Celeste's POV
"This doesn't make sense."
I slammed the fifth book shut, frustration burning through me. Aria and I had been in the forbidden library for hours, reading everything about soul binding and dark magic. My eyes ached. My head pounded. And we were no closer to understanding how to free the trapped brides.
"Maybe we're looking at this wrong," Aria suggested, rubbing her tired eyes. "Bride 12 said someone with Priestess power could reverse the binding. But what if it's not about power? What if it's about knowledge?"
"Knowledge?" I looked at the mountains of books surrounding us. "We've read dozens of these. Nothing explains how to—"
I stopped.
One book sat apart from the others. Small. Thin. Its cover so faded I could barely see the title.
I hadn't put it there. Neither had Aria.
"Did you pull that one?" I asked, pointing.
Aria shook her head. "I've never seen it before."
My skin prickled. Books didn't just appear. Especially not in forbidden libraries.
"Maybe we should leave it alone," Aria whispered nervously.
But I was already reaching for it. My fingers touched the cover, and power jolted through me like lightning. The mark on my palm blazed with light.
The book fell open to a specific page, as if it had been waiting for me.
At the top, in silvery ink that seemed to glow, were words I recognized from somewhere deep in my soul:
The Prophecy of the Returning Priestess
My hands shook as I read:
When the one who remembers returns to the realm of endless night,When past and present merge as one beneath the silver light,The curse that binds the deathless prince shall finally break apart,And the Moon herself shall weep with joy for her long-suffering heart.
But beware the price of remembering, child of two souls, one face,For the one who breaks the deathless curse must themselves take its place.Twelve times twelve the years shall pass before the next soul's turn,And only love that spans eternity can make the rescue burn.
I read it again. And again. My heart pounded faster with each word.
"Miss Celeste?" Aria leaned closer. "What does it mean?"
"I don't know," I breathed. "But I've seen these words before. Or... no, not seen. Remembered? Dreamed?"
The Priestess's memories stirred inside me, but they were foggy. Incomplete. Like trying to remember a dream after waking.
"The deathless prince," Aria said slowly. "That's Prince Lucian, isn't it? His curse of immortality?"
"Yes." I traced the words with my finger. "But what curse am I supposed to break? And how?"
"And this part—" Aria pointed to the second verse. "About taking his place. Does that mean..."
We stared at each other in horror.
"If I break Lucian's immortality curse," I said slowly, "I become immortal instead. Trapped here forever while he gets to die. To finally be free."
"That's not fair!" Aria protested. "You just got your power! You just started living! You can't—"
"Wait." I held up my hand, reading more carefully. "It says 'twelve times twelve the years shall pass.' That's... one hundred forty-four years. Not forever."
"That's still your entire lifetime!" Aria argued. "And everyone you know in the mortal realm would be dead by then!"
She was right. If I broke Lucian's curse, I'd be trapped in the Lunar Court for nearly a century and a half. I'd watch Aria age and die. I'd see new brides come and go. I'd be alone, just like Lucian had been.
"But he's been alone for twelve centuries," I whispered. "What's one and a half compared to that?"
"Miss Celeste, you can't seriously be considering this!" Aria grabbed my shoulders. "This is madness! Use the Realm Key! Escape! Live your life!"
"What life?" The words came out bitter. "Go back to my tiny apartment? Back to my job where nobody appreciates me? Back to a family that hates me and a world where I was invisible?"
"At least you'd be alive!" Aria's eyes filled with tears. "At least you'd be free!"
"Would I?" I looked at the prophecy again. "Or would I spend the rest of my life knowing I abandoned everyone? Knowing twelve women are still trapped? Knowing Lucian died because I was too selfish to help?"
"It's not selfish to want to live!" Aria shouted.
"It is when you're the only one who can save everyone else," I said quietly.
Silence fell between us.
Then Aria said something that made my blood freeze: "Miss Celeste. Look at the last line. About love that spans eternity."
I read it again: And only love that spans eternity can make the rescue burn.
"What rescue?" I asked. "Rescue from what?"
"From the curse," Aria said, her voice shaking. "From the immortality. Don't you see? The prophecy says you take Prince Lucian's place for one hundred forty-four years. But then someone who loves you with eternal love can break YOU free. Just like you're breaking him free."
My mind raced. "So it's not forever? Someone could rescue me after the time is up?"
"If they love you enough," Aria confirmed. "If their love spans eternity. Like..." She trailed off, realization dawning on her face.
"Like Lucian's love for me," I finished. "He's already loved me for twelve centuries. That's definitely eternal."
"So in one hundred forty-four years, he could break you free," Aria said. "Just like you're breaking him free now. It's a cycle. A trade."
"But would he still love me then?" I asked. The question hurt to even think about. "One hundred forty-four years is a long time. He'd be mortal again. He could fall in love with someone else. Have a normal life. Why would he wait for me?"
"Why did he wait twelve centuries already?" Aria countered. "If his love survived that long, what's one more century?"
She had a point.
But there was a massive problem.
"The prophecy only works if I remember," I said, pointing to the first line. "It says 'when the one who remembers returns.' But remember what? I have the Priestess's memories now, but they're incomplete. Foggy. Like pieces are missing."
"What are you forgetting?" Aria asked.
"I don't know!" Frustration welled up inside me. "It's like... like there's something important just out of reach. Every time I try to grab it, it slips away."
I closed my eyes, diving into the Priestess's memories. Searching. Hunting for whatever I was supposed to remember.
