Lysandra stood beneath the pale glow of the twin moons, her shadow stretching unnaturally across the stone floor. The words Kastian had spoken moments ago still echoed in her mind.
We'll need to become monsters first.
Her entire life, she had feared the thing inside her—the hunger, the whispers, the raw power that pulsed beneath her skin like an untamed storm. She had called it a curse. A punishment. A reminder that she was never meant to be whole.
But what if it had never been a curse at all?
The chains binding her wrists glowed with their eerie silver light, reacting to her emotions. She flexed her fingers, watching how the glow flickered and pulsed. These were not just restraints—they were locks. Shackles meant to contain something far greater.
She lifted her gaze to meet Kastian's. His sharp golden eyes reflected the moonlight, but there was something else there now—a challenge. A question.
Was she ready to embrace what she had spent her whole life running from?
Lysandra took a slow breath, steadying herself. "Tell me what I have to do."
Kastian tilted his head, studying her. Then he turned, his cloak swirling around him as he gestured toward the ruined temple ahead of them. "If we want to break these chains, we need to go where the Forgotten God first cursed us."
Lysandra followed his gaze. The temple loomed in the distance, ancient and crumbling, its jagged spires reaching toward the sky like broken fingers. Time had long since abandoned this place, but the energy it held was still suffocating, still alive in some way.
She swallowed hard. "You think the answer is in there?"
Kastian smirked. "I know it is."
A sharp wind swept through the valley, carrying whispers of something ancient. The temple had been sealed away for centuries, hidden beyond mortal reach. But Lysandra and Kastian were no longer mere mortals.
With each step they took, the air grew heavier. The presence of the Forgotten God still lingered here, woven into the very stones of the temple.
Kastian's voice was quiet but firm. "Once we step inside, we can't turn back."
Lysandra exhaled. "Good."
A flicker of surprise crossed his features before he let out a low chuckle. "You really aren't afraid anymore, are you?"
Lysandra rolled her shoulders, feeling the pull of something vast and unknown within her. "I've spent my whole life afraid." She met his gaze. "I think I'm tired of it."
Kastian's smirk faded, replaced by something unreadable. He nodded once. "Then let's not waste any more time."
Together, they crossed the threshold into the temple, stepping into the darkness.
And the shadows welcomed them home.