophecy, Ronan," she said, her voice now barely above a whisper. "It's not just about Elias. It's about you. You're part of it, too."
I frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? This is about Elias, not me."
She shook her head, her expression serious. "It's always been about you. The prophecy has been waiting for this moment for centuries, and you're the one who will decide what happens next."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What moment? What's supposed to happen?"
Thalia stepped closer, her face illuminated by the faint light of the moon. "Elias's death wasn't an accident. It wasn't random. There's a reason for it. The resurrection isn't just about bringing him back. It's about what happens when he does."
I shook my head, trying to understand. "What do you mean?"
She sighed, her eyes distant for a moment, as though she were searching for the right words. "When Elias is brought back, there's a chance that he won't be... him. He'll be something else. Something darker. He's the key to an ancient force. A force that could either save or destroy everything."
My breath caught in my throat. I could feel the weight of her words pressing down on me, sinking in like a stone. "A force? What kind of force?"
Thalia's gaze hardened, her mouth set in a firm line. "A being older than the supernatural world itself. One that's been waiting for the right moment to break through. If Elias is the one chosen, he'll become the vessel. He'll carry this being inside of him."
I felt the ground shift beneath me. "Wait. Are you saying Elias is going to—what? Become some kind of monster?"
Thalia shook her head, her expression pained. "No. Not a monster. But something different. Something... dangerous. If he's allowed to come back fully, if the resurrection happens one more time, it will be too late. The being inside him will take over. And once it does, there will be no stopping it."
My heart was pounding in my chest. I had to stop myself from shaking. "What happens if I don't let him come back? If I just let him stay dead?"
"Then the world will still pay the price," she replied softly. "The balance will shift anyway. The supernatural world will begin to fall apart. The veil between the human world and ours will weaken, and chaos will spread. You won't stop it, Ronan. There's no way to stop it if you don't choose."
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. "So, it's either Elias or the world. Either way, everything's ruined."
Thalia didn't say anything for a moment. Her face was unreadable, but I could see the conflict in her eyes. "Not everything. If you make the right choice, if you accept what the prophecy is trying to show you, there is a way to prevent the destruction. There's a way to save both worlds."
"But how?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "How do I choose between the man I love and the world I'm supposed to protect?"
Thalia's eyes softened, her hand resting gently on my shoulder. "You don't have to do it alone, Ronan. You never have to do this alone. But you do have to decide. The prophecy has been waiting for you. It's up to you whether the world survives or falls apart."
I looked away, my mind racing. My heart screamed for Elias, but my head kept telling me that I couldn't let him die again. But what if bringing him back meant the end of everything? Could I live with that?
"I don't want this," I muttered, my voice thick with emotion. "I don't want to make this decision."
Thalia stepped back, her face shadowed by the moonlight. "None of us do. But you don't have a choice anymore. The prophecy has already started. There's no turning back."
I could feel my chest tighten as her words sank in. The choice was mine, but it didn't feel like it. Not anymore. The world was waiting for me to decide. And whatever I chose, nothing would ever be the same again.