The air behind the door was colder than ice.
It burned my skin as I stepped inside, but I didn't stop. Not even when I heard the king curse behind me. Not even when the shadows reached for my ankles like hands that remembered my name.
I didn't stop—because something in me was pulling forward.
Calling the thing in the dark.
And it was answering.
The chamber was massive, carved from the belly of the mountain itself. There were no windows. No torches. Just an eerie glow pulsing from beneath the black stone floor—like veins. Like something was alive beneath the surface.
And then I saw it.
At the center of the room, chained to the floor, was him.
Not the king.
Not a man.
A creature—taller than human, skin like obsidian, eyes glowing faint gold. His chest rose and fell with slow, unnatural breath. He didn't look at me. But I felt him see me.
Like he was inside my mind.
Inside my blood.
Behind me, the king's voice was sharp. "Close the door, Vaeleria."
But I couldn't.
Because the creature… smiled.
"Come closer," it said. Its voice was wrong. Too many tones. Too many mouths in one.
My feet moved.
I didn't tell them to.
"You shouldn't be here," the king snapped, stepping between me and the chained monster. "This thing is not what it appears."
"I can hear you, little king," the creature purred. Chains rattled as it leaned forward, eyes glowing brighter. "But your voice is so small next to hers."
The king's jaw clenched. "Don't speak to her."
But I was already too close.
The creature's chains were made of silver—burned into its wrists. There were runes carved into the ground around it, glowing weakly.
"You look like him," I said.
The creature tilted its head.
"You smell like her," it answered.
That stopped me.
"Like who?"
"The one who caged me." Its smile widened. "But I forgive you."
My voice shook. "Why?"
"Because you came back."
The king pulled me back, gripping my wrist like a chain himself. "You don't understand what this is, Vaeleria."
"Then tell me."
He hesitated. Just for a second.
Long enough for the creature to laugh. "He can't. Because you're part of it."
"Part of what?"
"The curse," the king said through his teeth.
"No," the creature hissed. "She's the key."
I looked at both of them—and realized something horrifying.
They were both telling the truth.
I was the curse.
I was the key.
And I was the only one who didn't remember why.
The creature's eyes narrowed. "Soon, she'll remember what you made her do."
And then—just for a second—my vision blurred.
A flash.
Me, in this room. Screaming. Covered in blood. My hands around the king's throat… and the monster behind me, whispering in my ear.
"Let him die."
I staggered back.
The king caught me, arms strong around my waist—but his eyes were full of something worse than fear.
Regret.
"You've seen it," he whispered.
And I had.
To be continued...