The war was over. The manor was quiet. But that silence is not the peace that comes after the storm; It was just a breather. The magic seals on the wall were still glowing faintly, the protection symbols William had drawn on the stones flickering without fading. Alison was sitting tiredly in the middle of the hall. His hands were still warm, the last sparks of light from his fingertips dancing in the air and disappearing. William was standing a few steps away from her, watching silently.
His face was hidden in the shadows, but the deep blackness in his eyes still remained. "You…" Alison said, trying to catch her breath, "you just… burned up your own energy to protect me, didn't you?" William lowered his head, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Don't be afraid, I'm used to this kind of pain." Alison looked up, her eyes turning serious. "Why did you do this? Why did you put yourself in danger for me?" William took a few steps closer, his voice a deep, echoing whisper. "I would do anything for you." This single word echoed in Alison's heart. Yet. It was as if their fates were just beginning to be knitted together. The man was silent for a moment, then extended his hand. "Come. I'll show you something." Alison hesitated but finally extended her hand. William's fingers were cold, but there was a peace in his touch. He led her to a secret door at the back of the great hall. The door opened into a dark stone corridor.
At the end of the corridor, there was an old room with thousands of symbols on its walls and a black sphere in the middle. "What's this?" she asked. William approached the sphere. "This is the dark essence. A mirror that every wizard uses to connect with the source of power within. But be careful, it can show you who you are… or it can take away from you who you are." Alison's heart accelerated. "So… can this thing show me my past?" William nodded slowly. "Yes. But sometimes it's harder to see the past than to change it." The girl took a step. The surface of the sphere flickered slightly, as if a lake was reflected in it. The moment he touched it with his hand, the entire room glowed. Alison was suddenly drawn into images of a dark forest, a stone altar covered in blood, and a baby on top of it.
A woman was shouting: "You can't take him from me!" Then a male voice said: "He carries both light and darkness! He either kills or saves!" Alison pulled back, panting. "That… was my mother. It was her voice, no, no, my mother was suffering there. William, why did they do this, William, why?" he shouted. William approached and touched his shoulder. "You saw, Alison. Your mother was a wizard. And your father..." He paused for a moment, his gaze darkening. "Your father was one of the lords of darkness." Alison started. "So I—" "Yes. Half light, half darkness. That's why they sealed you away. Because both sides were afraid of you." At that moment, the sphere glowed again. A shadow jumped out and attacked William as if it were alive. William reflexively pulled Alison behind him. He cast a spell with his hand, but the shadow did not give up easily. They struggled for a while, and the inside of the room trembled. William finally suppressed the shadow, but his face was pale, his breathing uneven. Alison immediately ran to him. "William! Are you okay?" The man's eyes had turned black again, his voice had changed. "The darkness within me… has been waiting for a long time to wake up. Your light stirred it." Alison held her hands. "I can heal you, right? If I give you my light—" William shook his head. "No. If you do this, I will suck you. Darkness loves light" There was silence for a moment. Then William suddenly laughed, a short, sad laugh. "How strange… the more I want to protect you, the greater the risk of destroying you." Alison held his hand tightly. "Then don't try to protect me. Let's fight together." William raised his head, there was both anger and admiration in his eyes. William looked at Alison for a long time and realized more clearly that he felt emotions he had never felt before. Then he quietly approached Alison.
The air between them grew heavy. The vibration of light and darkness met at the same point. In a moment of silence, only the sound of their hearts could be heard. William's voice was almost a whisper. "If you get too close to me… I will never let you go." Alison's lips trembled. "Maybe I don't want you to let go." Darkness and light mixed together at that moment. The symbols on the walls glowed, and the sphere suddenly faded away and sank into darkness. But in that darkness, there was no fear anymore. There was a silence where only two souls knew each other, where fate was sealed. Outside, in the distance, a voice echoed: "The Shadow Lord's heir… has finally awakened."