The room was dead silent.
Arin's breath hitched as the silver-haired woman cupped his face, her crimson eyes locking onto his. Her touch was cold—too cold—yet familiar, as if it had once been warm… long ago.
"Did you forget me already, my love?"
Her voice was laced with sorrow, but there was something else beneath it—longing… and betrayal.
Valeria stepped forward, gripping her sword. "Who the hell are you?"
Selene's fingers tensed on her bow. "And why are you calling Arin that?"
Lilith, for once, didn't giggle. Her usually playful eyes flickered with curiosity. "Oho~ this is getting good."
Seraphina's face was pale. "This energy… she's not just a normal entity."
Zareth, in her dragon form, took a step back. "She's something beyond death itself. Something ancient."
But Arin… he couldn't move. His mind was drowning in flashes of memories he didn't recognize.
A wedding veil fluttering in the wind.
A battlefield soaked in blood.
A promise whispered under the stars.
"Till eternity…"
He clenched his teeth. What the hell are these memories?
The woman tilted her head. "So you really don't remember."
Her crimson eyes darkened. The air around them turned heavy.
"Then let me remind you."
With a flick of her wrist—
The entire room shattered.
---
[Arin's Past – A Forgotten Life]
The world blurred. The throne room vanished.
Arin found himself standing in a different place—
A ruined battlefield.
Corpses littered the ground, their armor rusted, their weapons broken. The sky was a deep crimson, the sun setting over a kingdom that no longer existed.
And in the center of the battlefield—
A woman lay dying.
Her.
Dressed in a blood-stained bridal gown, her silver hair sprawled around her like a shattered halo.
_"Arin…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He took a step forward, his heart pounding. "Who… who are you?"
Tears welled in her crimson eyes.
"My love… you swore to protect me."
"But you let me die."
A sharp pain shot through his head.
Flashes of a different time.
A different Arin.
One who had once held her in his arms. One who had promised her eternity.
And one who had failed her.
---
[Present Time – The Bride's Revenge]
Arin gasped as the vision shattered, and he was back in the throne room.
The woman—Evelyn—stood before him.
But her form had changed.
Her bridal gown was now laced with black threads, her eyes glowing with an eerie crimson light. Shadows curled around her like living entities.
"Now you remember, don't you?"
Arin exhaled sharply. "Evelyn…"
The name felt right.
It felt like it had once belonged to someone precious. Someone he had loved.
Evelyn smiled—but it was not a kind smile.
"You abandoned me, Arin. Left me to rot in a past life."
Her fingers curled, and the shadows around her rose like tendrils.
"Now, I will make you feel the pain I suffered."
> [New Entity Identified: Evelyn, The Forgotten Bride]
Status: Vengeful Revenant
Threat Level: Catastrophic
Seraphina's voice was urgent. "She's not just a ghost—she's a revenant fueled by heartbreak and betrayal!"
Valeria stepped in front of Arin. "I don't care what past life you had—she's an enemy now!"
Selene nocked an arrow. "Give the order, Arin."
Lilith licked her lips. "Ooooh, so dramatic~ I love it."
Zareth growled. "She's strong. Don't hesitate."
Arin's fingers trembled on his sword.
This wasn't just an enemy.
This was his past.
And she had come back for revenge.
Evelyn raised her hand—
And the throne room was swallowed by darkness.
---
[TO BE CONTINUED…]