The firelight flickered across Emerson's face, casting deep shadows over his somber expression.
"A sacrifice?" Aria asked again, stepping closer. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. "What kind of sacrifice are you talking about?"
Emerson didn't look at her right away. He stared into the flames as if they held the answers to a lifetime of pain.
"You already know the answer," he finally said. "But you don't want to believe it."
Aria's breath caught. Her throat went dry.
"Lucien."
---
Unraveling the Curse
Emerson rose slowly from his chair, walking to the bookshelf behind him. He pulled out a thick, aged tome and opened it to a marked page.
"The Blackwood Curse was bound centuries ago by blood and magic. A pact made by the first Blackwood lord in exchange for unholy power. The demon granted the wish, but left a mark—a binding that would follow every heir."
He turned the book toward Aria.
Etched on the yellowed page was a sigil of fire and thorns. It pulsed with eerie energy even after all these years.
"Power was gifted," Emerson continued. "But so was destruction. Each Blackwood heir inherits the darkness, growing stronger—and more violent—as time passes. It lives in their blood."
Aria's voice trembled. "Then how do we stop it?"
"There's only one way," Emerson said. "The curse can only be broken if the bloodline ends willingly… or if the cursed heir offers himself as sacrifice."
Aria took a step back, horror blooming in her chest. "You want Lucien to die?"
"No," Emerson said, his voice gentle but firm. "I want him to choose to live free. But the curse will not let him. It's woven into his soul. Either he sacrifices himself… or the curse consumes him—and everyone around him."
---
A Choice No One Should Make
Aria felt her knees weaken. "There has to be another way. A loophole. A ritual. Something."
"There might be," Emerson said, softer now. "But it's buried deep in forgotten lore. And time is running out. The more Lucien gives in to the darkness, the less of him remains. Eventually, there will be nothing left but the monster."
Aria pressed her hands to her face, trying to hold in the sob threatening to escape.
She thought she had time. Thought love would be enough. But now she saw the truth—this wasn't a fairytale.
This was a tragedy in slow motion.
---
Lucien's Confession
Lucien stood on the balcony of the east tower, staring out at the land soaked in blood and ash.
The estate was quiet now, but he knew it was only temporary. Peace this fragile couldn't last.
When he heard footsteps behind him, he didn't turn. He knew it was Aria.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
"I had to come," she replied, stepping beside him. "Lucien… we need to talk."
He finally turned, his eyes tired. Hollow. "I already know what Emerson told you."
"You do?"
"I've always known," Lucien admitted. "I found my father's journals when I was seventeen. The curse. The blood pact. The demon's mark. I've carried it in silence for years."
"Then why—"
"Because I thought I could control it," Lucien interrupted. "I thought I was stronger than the madness. But now? I feel it pulling at me every moment. Like I'm unraveling."
Aria reached for his hand. "You don't have to face this alone."
"I can't ask you to stay, Aria. If this curse takes me, I'll hurt you. I won't forgive myself."
She stepped in closer. "You're not asking. I'm choosing. Just like you need to choose now—between surrendering to the curse or fighting for something more."
---
The Blood Ritual
That night, Aria and Lucien stood in the ancestral chamber beneath the estate.
The walls were etched with arcane symbols, and the center of the room held an obsidian altar—the original place where the curse had been bound.
Emerson joined them, holding a ceremonial dagger wrapped in silk.
"If you're going to try this," Emerson said gravely, "you'll need to confront the curse directly. Inside you."
Lucien nodded. "Then let's begin."
Emerson opened the ritual book and began chanting the ancient incantations. The room darkened, shadows curling along the walls. The air grew thick, heavy with old power.
Lucien stepped onto the altar. "What now?"
"You have to call it," Emerson said. "Invite the curse out. But it won't come gently. It will test you."
Lucien glanced at Aria one last time. Her eyes were wet with tears, but filled with unshakable belief.
He closed his eyes.
"I am Lucien Blackwood," he said aloud. "Son of the bloodline. I summon you—the curse within me. Show yourself!"
The room exploded with darkness.
---
Confronting the Demon
Lucien was no longer in the chamber.
He stood in a black void, facing a figure that mirrored him exactly—but twisted. Its eyes glowed red, fangs bared in a cruel smile.
"You called me?" the creature said in his voice.
Lucien squared his shoulders. "I'm here to end this."
"You are me," the demon hissed. "You don't end what you are."
"I'm not you."
"You've killed. Craved power. Loved the taste of blood. You are everything I am."
Lucien clenched his fists. "Not anymore."
The demon lunged, and the void shook. They clashed—fist against claw, fire against shadow. Lucien fought with everything he had. The rage inside him flared, but he turned it into strength. Not hatred. Strength.
And then… he remembered Aria.
Her voice. Her touch. Her belief.
"I am more than you," Lucien growled. "I choose love."
With a final scream, he drove the demon into the void—and light exploded around him.
---
Return to the Real World
Lucien collapsed onto the altar, gasping.
Aria rushed to his side. "Lucien?!"
He opened his eyes slowly. Clear. Human.
The darkness was gone.
Emerson knelt beside him, stunned. "You did it… You actually fought it."
Lucien grinned weakly. "Told you I'm stubborn."
Aria burst into tears and wrapped him in her arms.
But Emerson's expression remained grim.
"The curse is weakened," he warned. "But not gone. This was only the first trial. The demon will try to reclaim him."
Lucien looked at Aria, then back at Emerson. "Let it come. I'll fight it every time. As long as she's with me."