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