By now, Sunlight had leaped from the branch, floating in midair. Hirdoy's eyes nearly popped from astonishment. It was as if some mystical power had filled Sunlight's being, and her white gown acted like immense invisible wings. Though no wings were visible, her movements made it seem as if she were hovering like a bloodthirsty vampire, suspended in the air by some supernatural force.
Her eyes had transformed into crimson gems, just like Arbina's. The maddened smile on her face had intensified, sending a shiver of fear and helplessness through Hirdoy's chest.
Below her, the dry leaves and branches of the forest ignited in an instant. The flames spread rapidly, consuming the vegetation. The sacred forest of Nexus Castle now burned like a living hell.
Amid the blaze, Sunlight hovered, her distorted laughter echoing:
"Today, everything will burn, Hirdoy! Your castle, your pride, your power—everything! Just as they took my child from me, I will destroy it all. This Nexus Amulet is now Arbina's final curse, and I am its bearer!"
Sunlight, standing amidst the circle of fire, began to narrate a chilling, heartrending story to Hirdoy. Her voice resonated like that of an ancient, restless spirit:
"Listen, Hirdoy. This is the tale of a cursed queen, whose love surpassed all else. She loved someone who did not hesitate to sell his soul for her. But fate took everything from them, even their child. This queen is no longer soft-hearted; she is now the flame of vengeance for Nexus Castle. I tell you this story because you wanted to know who I am. I am the queen from whom everything was stolen—and today, I have returned to reclaim it. Are you ready for this final game?"
The flames engulfed the surroundings, smoke veiling the sky. From Sunlight's crimson eyes, it seemed as though fire itself poured out. Hirdoy froze in terror, unable to comprehend whether the woman before him was truly Sunlight or the maddened spirit of Arbina. The heat of the forest fire and Sunlight's terrifying form became unbearable. Clutching his head, Hirdoy sank to his knees, feeling as though thousands of hammers were striking his mind.
"Ah! My head… Sunlight… stop!" he cried.
Suddenly, Hirdoy's body stopped trembling. When he lifted his gaze, the normal calm in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a deep crimson glow—just like Arbina's. His voice changed, and his muscles tensed. Hirdoy's body was now fully under Arbina's control.
Arbina, inhabiting Hirdoy, rose. The fire seemed to avoid her, recognizing her presence. She gazed at the floating Sunlight and spoke in a strange, mystical, yet solemn tone:
"Sunlight! Stop! Do not destroy yourself like this."
Sunlight halted midair, tears flowing from her crimson eyes. She whispered softly, "Arbina? You… you are here?"
Arbina (in Hirdoy) stepped carefully through the fire toward Sunlight, reaching out:
"I never left, Sunlight. I am in Hirdoy's blood, in your breath, and in the pulse of this Nexus Amulet. Our child is not lost—they simply refused to come into this cursed world. They returned to the memories of our old palace."
Moving closer, Arbina touched the wings Sunlight seemed to carry.
"This hatred you wield to burn yourself… see, the fire is consuming not just the forest, but our old memories too. I never wanted to see you like this. I wanted you to be the queen of light, not a vampire of darkness."
Sunlight's flight slowed. The intensity of the flames diminished. Arbina (in Hirdoy) pressed Sunlight's hand against her own chest:
"Listen, Sunlight. Vengeance never brings peace. If our story ends in fire, future generations will know only destruction, never love. Do you want our love to remain a curse?"
Sunlight's crimson eyes gradually faded to blue. Tears streaming, she collapsed into Arbina's (Hirdoy's) arms. Rain began to fall from the sky, quenching the forest fire.
Sunlight's unnatural powers seemed to vanish in an instant. Her invisible wings disappeared, and she fell into Arbina's embrace like a lifeless body. Her Nexus Amulet dimmed, and her white gown was smeared with ash and dust.
Seeing Sunlight inert, Arbina's heart within Hirdoy shattered. From Hirdoy's body came Arbina's anguished cries, now freed in a torrent.
With a scream that tore through the sky:
"No! Why must this happen to me? Why? Creator, why do you keep taking my love from me?"
Arbina placed Sunlight's head on her lap and sobbed. Rain mingled with Arbina's tears, merging into a single stream.
"Sunlight! Open your eyes! I have returned. I have only conquered Hirdoy for you. I need no kingdom, no body, without you. I wanted to save you, not destroy you!"
Arbina stroked Sunlight's face. The flames extinguished in the downpour, but Arbina's inner fire remained. She cried out:
"Spirits of Nexus Castle! You took my child, you took my life, but leave Sunlight untouched! If she does not awaken, I will silence this entire universe!"
Arbina held Sunlight tightly. The blue amulet on Sunlight trembled, as if Arbina's grief and love struggled to rekindle her extinguished life. Hirdoy's body seemed ready to burst under Arbina's presence.
The forest fell silent except for the rain and Arbina's cries. Time passed, yet Sunlight did not awaken. Her body cooled, and the Nexus Amulet went completely dark, as if all its magic had been exhausted.
Arbina (in Hirdoy) caressed Sunlight's limbs and rested her forehead against hers, whispering:
"Sunlight, rise. I will fight no more. I seek no magic. Just look—see that I am your Arbina."
