HEAL OR BREAK ME

Decades ago, in a world where magic and true nature coexisted, two powerful beings, Dogar and Nana, who were siblings with extraordinary abilities, were tasked with maintaining the balance of the world's energies. Not until a troubling thought began to overwhelm Dogar. He approached Nana with a proposition to clear his mind. "Why must we follow the pattern of our fathers?" he asked, pacing back and forth. What if our understanding of good and evil is wrong? Nana, Together, let's rule the world according to our own design, not by what we know of good and bad."

Nana was horrified by Dogar's suggestion. She knew that combining their powers would have catastrophic consequences if misused. "We can't do that, Dogar," she pleaded. "Our role is to protect the world, not dominate it." Dogar was impatient and refused to see reasons for her. He was fully blinded by the love of power and had grown tired of Nana's constant caution and refusal to embrace his vision. So, he decided to embark on his plan alone. Dogar summoned dark energies from an ancient book, the Book of Shadows. Which he followed the instructions and prepared a potion using Nana's blood.

Nana, sensing Dogar's treachery, tries to stop him. But it was too late. Dogar had tricked her into drinking from a spiked cup, which made her fall into a deep sleep. As she laid unconscious, Dogar used her blood to create a dark ritual, calling upon the different forces of nature to bend to his demands. By the time nana regained consciousness, the world was in chaos. The earth was trembling upside down, and the skies covered in darkness. "Dogar, what have you done?" She screamed in despair. The ritual had released a destructive energy that was threatening to destroy the world.

Left with no choice and a heavy heart, Nana decided to act. She used all of her own powers to create a reversal spell, binding Dogar and restricting his influence, as she sends him deep inside the forest. Nana knew a day like this would come and had also prepared as well. The ritual exhausted her, but it was necessary to prevent further destruction, so she buried the book of shadows, hiding it from those who might want to misuse its powers.

The latter effect of the battle left Nana emotionally wounded. She withdrew herself, unable to bear the burden of the guilt of confining her own brother and the consequences of her actions. Finally, she made the difficult decision to leave her world and seek solace in the land of the living. In this new land, Nana found peace in the company of humans. She took on a new role, becoming a guardian and mother to a young stranded girl named Elara. As Elara grew older, Nana watched over her, protecting her like a mother should. She eventually got married and gave birth to a daughter, Aria, and passed away a few years later. Nana was now left with the responsibility of Aria, and she continued to watch over her, teaching her the ways of life. -----------------------

However, the kingdom from which nana came from was ruled by a powerful king, who was now aging. The king's seven wives had borne him only daughters, but the lack of a clear heir made him unhappy. His health was deteriorating, and he became desperate for a solution. For this, he put out a decree to his granddaughters: get married and bear me a son. For whoever does this first inherits the throne.

The competition for the throne intensified among them. Except for Lyra. She was uninterested because she had fallen in love with a vampire. She knew he'd be forbidden from her as the king's child, but she wanted him. So they decided to use pregnancy to force their union. Unfortunately, Lyra bore a son who she named Kael, and was now a hybrid, born of a union between Lyra and the vampire. This made him an unlikely candidate for the throne, according to tradition, but the king didn't mind. He decided to scrap the tradition. This was his heir and his decision was final.

The conflict escalated when Mina, another daughter, gave birth to a son, Ryker few years later. The king was overjoyed at the opportunity of a pure-blooded heir but had already grown accustomed to the young boy, Kael, whom he loved so much and was grooming for the throne. This sparked a bitter rivalry between Lyra and Mina, with their sons at the center of the dispute until the king passed away.

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CHAPTER ONE

ARIA'S POV

"Caramel Macchiato, chocolate toppings please" I smiled, recognizing the voice.

It was Michael's.

"Coming right away!" I replied as I quickly made moves to prepare his drink. This was the third time he'd stopped by in the last nine hours. I chuckled at the realization. He never says anything to me, rather he sits there and sips whatever drink he orders, depending on his mood every day.

