The rain had stopped hours ago, but the streets of Valemire still glistened under the pale glow of the moon. The air smelled of wet stone and woodsmoke, carrying whispers from the harbor where ships creaked against their moorings.
Evelyn Carter walked quickly, her boots clicking on the cobblestones. She kept her scarf high, hiding the small, silver amulet pressing against her chest. Its chain was cold, its weight heavier than any jewel should be. She had promised herself she'd never wear it again—not after the fire, not after what it had done.
But tonight was different.
Above the city, the moon was slipping into shadow, the first hints of the eclipse staining its surface crimson. They called it the Blood Moon, a sign of omens in both worlds. Evelyn didn't believe in omens—at least, she told herself she didn't—but the pull of the amulet had been too strong to ignore.
From the mouth of a narrow alley, a man watched her.
Kim Ji-hoon's eyes were fixed on her silhouette, sharp under the dim lanterns. His black coat blended into the shadows, but his presence was like a blade in the night—quiet, dangerous, and impossible to miss.
He wasn't supposed to be here. Not in this century, not in this city. He had sworn to stay away, to let her live in peace, but fate was merciless. The crown was broken, the kingdoms were falling, and she—Evelyn—was the only one who could stop the curse that had been eating away at his heart for seven long years.
She reached the corner and hesitated, as if sensing him. Her eyes swept the street. He stayed hidden, waiting.
Then a faint sound—her name, carried on the wind.
"Evelyn."
Her heart slammed against her ribs. That voice… she knew it. She turned slowly, and when her eyes met his, it was like the years between them vanished.
"Ji-hoon?" Her voice cracked on the last syllable.
He stepped out from the shadows, the moonlight catching on the silver threads embroidered into his collar. His hair was damp from the rain, his face harder than she remembered, but his eyes—those dark, stormy eyes—were unchanged.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered.
"And yet," he said, his voice low, "I am. Because we have no time." He glanced at the sky, where the moon was now half-swallowed by shadow. "The crown is broken. The eclipse will open the gates. If we don't fix it before sunrise, both our worlds will burn."
Her breath caught.
She wanted to run, to turn away from the past she had tried so hard to bury. But the amulet at her neck pulsed, as if answering his words.
Somewhere in the distance, a church bell began to toll midnight.
And the night shifted.
The air grew colder. The shadows lengthened.
And something ancient… woke.
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✨ Preview – Chapter Two: The Curse Awakens
The Blood Moon's shadow falls over Valemire, and the first cracks between worlds begin to open.
Evelyn's amulet burns against her skin, answering a call she doesn't understand—while Ji-hoon warns of enemies already hunting them.
But when a figure cloaked in black steps out of the mist, whispering her name, Evelyn must decide: trust Ji-hoon… or run before the magic claims her.
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