I saw Lucian. Young. Human. Laughing with me in a temple garden.
I saw us stealing kisses when no one was watching.
I saw him proposing marriage even though a Priestess couldn't marry.
I saw the Moon Goddess's fury when she discovered our love.
I saw—
My eyes snapped open.
"Oh no," I breathed. "Oh no, no, no."
"What?" Aria grabbed my arm. "What did you remember?"
"The curse," I whispered. "Lucian's immortality wasn't just punishment for our forbidden love. It was a test. The Moon Goddess said..." I struggled to pull the memory forward. "She said 'If your love is truly eternal, then prove it. Be immortal until she returns. Wait for her across centuries. And if you still love her when she remembers everything—if she still loves you—then you both may break free.'"
"That's good, isn't it?" Aria asked hopefully. "It means the curse CAN be broken!"
"No." Horror dawned on me. "It means the curse can only be broken if we both love each other. If either of us fails—if I don't love him anymore, or if he doesn't love me—we BOTH stay cursed forever."
Aria's face went pale. "But... but you do love him. Right? The Priestess loved him. You have her memories—"
"Celeste's memories," I interrupted. "What about Celeste's feelings? The Priestess loved him a thousand years ago. But I'm not just her. I'm also a twenty-six-year-old librarian who's been hurt and betrayed by every person she trusted. How do I know my love is real? How do I know it's not just borrowed from the Priestess?"
"Miss Celeste—"
"And what about Lucian?" I continued, panic rising. "He says he loves me. But does he love me, Celeste? Or does he love the Priestess? The woman he lost? What if I break his curse and he realizes I'm not her? What if his love isn't enough?"
"You're spiraling," Aria said firmly. "Breathe. Think clearly. Do you have feelings for Prince Lucian?"
Did I?
I thought about his cold exterior hiding centuries of pain. His gentle touch when my power spiraled. His willingness to sacrifice himself. His admission that watching me die once was enough for an eternity.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I feel... something. Gratitude? Trust? The beginning of something deeper? But love? Eternal, world-breaking, curse-shattering love?" I shook my head. "I've known him for two days."
"The Priestess knew him for years," Aria pointed out.
"But I'm not just the Priestess!" I shouted, then lowered my voice. "I'm Celeste too. And Celeste doesn't trust love. Celeste has been betrayed by everyone who claimed to love her. How can I risk everything on a feeling I'm not sure is even real?"
Aria had no answer.
I looked at the prophecy again, and a new detail caught my eye. Small text at the bottom, almost too faded to read:
Warning: The curse can only be broken during the moment of greatest sacrifice. When one stands to lose everything for love, the Moon will know if the heart is true. Choose wrong, and both souls remain trapped until time itself ends.
My blood turned to ice.
"The moment of greatest sacrifice," I read aloud. "That's tomorrow. At sunset. When they hand me to Seraphina. That's when I have to decide—run with the Realm Key, or stay and break Lucian's curse."
"But if you choose wrong," Aria said, horror in her voice, "if your love isn't strong enough, you'll both be cursed forever. You trapped in immortality. Him trapped in... what? Death? Eternal suffering?"
I didn't know. And that terrified me.
A sound from the doorway made us both jump.
Lucian stood there, his face unreadable. How long had he been listening?
"You found the prophecy," he said quietly.
"How much did you hear?" I demanded.
"Enough." He walked into the library, and for the first time, he looked truly vulnerable. "Enough to know you're considering something incredibly stupid."
"Saving you isn't stupid," I shot back.
"It is when you don't love me." His voice was flat. Final. "The prophecy requires true love, Celeste. Love that spans eternity. Not pity. Not gratitude. Not borrowed feelings from another life." He stopped in front of me. "Do you love me? Honestly. Right now. Do you love me?"
The question hung in the air between us.
I opened my mouth to answer.
And that's when the entire library started shaking.
Books flew off shelves. The walls cracked. And through the doorway came a scream that made my blood freeze.
"CELESTE!"
Seraphina's voice, but wrong. Distorted. Multiple voices speaking at once.
"The Dark God," Lucian breathed. "He's here. Now. He moved up the timeline."
"But the handover isn't until tomorrow!" Aria protested.
"He doesn't care about the Council's schedule." Lucian drew his sword. "He's coming for you now. We're out of time."
He thrust the Realm Key into my hand. "Use it! GO!"
"But the prophecy—"
"Forget the prophecy!" Lucian grabbed my shoulders. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for a curse that might not even break! Use the key and RUN!"
Behind him, the doorway exploded inward.
Seraphina stood there, but her eyes glowed solid black. Dark power radiated from her in waves. And behind her, I could see them—the twelve trapped brides, their ghostly forms chains around Seraphina's arms like living weapons.
"Found you," Seraphina—no, the Dark God—said in that terrible multi-voice. "Now, let's collect what's mine."
Lucian pushed me behind him. "Over my dead body."
The Dark God smiled. "That can be arranged."
He raised Seraphina's hands, and the trapped brides launched forward like arrows aimed at Lucian's heart.
I had seconds to decide.
Use the Realm Key and escape, leaving Lucian to die.
Or stay and fight, risking the prophecy's curse if my love wasn't strong enough.
The mark on my palm burned.
The Priestess whispered: Choose.
And in that moment, watching Lucian prepare to die for me, I finally knew the answer to his question.
I knew if I loved him.
The answer terrified me.