The climb up the mountain is brutal. My legs scream with every step, exhaustion weighing down my entire body. But I don't stop. I can't.
The temple is exactly as I remembered it—ancient stone, golden light pouring from within, untouched by time. It is warm here, impossibly so, despite the ice that coats the peaks around it.
I step inside, breathless, heart hammering in my chest. And then I see him.
The God of Life.
He is nothing like the God of Death. His presence is light, infinite, filled with something otherworldly. He watches me with knowing eyes, as if he's been waiting.
"You made it," he says softly.
I nod, but my hands are trembling. "I need to end this," I whisper. "I need to finish it. For good."
His expression is unreadable as he studies me. "You've tried before," he murmurs. "You've taken your own life over and over, but he always finds you again."
A lump forms in my throat. "Then tell me how to stop him."
The God of Life steps closer. He reaches out, his fingertips just barely grazing my forehead. And in an instant, memories flood through me—memories of every life I have lived. Of every time I have loved and lost. Of every time I have tried to free myself.
Tears burn in my eyes.
"This time will be different," the God of Life says. "But you must be willing to do what you never have before."
I swallow. "And what is that?"
His golden eyes darken slightly. "You must not only destroy the piece of him inside you." A pause. "You must destroy yourself too. This time, in the most sufferable way possible"
The world tilts.
I stagger back, the weight of his words causing my knees to shake. I grasp the dagger tighter, its cold blade now a cruel reminder of what I must do. "What do you mean?" My voice cracks, desperate to find some hint of mercy in his expression, some sign that this is a choice, not a sentence.
His eyes never waver. "The bond between you and him is not just physical. It's spiritual, elemental. Each life you live, you have bled for the curse he's placed upon you. Each time you stab your heart, you only shatter the piece of him inside you. But it is still there, buried deep, fueling his power." He steps closer, his presence filling the space, impossibly warm despite the freezing mountain air. "You will have to destroy the last trace of him. But to do that, you must destroy the piece of yourself that still loves him. You must sever that final tether—permanently."
My hands shake as I clutch the dagger in my palm. I stare at it, the weight of the task ahead of me sinking in. To destroy myself. To eradicate the last remnants of love that bind me to him. The thought is almost unbearable.
"Why… why must it be so painful?" I whisper, the words dragging themselves from my throat like a death sentence.
The God of Life's eyes soften, just slightly. "Because love, when born in darkness, is not a simple thing to sever. It's a wound that must be cauterised, ripped open and purged with the fiercest agony, so that no trace of it remains. Only then can you free yourself completely."
I feel the tears burn at the corners of my eyes, but I don't let them fall.
"Then I will do it," I say, my voice steady despite the storm of emotion roiling inside me. "I will destroy it. For good."
But even as the words leave my lips, a gnawing fear clenches at my chest. How can I sever what I've carried through so many lifetimes? How can I extinguish the fire that has burned between us, a fire that has consumed me again and again?
The God of Life watches me, and in that moment, I feel the weight of my decision pressing down on me like the mountains themselves. This isn't just about ending the cycle. This is about losing myself—about killing the part of me that was never truly free, the part that has always belonged to him.
I take a deep breath, summoning every ounce of strength within me. The dagger feels heavier now, almost suffocating in my grip. But I know this is the only way.
There's no other choice.