Yet Sunlight's eyelids remained shut. Her beautiful white gown clung to the wet earth. Arbina realized Sunlight was not merely physically exhausted, but her spirit had broken under the grief of her lost child and the strain of supernatural powers. Perhaps her life force had drifted into a deep slumber, or another realm entirely.
Looking to the sky, Arbina let out one final roar:
"If this love has any value, I will give all my strength today. I am ready to erase my existence if it means Sunlight will smile again."
Arbina pressed one final, long kiss to Sunlight's forehead. A brilliant red light emerged from Hirdoy, entering Sunlight's body, attempting to reignite her extinguished life with the last fragment of Arbina's soul.
In the dark, rainy forest, Hirdoy slowly collapsed next to Sunlight. Both lay motionless—Hirdoy, as Arbina's soul faded forever from his body, and Sunlight, caught in a deep, mysterious sleep.
The rain and the ashes of the forest were pierced only by the cries of panic. Ena and the other servants rushed in. Seeing both Sunlight and Hirdoy motionless on the burnt earth, their grief filled the forest.
Ena knelt beside Sunlight, sobbing:
"Your Majesty! What has happened to you? Open your eyes!"
The other servants, frozen in shock, could not comprehend how such devastation had befallen this beautiful world overnight.
Touching Sunlight, Ena shivered at her cold body. Looking at Hirdoy, she saw the crimson glow had vanished; he too lay unconscious.
Ena wept uncontrollably:
"Have you truly left us? Did the cursed Arbina take everything?"
A servant sobbed, "Ena, look! The blue amulet on the queen is now completely white—as if someone has drained all her life."
Ena held Sunlight in her lap, weeping. The grandeur and splendor of the palace were now mixed with the ashes of the burnt forest. The cries of the servants echoed like the final laments of Arbina.
At the edge of the forest, only the sound of rain and mourning remained. No one knew if this sleep would ever end, or if the tale of Nexus Castle had reached its eternal conclusion.
The servants carefully carried Hirdoy and Sunlight back to the palace. Inside, a profound silence reigned. The royal physicians tended to them day and night, cleaned their wounds, and dressed them again in their royal attire, filling the palace with incense and sacred light as if to revive their consciousness.
Yet days passed, weeks turned into months, and a strange, mysterious phenomenon arose:
The Palace Emptiness:
The room where Hirdoy and Sunlight lay appeared empty whenever anyone entered. Servants would find the bed vacant, only to see them again in the next moment, as if they existed yet did not.
Disappearance:
One morning, Ena screamed upon discovering Sunlight's gown lying on the bed and Hirdoy's crown nearby—but both of them were nowhere to be found. Every corner and secret passage of the palace was searched, but Hirdoy and Sunlight could not be found.
Legends and Mystery:
People began to say that Arbina, with her last magical strength, had transported Hirdoy and Sunlight to a mystical realm, far from the cruel world, where there is no separation, no grief for lost children, and no curse.
Ena's Solitude:
Ena would go to the balcony where Sunlight once wept. Sometimes, she heard Sunlight's laughter in the wind, or Arbina's solemn voice echoing.
The palace had become a vast monument of memories. Tales spread that the King and Queen of Nexus Castle had not died; they had transformed into immortal love, wandering the forest together. Whenever a flower bloomed like a blue gem in the forest, people believed Sunlight and Hirdoy still embraced each other there. A hundred years had passed. The bloody history and the supernatural love story of Nexus Castle had become nothing more than a faded legend among people. The cursed forest had transformed into a beautiful, green park, where children from the city came to play.
In the soft afternoon sunlight, a sweet little girl named Ayra was sitting on the grass, playing. Suddenly, she noticed, a little further away, a small girl sitting alone on the grass. She was wearing an unusually beautiful gown of an ancient style.
Ayra, filled with affection, reached out and called, "Hey, little one! Why are you sitting alone? Come here, play with me!"
The small girl smiled and walked toward Ayra. Ayra scooped her into her arms with utmost care. But the moment she held the girl, the air around them turned icy cold. A thick blanket of mist spread instantly across the entire park.
When the mist cleared, Ayra froze in fear and awe. The empty field where she had been playing was suddenly dominated by a grand, magnificent palace! Its walls were made of blue stone, and its spires reached the sky. It was exactly as Nexus Castle had been a hundred years ago.
Stammering, Ayra said, "W-where did this come from? There was nothing here just a moment ago! Whose enormous house is this?"
As Ayra looked at the girl in her arms, she noticed the girl's eyes glowing like twin sapphire gems. The girl leaned close to Ayra's ear and whispered:
"Big sister, this is no ordinary house. This is the palace where a queen lost her child, and a king gave up his very soul. A hundred years ago, a fire consumed this place, and today, from the ashes of that fire, the dream has returned. Do you know the queen's name?"
Ayra shook her head. The girl smiled mysteriously:
"Her name was Sunlight. And on the walls of this palace, the story of Arbina is still written. Look, on that balcony, a woman in white is standing even now. She is waiting for you. Because after a hundred years, you are the first to hold me in your arms."
Ayra looked at the famous balcony of the palace and indeed saw a shadowy figure standing there. Her hair flowed in the wind. Suddenly, Ayra felt as if she had become part of the story itself.
The girl spoke again, "The story isn't over, big sister. It's only just begun. Will you go inside? The queen is calling you."