FOREVER BOUND

, a dizzying kaleidoscope of s

throbbed in time with the ominou

and something else, something metallic and

ttling intensity, sat across from me, her silver

nly by the rhythmic tick-tock of the ancient timepiece

hum that vibrated deep within me, a physical sensation th

ling certainty, sent a fresh wa

darkness, the chilling whisper in the shadows, the strange, untamed

a shattered mirror reflecting di

whispered, my voice hoarse,

if... as if I was being pulled somewhe

cing and unwavering, studied

ny words, a pressure that weigh

m yet laced with an undercurrent

You are... something more. And t

a wave of apprehension through me, a col

estion hung in the air, unanswered, yet someh

datory thing, a subtle flicker of her lips

thing dangerous, something dark. It was a

ce a low, hypnotic whisper that seemed to bypass my con

cy. It speaks of a bond, a binding between two souls, one human, one de

est, a frantic drumbeat ag

arkness to come, pulsed with a renewed intensity

ts familiar coolness, but it offered littl

ible whisper lost in the cavernous silence of the s

reflecting the flickering gaslight, the light d

and bound by a curse. He seeks to break free, to unleash h

ns, they were all converging upon me, a maelstrom of

ng aura, he was the demon. The revelation struck me with t

at was this curse that bound him? My heart pounded in my

d, my voice a barely audible whisper. "Wh

kering in her eyes. "The demon seeks power, Belle. And you.

hat could bring about the Great War, or

unspoken implications, a weight that

ed with a renewed intensity, its warmth a chilling echo of the power th

eyes reflecting the flickering gaslig

hoice. You can choose to embrace the darkne

The obsidian shard pulsed with a renewed intensity, its war

my voice firming despite the tremor in

glint in her eyes. She launched

adows and whispers, a high-ranking demon with

ismatic leadership that commanded respect and unwa

deeds, a punishment that slowly drained his life force, a rel

m from accessing his full potential, from unleashing the terrif

asked, my voice barely a whisper, a fragile t

e itself, Belle," the shop owner s

to you, to the power that resides within you, a p

between your souls, a transference of power th

e shop owner's words sent a fresh

my voice trembling, my body t

on of light and darkness," the shop owner

gerous path, Belle. One that could lead to salvation or destruction. Th

desperate plea. "Why am I chosen f

tened, a hint of sympathy

that stretched back through the mists of time, a li

f a chosen one, a human who would unlock the secrets of the Co

one would be. It simply stated that they would be a descendant o

sper. "I have no memory of my family, no knowledge of this l

hint of sympathy flickering in her

ast. Or you can choose to embrace your destiny, to unlock the secrets o

The obsidian shard pulsed with a renewed intensity, its war

ight of destiny pressed down on me, a crus

s something more, something

the center of it. The obsidian shard pulsated, a constant reminder of

her gaze intense. "The choice i

d out of the Serpent's Coil, the air heavy with the s

nary girl who had stumbl

ng destined for greatness, or

eminder of the darkness to come, but also

own, that I couldn't run from my destin

w felt alien, a stage set fo

eat War was approaching, and I, Be

acon of the darkness to come, but also o

And I knew, deep down, that I couldn't run from