On the night of the full moon, Elias returned to the island, where Arista waited for him. The sea was still, as if holding its breath. Arista's eyes glistened with a strange, haunting light as she emerged from the waves to meet him.
"You came," she said, her voice trembling. "I thought you might not."
"I promised," Elias replied, his heart pounding in his chest. "I will free you, Arista. I'll give anything."
She looked at him, her eyes searching, as though she knew something he did not. "You do not understand the cost," she whispered, her voice a mix of sadness and longing.
"I understand enough," Elias said. "I will do whatever it takes."
Arista's expression softened, and for a moment, she was the beautiful, innocent princess she had once been. But then, the wind shifted, and the sea roared with fury. The stars vanished, consumed by the blackness of the Abyss. A dark figure emerged from the depths—a towering, shadowed presence, the Old Ones.
Arista gasped. "No... it's too late."
"You have chosen, Prince Elias," a voice boomed from the depths. "The price must be paid."
In that moment, Elias understood. The Old Ones had been watching, waiting. His love for Arista had sealed their fate. And as the sea surged around them, the darkness took form.
The sorcerer's spell had not been a way to break the curse—it was a means to bind Elias to the Abyss, to make him part of its eternal darkness. His heart, the very essence of his humanity, was the final piece