Today wasn't any different, except that it was my birthday. My twenty-first. But I'm still stuck in this small town working at Patrick's Coffee Corner with no life ambition or zeal. My boss, Mr. Patrick, has taken me under his wings, carefully teaching me the art of coffee making.

Now I run his business incredibly like it's mine. I expertly prepared Michael's drink, with steaming milk, pouring espresso and topping it with caramel syrup. My eyes drifted over to where he sat. He was staring at me again. The moment our eyes met, he quickly looked away, drowning himself in his book.

I smiled, feeling a flutter in my chest. Michael was one of the reasons I looked forward to opening this shop every day. He gives me a sense of recognition, a feeling that someone out there notices me.

However, it is. I don't read minds, so I can't tell if he likes me, or that he's just shy. The surprising thing is, he doesn't pass off as a shy person mainly by appearance. He has this curly black hair that falls over his face and sparkling blue eyes. A nice body build as well.

I know about this: That fateful day he came in drenched from the rain. His polo hugged his physique. He caught me staring, and I felt like the ground would eat me all up from the embarrassment.

"Here's your order, Sire" I replied, placing the drink in front of him and making my way to exit, but he drew me back.

"Hey, happy birthday, Aria" he flashed a charming grin, and I melted.

"How did you know that?" I asked, surprised. "Well, I overheard you. On the phone. Right... There" he took his words, as though he was breaking them.

He reached out to his jacket, pulled out an elegant red velvet box and handed it over to me. "Open it, just a little something I got for you" he added, his eyes sparkling.

I quickly unwrapped it, revealing a delicate silver necklace with a tiny coffee cup pendant. "Oh my God! It is beautiful". I exclaimed. Michael leaned in; his voice low. "I'm sorry, I had no idea, I would have prepared on time."

I paused, staring at him. He likes me, how thoughtful it was. Everything suddenly made sense. That was the reason he kept stopping by.

In the last five years, I've barely had friends around me. My life was a lonely threshold, seeing the importance of mingling, as my grandma always taught me before her demise.

Grandma would consistently ask me to invite a friend for lunch or give me snacks to give to my friends at school. She was worried about me, and I was satisfied with grandma's company alone. Now I'm older, I see her reasons for making me do all of that.

"And you deserve beautiful things" Michael added, breaking my thoughts. I was lost staring at him, and he was fiddling under my intense gaze at that point. I felt a warmth spread through my chest and, without warning, I reached for his face, planting a soft two-second kiss on his lips.

Michael froze; his eyes widened in surprise. I pulled back with my heart racing, wondering what I had just done.

Just then, a loud thunderstorm struck, shaking the entire coffee shop. We both giggled like teenagers, using our hands to block our ears from further noise. It was going to rain heavenly tonight. The atmosphere was changing terribly. The giggling stopped as we stared at each other immensely for what seemed like twenty seconds. In an instant, he pulled me closer to him. His hot breath was a few inches away from my face. I was taken aback, but at the same time thrilled the moment he placed his soft lips on mine again, a shiver ran down my spine. I had waited for this moment that I had lost track of how many times I envisioned it.

His tongue swirled throughout my mouth, demanding freedom. I granted all the access he needed, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation, like we were being watched. I slightly opened my eyes, and I caught a glimpse of a figure standing outside. His eyes shone, a bright honey brown in the darkness. I felt an inexplicable jolt as I broke the kiss, pushing Michael aside with my heart racing.

"Wait, I..." I rushed over to the louvers to confirm what I had just seen. But by the time I got there, the figure had vanished.

"What's wrong, who's there?" Michael asked, confusion written all over his face.

I tried to slide it off. "No one. It's probably just my imagination", I lied, not wanting to ruin the moment.

His smile returned as he wrapped his hand around me. "Let's celebrate your birthday then."

I forced a chuckle, trying to shake off the unease. "We should", I agreed, following Michael back inside the shop. But I knew what I saw.

And it wasn't my imagination.