Valeburne Estate – Selene's Chambers
Selene sat silently by her window, eyes half-lidded, crimson hair spilling over her shoulder like silk.
But her reflection in the glass?
It looked back at her like a stranger.
The Fracture
Since the night of the spell, Selene's memories had become fragmented.
Some days, she could recall every moment with Lucien—the way his voice curled around her name, the way his golden eyes softened when no one else watched.
Other days, those memories vanished like mist.
Lira's Worry
Lira watched from the doorway, biting her lip.
"Selene… you're not well."
Selene's fingers tightened around the windowsill, but her voice remained calm.
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
Lira's throat tightened.
"You called me by mother's name yesterday."
Selene's hand froze in midair.
Her mother—dead for years—whose face now blurred in her mind like smudged ink.
Selene's Thoughts
I can't afford to fall apart.If I do, they win.
But in the quiet, fear gnawed at her.
If she forgot Lucien completely, would she still be herself?
At the Aurelian Estate
Lucien trained alone beneath the moonlight.
Sweat rolled down his back, golden strands of hair sticking to his face.
His sword sliced through phantom enemies, but none of the movements silenced the chaos in his mind.
Memory Gaps
Sometimes he couldn't remember if Selene's eyes were red or violet.
Sometimes he forgot how they'd first met.
Sometimes he couldn't even remember why he loved her.
But the ache in his chest never left.
That ache was real.
Alaric's Observation
Alaric stood quietly in the shadows, arms crossed.
He'd watched Lucien fall apart before.
But never like this.
"Lucien."
Lucien stopped, sword trembling in his grip.
Alaric's gray eyes narrowed.
"I know what's happening."
Lucien's jaw clenched.
"Then you know I can't stop it."
A Dangerous Suggestion
Alaric stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"You can't fight fate alone."
Lucien looked up sharply.
"What are you suggesting?"
"Use the other bond."
The Forbidden Bond
Lucien's heart froze.
There was another bond—a backup connection his father had warned him never to use.
A dual-core soul link, forged through blood and magic.
It was risky. It could kill both of them. But if successful, it would overwrite all previous lifetimes and stabilize their connection.
But it would also erase everything else.
Their past lives.Their memories.Their scars.Their love as it had been.
It would replace it with this life only, making them strangers reborn together in the present.
Lucien's Decision
"I won't do that," Lucien whispered.
Alaric's eyes narrowed.
"Then you'll lose her."
Lucien looked up at the sky, his golden eyes reflecting the twin moons.
"I'd rather lose her slowly than erase what we were."
Meanwhile – Evelyne's Satisfaction
In the Eastern Sanctum, Evelyne Greymoor watched her blood mirror with calm detachment.
The spell hadn't fully broken the bond—but the cracks were spreading.
It was only a matter of time.
Her lips curled into a soft smile.
"Love fades. Power doesn't."
Selene and Lucien – Apart but Connected
That night, Selene and Lucien both stood beneath their windows, staring at the same moon.
The thread between them pulsed faintly—damaged, but still there.
Neither spoke.
But in their chests, the same silent thought echoed:
Don't forget me.Please… don't forget me.