JACE
After hearing my words, the old man looked away.
Silence settled between us again—heavy, uncomfortable, like the air itself had thickened.
"You'll pay two prices," he said finally.
I stiffened.
"One," he continued, "every midnight, you will experience immense pain in your heart. Pain that will not stop until it feels like you are on the verge of death."
My breath hitched.
"Two," he added, "you will lose someone dear to you."
The second sentence hit harder than the first.
Silence again.
Thick. Pressing.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
"That's a lot…" I whispered, my voice barely steady. Tears clouded my vision without permission.
The old man finally turned to look at me.
For a brief second, I saw something in his eyes.
Pity.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone—hidden again behind that unreadable expression.
"Are you ready?" he asked. "If you're not, quit while you still have time."
My hands trembled slightly.
I should stop this.
That was the rational answer. The normal answer. The safe answer.
Anyone sane would walk away.
But…
I lowered my gaze.
What about her?
What about Nova?
I clenched my fists.
"I…" My voice broke slightly. "Who exactly am I going to lose?"
My eyes lifted again, desperate now.
"Is it my mom?" I asked quickly. My voice cracked. "Please… don't let it be her. I won't survive it. I won't—"
My breath hitched.
"Please…"
The old man stared at me for a long moment.
"I cannot tell you," he said quietly. "But you will know when it happens."
That was worse.
Not knowing.
Not being able to prepare.
Just waiting for the moment something rips away from me.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Are you ready to take the risk?" he asked again.
I went quiet.
Completely quiet.
OLD MAN
I watched him carefully.
He's struggling.
Not just emotionally—mentally too. The kind of struggle that bends a person slowly, quietly, until they don't recognize themselves anymore.
But what surprised me…
Was that he hadn't broken yet.
Most people do.
Most people would have already agreed blindly just for the chance of seeing her again.
But he didn't.
He hesitated.
He thought.
That made him dangerous.
Or rather…
That made him human.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke again.
"Is there a way for me to know the reason why she was cursed… before I make this decision?"
I paused.
Then smiled faintly.
Of course.
He wasn't like the others.
The others begged.
The others accepted.
But he wanted truth first.
Understanding.
I sighed.
"Yes," I answered simply.
His shoulders loosened slightly.
"Jace," I asked, tilting my head.
"Your friend… what's her name?"
He hesitated.
"She never told me herself," he said slowly. "But I saw a name at the back of her diary."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"What was it?"
"Nova," he replied. "I guess that's her name."
"Hmm," I murmured.
Nova.
So it was her.
I looked at him again.
This boy had no idea what he was standing inside of.
None at all.
JACE
The old man sighed.
"I will show you how she became cursed," he said.
My head snapped up immediately.
"Now?" I asked quickly. "When will you show me?"
"Now," he replied.
Relief and fear collided inside me at the same time.
But then he added, calmly—
"Before we begin, you need to know something."
I frowned slightly.
"What?"
"Once you wake up," he said, "you will have a strong headache for two to three hours."
I blinked.
"…That's it?" I asked, confused.
He smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Something about that smile felt wrong.
Like he was enjoying something I couldn't understand yet.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why does it look like you desperately want to hurt me?" I asked suspiciously. My voice lowered slightly. "Am I by any chance connected to the reason she was cursed?"
The old man laughed.
A quiet laugh.
Not amused.
Not kind.
Just… knowing.
He shook his head slowly.
"You ask too many questions," he said softly.
Before I could respond, he placed a hand on my shoulder.
And everything changed.
The world didn't fade slowly.
It snapped.
Like a thread being cut.
My breath caught sharply.
My vision blurred instantly.
"No—wait—"
My knees weakened.
My body stopped listening.
And then—
Nothing.
_______________________
THE DREAM
A baby cried in a small, dark room.
Soft. Fragile. Helpless.
A woman held the child tightly, rocking gently, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay…" she whispered softly.
"It's okay…"
The baby eventually quieted.
But something about the air felt heavy.
Like even peace here was temporary.
__________
Somewhere else…
It was morning.
Bright. Beautiful.
The kingdom was alive with celebration.
People flooded the palace grounds, laughing, singing, bringing gifts. The air buzzed with joy as news spread rapidly:
The royal family had been blessed with twins.
Two heirs.
Two miracles.
But while everyone celebrated…
King Thalion did not smile.
Not truly.
Inside him, something darker stirred.
A secret.
A hidden truth beneath all this celebration.
While the kingdom focused on the newborn twins and the exhausted queen…
Thalion slipped away quietly.
Past the guards.
Past the celebrations.
Into a secluded part of the palace.
A hidden chamber.
There, a woman stood waiting.
Tall. Pale. Silent.
In her arms—
A crying child.
Thalion's gaze sharpened immediately.
Then he smirked.
"Your Majesty," the woman beside him—Catrin—spoke carefully, "should I prepare a room for her?"
The king didn't even hesitate.
"No."
Catrin froze.
"Give her to the chief maid," he said coldly. "She will grow as a maid."
The baby cried louder.
Catrin's face twisted in shock.
"Your Majesty… how can you do that to your own daughter?"
Silence.
The word daughter lingered in the air like poison.
Thalion's eyes darkened.
"Do not question me," he said sharply. "No one must know."
He stepped closer.
Even the baby quieted slightly as if sensing something dangerous.
"Not even the child herself," he added quietly, "must ever know the truth."
Catrin trembled.
"And if she does?"
Thalion's eyes turned cold.
"Then you die."
A pause.
Heavy.
Final.
Catrin bowed quickly.
"Yes… Your Majesty."
She left with the child.
And the king remained alone.
His expression twisted slightly.
"I never thought a witch would be this nosy," he muttered under his breath.
____________________________
IN A NEARBY TOWN
A woman rushed home through the narrow dirt paths, exhausted from the market.
Her arms were full of fruits. Her face tired but determined.
She lived only for two things:
Her grandmother…
And her child.
When she finally reached her small wooden house, something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
She froze.
"Grandmother?" she called softly.
Silence.
"Grandmother!"
Her voice rose.
"Grandmo—ther!"
Still nothing.
She dropped the fruits.
Her heart started pounding.
Slowly, she stepped inside.
The room was dark.
Too dark.
And in the corner—
An old woman sat trembling, holding something tightly in her hands.
A wooden toy.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
The young woman's breath hitched.
"What happened?" she whispered.
The old woman looked up.
And for a moment—
She couldn't speak.
Her lips trembled.
Finally—
"She's gone," she said.
The words shattered the silence.
The young woman froze.
"…What?"
Her voice cracked immediately.
She rushed around the room, opening every corner, searching desperately.
"Where is she?!" she screamed.
"Where is my baby?!"
Her hands shook violently.
Her breathing turned uneven.
"Where is she?!" she screamed again, louder.
The old woman broke down crying.
But she said nothing more.
Because there was nothing left to say.
The mother collapsed slightly.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Then slowly—
Something inside her snapped.
Her eyes shifted.
A faint glow.
Green.
Dark.
Unnatural.
The air in the room shifted instantly.
"Who took her?" she whispered.
Her voice was no longer human.
The old woman trembled.
But before she could respond—
The mother screamed.
A sound filled with grief, rage, and something far older than pain.
And somewhere far away…Everything had already begun