The room was shrouded in shadows, its once-pristine marble floors cracked and stained with blood. Moonlight seeped through the broken windows, illuminating the figure of a man kneeling amidst the chaos.
His breaths came in short, labored gasps, his body trembling as he cradled her lifeless form in his arms.
Her dress-once white, a symbol of innocence and purity-was soaked in crimson. Blood pooled beneath them, its metallic scent thick in the air. Yet even in death, her face held an otherworldly beauty, her lips curved in a faint, serene smile. Her once-bright eyes, now dull, stared into his, as if silently begging him not to let go.
He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"No..." His voice cracked, barely audible over the deafening silence. "No, no, no... You can't leave me. You promised me forever."
Her hand rested limply on his chest, her touch so faint it felt like it was already fading into memory. He clutched it, desperate to keep her with him, to preserve the warmth that was rapidly slipping away.
"This life..." Her voice, weak and raspy, cut through his anguish. He leaned closer, his tears falling onto her cheeks. "This life doesn't deserve us. I'd rather... die a thousand deaths than live even one day... knowing I'm not yours."
"You are mine!" he choked out, his voice rising with raw emotion. "You've always been mine, and l've always been yours. Don't you dare give up now! I'll fix this. I'll make this right. Just-stay with me. Please."
She smiled-a smile so heartbreakingly gentle that it carved itself into his soul.
"Some things... can't be fixed, my king. But even if the world couldn't understand us... l'll wait for you. Beyond this life, beyond everything... I'll wait."
Her hand fell from his chest, and the light in her eyes flickered out.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no movement-just the unbearable stillness of loss.
Then, the silence shattered.
"No!" His roar erupted like a tempest, shaking the very foundation of the room. He held her closer, his fingers digging into her lifeless body as if sheer will alone could bring her back. "You can't do this to me! You can't leave me here—alone! I would've done anything, anything for you!"
His cries echoed, raw and guttural, as the weight of her absence crushed him. The faces of those who had forced their hands, those who had driven her to despair, lingered in the shadows, watching. Their expressions ranged from fear to satisfaction, but he saw only their guilt.
Lifting his head, his tear-streaked face twisted into something unrecognizable. His once gentle features hardened, his eyes burning with a hatred so fierce it seemed to pierce through the very fabric of existence.
"You..." he spat, his voice low and venomous.
"All of you... This is your doing."
The shadows stirred, some recoiling, others standing their ground. But none of them could escape his wrath. "I curse you," he hissed. "Every last one of you. May your lives be consumed by the same agony you've inflicted on us. May your hearts never know peace."
Blood dripped from the wound in his neck, mingling with hers as his strength waned. His vision blurred, the edges of the world growing darker with every passing moment.
But even as death loomed, he refused to let go of her. His fingers entwined with hers, his forehead pressing against hers as he whispered one final vow.
"This isn't the end. I'll find you. No matter where you go, no matter how long it takes...
I'll find you."
The world around him faded to black.
But death was not the end.
In the vast void between life and the unknown, a presence stirred. It was ancient, vast, and incomprehensible-something that had existed long before the stars were born.
Its voice resonated not in words but in feeling, echoing in the depths of his shattered soul.
"You have been heard."
A brilliant light tore through the darkness, swallowing his consciousness whole. For an instant, he felt weightless, untethered from the pain and sorrow that had consumed him.
But as quickly as it came, the light vanished, replaced by a chilling sense of awareness.
He wasn't alone.
The void twisted and shifted, forming shapes that defied logic. Ethereal figures emerged, their forms flickering like flames in the wind.
They were neither gods nor mortals— something beyond comprehension, beings of pure power and intent.
The largest of them stepped forward, its voice echoing with authority. "You who have cursed the world, who have defied fate itself, your plea has reached us."
He felt their gaze bore into him, their presence overwhelming. Yet, in the face of such power, he did not waver. "Give her back," he demanded, his voice steady despite the odds. "I don't care what it costs.
I'll pay any price-just bring her back."
The figures exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. "To return what is lost would upset the balance of all existence. But..." The lead figure paused, its form flickering with an almost humanlike hesitation. "We can offer you a chance."
His heart leapt. "What chance?"
"You will be reborn, as will she. But the path to reclaiming her will not be easy.
You will face trials beyond imagining, forces that seek to tear you apart. You will rise and fall, gain and lose, over and over again. And when the time comes, the very fabric of existence will stand against you."
He clenched his fists, his resolve unshaken.
"I don't care. Whatever it takes, I'll do it. Just give me that chance."
The figure nodded. "Very well. But know this-what you seek lies beyond the reach of mortals, gods, and even the heavens themselves. To claim it, you must become something that defies all."
The light returned, brighter and more intense than before. It consumed him, burning away everything he had been and replacing it with something new. In his final moments of consciousness, he felt her presence-distant yet unmistakable.
And he knew: no matter what it took, no matter how long it took, he would find her.
As the light faded, two souls were cast into the fabric of a new era. Their fates intertwined, their journey just beginning.
Somewhere in the mortal world, a child was born with eyes that burned with unyielding determination. Elsewhere, another child came into existence, her presence as radiant as the sun. Though separated by time and space, their destinies were bound by a promise—a promise written in blood and sealed by the heavens.
This was their story. A story of love, loss, defiance, and a quest to transcend everything that came before.