I thought the end of the curse meant the end of chaos.
I thought wrong.
Because on the very next night, while Yeonjun and I were trying to sneak into the closed-off east wing (long story, mostly boredom and bad ideas), the castle whispered to me.
Not metaphorically.
Literally. Whispered.
1. When Walls Talk (and Mean It)
"You hear that?" I asked, halting mid-step.
Yeonjun raised an eyebrow. "Besides the sound of you stepping on every creaky floorboard ever?"
I elbowed him, but my heart was racing.
There it was again. A faint voice — female, old, almost melodic — seeping from the stone itself.
"Blood of new and old... bound by crimson, marked by gold…"
"Okay, that's not creepy at all," I said, clutching Yeonjun's hand.
"Do we ignore it, or follow the very obvious curse bait?"
"We're cursed-bonded, Yeonjun. I think ignoring ancient riddles is officially against our relationship contract."
He grinned. "Romantic. Let's go chase the haunted wall voices."
2. The Room That Shouldn't Exist
We followed the whispering down twisting staircases that weren't there yesterday. I'm not even joking — the hall literally shifted around us, like the school wanted to lead us somewhere.
At the bottom was a door.
Not just any door. A fanged one. Like, with actual teeth and a golden eye in the center that blinked at us.
"Should I knock?" I asked.
Yeonjun just cracked his neck. "We've been through worse."
He touched the door, and it hissed open like it was breathing.
Beyond it was... a library?
No.
A mirror of the Great Library. Same layout. Same cursed smell. But... empty. Like it was waiting for us.
Then we saw it — a glowing scroll, floating mid-air above a black pedestal.
I stepped forward. The whispers grew louder.
"Crimson-born... seeker of the sealed... the bond is not complete."
I looked at Yeonjun. "Did our relationship just get judged by an ancient curse?"
He smirked. "Told you we needed couple therapy."
3. Scrolls and Secrets
I grabbed the scroll.
Mist exploded from the pedestal — revealing images, flickering like a broken projector.
A past. A future. A prophecy.
I saw me, but older. Paler. Wearing a crown made of bone.
Yeonjun stood beside me, fangs bared, his eyes completely black.
Behind us… Nightshade was burning.
The whispering voice spoke again.
"The bond is power. But power demands a price."
The scroll burned to ash in my hands.
And then — silence.
4. Post-Curse Hangovers
Back in our dorm common room, Yeonjun tossed his jacket aside and flopped on the couch.
"Well. That was horrifying. Kind of hot, but horrifying."
"You saw it too, right?" I said, pacing. "Us. Older. Different. Nightshade in flames?"
He nodded grimly. "If that's the future... we're screwed."
"But the scroll said 'the bond isn't complete.' What does that mean? We're already cursed, we already kissed—twice! What more do these ancient things want?!"
He smirked. "Maybe blood rituals. Or a dramatic promposal."
I threw a pillow at him.
5. The Dreams Begin
That night, I had my first crimson dream.
I stood on a cliff, watching blood rain down on the ruins of Nightshade.
Yeonjun was at the bottom, screaming my name, but I couldn't move.
Behind me stood a version of myself — the crowned version — eyes blank, voice chilling.
"She will become me," she whispered. "Unless you break the bond."
I woke up screaming.
Yeonjun was already at my bedside, fangs showing, chest heaving.
"You too?" he said, grabbing my hand. "I dreamed it too."
The bond was evolving.
Changing.
Dragging us toward something darker.
6. Secrets Left in Shadows
The next morning, Vanta called us into her office.
She didn't yell.
She didn't lecture.
She just stared at us with those strange, almost tired eyes.
"Whatever you saw," she said, "was not a mistake."
"You knew this would happen," I said.
She nodded. "The Crimson Bond is rare for a reason. It doesn't just link two souls. It calls something ancient. Something buried beneath Nightshade."
Yeonjun growled. "Why not warn us?"
"Because some things," she said softly, "are only triggered after you fall in love."
We left her office more confused than ever.
And just a little more doomed.
7. A Promise in the Dark
That night, Yeonjun and I stood on the rooftop.
The stars pulsed with red light, and a storm brewed over the Bone Forest.
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" I asked.
He nodded. "So much."
I looked at him. "You regret it?"
"The bond?"
I nodded.
He pulled me close, his forehead against mine.
"I'd bond with you in a hundred lifetimes," he said. "Even if it ends the world."
And yeah... I kissed him again.
Because if the world was ending — I wanted to go out stupidly, madly, recklessly in love.
To Be Continued...