The forest was silent, but the silence was heavy, almost suffocating. Lyra's boots crunched on the frost-covered leaves as she moved cautiously through the trees, her healer's satchel bouncing against her side. The villagers had spoken of a "blood-red moon" tonight, a harbinger of danger, but she had dismissed it as superstition.
That was before she heard the screams.
Turning a corner, she stumbled upon a figure lying sprawled on the forest floor. His clothes were torn, and his chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. A dagger was embedded near his shoulder, and dark blood seeped into the snow. His golden eyes flickered open, filled with both pain and something indescribable—an otherworldly sorrow.
Lyra froze. Her instincts screamed danger, but her heart refused to look away. "Are you… alive?" she whispered.
The figure coughed violently, clutching his wound. "Stay… back," he rasped, his voice deep and strained. "If you touch me…"
Before he could finish, shadows erupted from the forest edges, slithering toward them like living smoke. Lyra felt a chill run down her spine. Magic prickled at her fingertips, responding to the stranger's presence. A faint display appeared in her vision—a series of glowing numbers and words, unreadable but pulsing:
"Cursed Prince Detected – Life Risk 40%"
Lyra blinked, shaking her head. What is this? She had never seen anything like it.
The shadows advanced, their forms humanoid but grotesque, their eyes glinting red in the moonlight. Lyra's first thought was to run, but the stranger's gaze held her in place.
"I… I can fight," she stammered, more to herself than him. Her hands glowed faintly as magic sparked along her palms. The air hummed, and the shadows recoiled slightly at the display.
The stranger gritted his teeth. "You shouldn't…" He reached out, grabbing her arm. "We have to—together."
Before Lyra could respond, the shadows struck. She barely had time to raise a barrier of golden light, instinctively mirroring the faint glow in the stranger's veins. Sparks collided with darkness, and the forest seemed to shudder with the impact.
Her system pulsed again:
"Skill Activated: Shield of Unity – Duration 3 min"
Lyra didn't understand the message, but instinct told her it was a warning—and a guide. The barrier flared stronger, wrapping around both her and the stranger.
The shadows hissed and swirled, trying to seep through. Lyra felt her energy drain rapidly. Her vision blurred, but the stranger gritted his teeth and muttered something under his breath. Suddenly, the shadows recoiled, letting out inhuman shrieks before retreating into the trees.
Both Lyra and the stranger collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"I… I'm Kael," he finally said, his golden eyes locking on hers. "The cursed prince."
Lyra swallowed hard. Cursed… prince? She wanted to ask questions, but her voice wouldn't come.
Kael's gaze darkened. "You've seen the curse's mark… haven't you? It reacts to me—and now, to you."
Lyra noticed the faint glow around his wrist and chest. The system in her vision pulsed violently:
"Cursed Bond Detected – Risk 60%"
Fear gripped her chest. "C-curse? Me?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "Yes. Every lifetime, every person I grow close to… dies by my hand, or worse, the heavens take them. And now… you're tied to me."
Lyra's mind reeled. Her hands still glowed faintly, and she realized the magic wasn't just responding to the shadows—it was reacting to Kael himself.
"I… I don't understand," she whispered.
"You will," Kael said, rising with effort. "But first, we need to move. They won't stop until… until they kill me. Or you."
He held out a hand. Hesitant, Lyra took it, feeling an almost magnetic pull. Sparks of gold and faint silver wrapped around them both. Her system pulsed one last time:
"Bond Formed – Life Risk 70%"
The forest seemed to close in around them, the shadows returning faster this time, faster and smarter. Lyra stumbled as she tried to keep pace, Kael guiding her.
A whisper echoed through the trees, faint but chilling, carrying a weight that made her blood run cold:
"The bond is forbidden…"
Lyra's heart thudded. She turned to Kael, but before she could speak, a shadow surged from above, crashing toward them like a tidal wave of darkness.
Kael shouted, "Lyra! Hold on!"
The chapter ended with a burst of golden light and shadow colliding, the forest shaking violently, leaving the reader desperate to know: Will they survive? What is the forbidden bond? And what power is hunting them?