Liliane's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at Adrianne, the sister she had lost years ago. The cold rain fell in steady sheets now, dripping from the edges of Adrianne's hood, but she stood there as if the storm didn't touch her. Émile's hand hovered over his dagger, his body tense, ready to strike.
"You should be dead," Liliane whispered, her voice trembling. "How… how is this possible?"
Adrianne's dark smile deepened, the corners of her lips curling with amusement. "Possible?" she echoed. "Oh, Liliane, there is so much you don't understand. Death is a door, not an end. The Ebony Rose has many secrets, and I've learned a great deal in the years I've been gone."
Liliane took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists. "You disappeared! We all thought you had been killed by the curse, by the Rose. You left me—" Her voice cracked with emotion. "You left me alone."
Adrianne tilted her head, almost pitying. "I didn't leave you, dear sister. I was taken by something far more powerful. But I've returned, haven't I? I've come back for you."
Émile's voice cut through the rain, sharp and cold. "You've come back for yourself, Adrianne. Don't pretend otherwise."
Adrianne's gaze flickered to him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Émile D'Arquen, always so distrustful, always playing the lone wolf. But you'll see soon enough." She turned back to Liliane, ignoring Émile's presence entirely. "There's so much I need to show you, Liliane. About the Ebony Rose, about our family's legacy… things that Father never told you."
Liliane shook her head, her voice trembling. "No. No, you don't get to just show up and pretend like nothing happened. You don't get to manipulate me, Adrianne."
Adrianne's smile faded, replaced by a look of cold indifference. "You think you have a choice, Liliane? You think you can run from this?" She stepped closer, her eyes glinting with malice. "The Vernisse family has always been tied to the Ebony Rose. It's in our blood. And you, Liliane, are part of this whether you like it or not."
Liliane flinched, her mind racing. She had always known that their family was tied to the arcane, but Adrianne's words carried a deeper, more sinister truth. "What… what are you talking about?"
"The Vernisse bloodline is cursed," Adrianne said, her voice almost gentle. "Our ancestors were the ones who helped create the Ebony Rose. They were the first to wield its power, to understand its true purpose. But with power comes a price, and that price was our family's curse."
Liliane's breath caught in her throat. "You're lying. Father never told me anything about this."
"Father was a fool," Adrianne sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "He thought he could protect you by keeping you ignorant. But the curse doesn't care about ignorance. It will come for you, whether you know about it or not."
Émile stepped forward, his eyes locked on Adrianne. "If you know so much about the curse, then why are people dying now? Why are the petals appearing on their bodies? What have you done?"
Adrianne's smile returned, but it was colder now, more dangerous. "I haven't done anything, Émile. The curse is awakening on its own. The Ebony Rose feeds on souls, and it's hungry. But I can control it. I can stop it."
Liliane looked at her sister, her voice filled with a mix of anger and desperation. "And what will it cost? What price will you make us pay for that control?"
Adrianne's eyes softened, just for a moment. "I'm trying to save us, Liliane. I'm trying to save you."
"You're not saving anyone," Émile said, his voice low and threatening. "You're just playing with forces you don't understand."
Adrianne's gaze flickered toward Émile, and for a brief moment, something dark flashed in her eyes—something ancient. "Oh, I understand them far better than you think, shadow clock." She stepped back into the shadows, her voice lowering into a whisper. "But if you want to stop the deaths, you'll need my help. Without me, you'll never understand the full extent of what the Ebony Rose can do."
Liliane looked at Émile, uncertainty clouding her expression. She didn't trust Adrianne, not after all the lies, not after the years of abandonment. But there was a kernel of truth in Adrianne's words, a piece of the puzzle that only she could provide.
"Don't listen to her, Liliane," Émile said softly, his voice steady. "She's manipulating you."
Adrianne's smile returned, cold and knowing. "You'll come to me, Émile. Both of you will. When you realize just how deep this curse runs, when you're desperate enough, you'll seek me out. And when that happens… I'll be waiting."
With that, Adrianne turned and disappeared into the shadows, her form melting into the darkness of the alley. The rain fell harder, the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance.
For a long moment, neither Émile nor Liliane spoke. The air between them was thick with tension, the weight of Adrianne's words settling like a heavy shroud.
Finally, Liliane exhaled shakily, her voice barely above a whisper. "She's not lying, Émile. About the curse. I can feel it… in my blood. She's right."
Émile turned to her, his expression unreadable. "We don't have to do this her way, Liliane. We'll find another solution."
Liliane shook her head, her silver hair plastered to her face by the rain. "We might not have a choice."
The wind howled through the alley, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and decay. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled, marking the hour. The night felt darker than before, as though the shadows had grown longer, more oppressive.
"We always have a choice," Émile said, his voice firm.
But even as he spoke the words, the doubt lingered in his mind.