Sharon's scream died in the cold, damp air of the crypt. The boy's eyes gleamed as he leaned closer, the knife in his hand gliving like it was alive. She saw her reflection in the blade—a girl with black eyes, skin pale as marble.
"You're like me now," the boy whispered. "Mine."
He pressed the knife to her chest. It didn't hurt at first, just a coldness spreading like ink in water. Then the pain hit, and she was screaming again.
The crypt seemed to darken, shadows twisting like living things. The boy's face blurred, like he was melting into the night.
Sharon's vision narrowed to a pinprick. She felt herself slipping, falling into black.
***
She woke in a forest, trees looming like giants. The sky was red, like sunset had bled into the air. The boy stood before her, eyes burning black.
"Welcome to the ritual," he said.
Sharon stumbled back, feet bare on twigs. "What ritual?"
The boy gestured, and candles flared to life, circling them. Symbols were carved into the ground, like bones laid out. "The binding," he said. "You'll be mine. Forever."
Fear spiked through her. "No."
He reached for her, but she dodged, running into the trees. Branches clawed at her like skeletal hands. The boy's laughter echoed, everywhere and nowhere.
She stumbled, falling hard on roots. When she looked up, he was there, eyes glowing.
"You can't escape," he whispered. "You're part of me."
The symbols on the ground glowed red, like embers. The air thickened, hard to breathe. Sharon felt herself being pulled back, like a thread was tied to her soul.
The boy pulled her into the circle, his lips on hers again. The world narrowed to darkness.
***
She woke in the mansion, in her bed. The clock said midnight. Had it been a dream?
The mirror showed her reflection, eyes black as the boy's. She screamed, but her voice was gone.
The reflection mouthed words: _It's done_.
Sharon stumbled out of bed, terror clawing her throat. She was like him now. Trapped.
Downstairs, the front door swung open. The boy waited on the porch, moonlight behind him.
"Come," he said.
She couldn't help it. Her feet moved, like they belonged to someone else. She stepped onto the porch.
The boy's hand closed around hers, cold and tight. "You're mine now," he whispered.
The world went dark.
***
She woke in a crypt, stone walls closing in. The air was thick with decay. The boy lay beside her, eyes closed, like he was sleeping.
Sharon scrambled up, panic rising. A slab of stone covered the entrance, like a grave.
The boy opened his eyes, black as night. "You're home," he said.
She backed away, hitting stone. Trapped.
The boy sat up, shadows moving like living things around him. "I loved you, Sharon. The way I loved Emilia. The way I'll love you forever."
The word _love_ felt like a curse.
He reached for her, and she saw it—the knife in his hand.
"This is how it ends," he whispered.
Sharon screamed, but the sound was swallowed by stone.
***
The scream hung in the air, like it was trapped. Sharon's throat was raw by the time she stopped. The boy's face hovered above hers, the knife trembling at her throat.
"Don't fight it," he whispered. "You'll be with me forever."
The blade pressed in, and everything went white.
***
She woke in a loop—crypt, knife, boy, darkness. Each time, the pain was sharper. Each time, she was weaker.
The boy's voice came from everywhere. "You'll forget. You'll stay."
Sharon's memories blurred—Emilia, the ritual, the love, the pain. She didn't know what was real.
The loop tightened, like a noose.
***
In the crypt, she saw it—the symbol on her chest, carved like a brand.
_Mine_, the boy whispered.
Sharon's mind snapped. She fought, but he was too strong.
The knife sliced, and darkness took her.