The curse began quietly, like a whisper she could almost ignore.
At first, it was only in her dreams — the sound of wings in the dark, the echo of Lucien's voice calling her name from somewhere she couldn't reach. But when she woke, her body trembled with cold, her veins burning faintly with black fire.
Seraphine tried to hide it. She told herself it was nothing. That love couldn't destroy her. That what they shared under that storm was too real to be punished.
But the truth was cruel — it always is.
Every time she looked at the moon, her reflection changed. Her eyes flickered silver like his. Her skin, once touched by light, began to shimmer with faint shadows. She could feel the gods watching, angry and betrayed. And still, her heart refused to let go of him.
Lucien hadn't come since that night. The forest was silent without him, and every whisper of wind made her ache. The absence of him felt like a wound that would never heal.
She wandered through the ruins where they had kissed, her hands brushing the cold stones, hoping to feel the warmth of his touch again.
"Lucien…" she called softly, voice trembling. "Please."
For days, there was nothing. No sign. No sound. Just emptiness.
Then, one night, he came.
The sky had turned black, darker than ever before. The trees bent away as if afraid of him. His wings were torn, his face pale, his eyes burning with sorrow and rage.
"You shouldn't have called me," he said, his voice low.
She ran to him anyway. "You left me!"
"I had to," he said, his jaw tight. "They know what we did, Seraphine. The gods want blood. They want you."
"Let them take me," she whispered. "I'm not afraid."
He grabbed her by the shoulders, his touch trembling. "Don't say that."
"But it's true." Her voice cracked. "You said you'd burn eternity for me. So let them come."
Lucien closed his eyes, the pain in him almost unbearable to watch. "You don't understand. They won't just take you—they'll use you. They'll turn you into something neither of us can love."
Something inside her broke then. She could feel the curse twisting deeper, binding their souls tighter. Her heart beat with his name, her blood whispered his darkness.
"I don't care what they turn me into," she said through her tears. "As long as I'm still yours."
He looked at her like she was both his salvation and his doom. Then, slowly, he pulled her close. His wings wrapped around her again, shutting out the world.
"You don't know what you're saying," he murmured. "My love, this is how worlds end."
"Then let it end," she breathed.
And with that, the curse answered her. The ground trembled beneath their feet. The trees bent as if bowing to something greater than gods. The light around them shattered, swallowed by a darkness that pulsed like a living heart.
Lucien held her tighter, his breath ragged. "It's too late now," he said. "You've chosen."
"I chose you long before tonight," she whispered.
A flash of light burned the air. When it faded, a mark had appeared on her skin — a black flame curling over her heart. It glowed faintly, as if alive.
Lucien stared at it, his voice breaking. "That's the bond. You're tied to me now. My curse… my world… it's inside you."
Seraphine smiled weakly, tears falling down her cheeks. "Then I finally belong somewhere."
He wanted to speak, to warn her, but the heavens roared in fury. Bolts of divine fire struck the forest, and screams echoed from the wind. The gods were awake, and they were coming.
Lucien grabbed her hand. "Run!"
They fled through the storm, their bodies moving as one, the curse blazing in their veins. Behind them, the world was burning — the temples collapsing, the priests crying out the same word over and over again.
"Forbidden."
Seraphine didn't look back. Her only thought was his hand in hers, his voice whispering her name like a prayer meant only for her.
When they reached the edge of the world, where the cliff met the sea, they stopped. Lightning flashed behind them, and the storm howled.
Lucien turned to her, his eyes filled with a love too heavy to carry. "If we fall, there's no coming back."
She smiled faintly. "Then let's fall together."
And as the storm swallowed them, Seraphine closed her eyes. She didn't feel fear. She didn't feel pain. Only warmth — his warmth — wrapping around her like the promise she had always believed in.
Love, even forbidden, was worth the ruin.