For a moment, we just stayed there. He, standing, still holding my gaze; Me, sitting on the floor, trembling inside, trying to understand if what he had just said was real… or a carefully crafted lie my mind needed to believe.
—You've waited for me… your whole life? —I repeated, almost in a whisper.
Declan didn't answer right away. Instead, he extended his hand to me. I hesitated, but I took it. His skin was warm, almost too warm for the cool air around us. He helped me up gently, and in that simple gesture, there was more than just support. There was reverence. Guilt. Longing.
We started walking back in silence. Mist rose between the trees, wrapping around us. The forest felt more awake than before. As if it, too, now knew something I didn't. I didn't dare look back. I was afraid the figure would be there. Or worse… that it wouldn't.
—You and I… —Declan began as he brushed a branch out of the way— are connected by something that goes beyond this island. Beyond any promise or contract.
I glanced at him. I wanted to hate him, but also… to hold him? Nothing made sense, and yet something in me whispered that his intentions weren't dark.
—Why me? Did you choose me for some specific reason? Are you saying this wasn't just a coincidence?
His jaw tightened.—It wasn't a coincidence. And it wasn't just a choice.
—Then what was it?
Declan stopped. His eyes locked on mine, and then he said, with a calm that chilled me to the bone:—Sereniah… I'm not from this world. Not the way you understand it. I'm not a monster or some fantasy creature. But I was born of a bloodline that doesn't belong to this Earth. My ancestors came here centuries ago. We adapted. We hid. And little by little… we began to disappear.
He fell silent for a moment, as if weighing every word.—I can't explain everything to you yet. Not because I don't want to… but because you wouldn't know what to do with the full truth. —He paused.— It was destiny. It was chemistry. It was an accident… and at the same time, it was inevitable.
My head ached. The fog felt heavier, or maybe it was just my breathing tightening.
—I need answers, Declan. And don't tell me you can't yet. Because if something woke up on this island… I feel like it woke up in me, too. None of this makes sense; it's like I'm dreaming all of it, and yet being here feels more real than anything I've ever experienced.
He seemed torn. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. Finally, he spoke:—There are ancient bloodlines. Inheritances invisible to the human eye, difficult to understand or accept. Mine… —he paused— aren't from this world as you know it. This island is… a refuge. A prison. An experiment. Call it what you want. But to me, it's both a sentence and a home.
I watched him, not daring to interrupt.—My kind is rare. We survive through a specific bond. Only one in millions can… activate what we carry inside. That connection has a scent, an echo in the blood, a frequency.
—And I…? —my voice trembled.
—You're compatible with me. Your presence here is changing me. That's why the island reacted. That's why my eyes glow. That's why… all of this.
My hand flew to my chest. A part of me had known. From the beginning. From the first time I heard his voice.
—And what if I don't want this? What if I don't want to be part of your redemption, your world?
Declan lowered his gaze. His voice was barely a whisper, but it carried a sharp emotional edge that sent a shiver through me.—Then I'll accept it. But if you leave… all of this ends with me. Because I can't be who I was before. I can feel my essence finally awake. I'm still piecing it together; there's knowledge that was lost hundreds of years ago.
I shivered. It felt like the universe had thrown me into a story I'd never agreed to star in. And yet, there I was—standing in the center of the board.
—Tell me something, Declan. That woman at the temple… was she one of yours too?
He closed his eyes for a moment.—She was a guide. Or she used to be. Her appearance means the cycle has begun. And there's no turning back now.
The next thing we heard was a crow. Not an ordinary one. A white one. It perched on a branch, watching us. Its eyes were completely black. It didn't blink.
—We're not alone, are we? —I asked.
Declan shook his head.—We never were. But now… they know you're here too.
Who were "they"?
—Will being with you hurt me? Physically? Is this… unnatural for my biology?
He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was intense. Almost sad. Like he'd already thought of that question many times.
He stepped closer than I expected, placing his hand slowly on my cheek, never breaking eye contact. His breath was cool, but his skin was warm… soft. For a second, I didn't know where my face ended and his touch began. Time seemed to stop. There we were, face to face, our heartbeats pulsing to the same invisible rhythm.
—Does this feel unnatural to you? —he whispered against my lips.
—No… —I stammered, lost in his closeness. I'd fully intended to be afraid, but there was a pull I couldn't explain.
—Because it's not —he continued, his thumb tracing a soft circle over my cheekbone—. Humans partly come from us. So it's fair to say we're very much alike. I'm simply… a purer being, in terms of my species. Nothing about me would ever hurt you. —His gaze softened, touched with melancholy. Maybe there wasn't physical danger, but another kind lingered between us.
I nodded, still confused, but unable to step back. There was something in his voice, in the way he looked at me, that disarmed me completely.
Then, as if waking from a trance, I pulled away quickly. Too quickly. His hand hung in the air before falling instinctively, as if he'd just remembered he shouldn't touch me like that. Not yet.
—Is feeling drawn to you part of your abilities? —Maybe all this magnetism came from that; it would make some sense. I regretted the question instantly.
He let out a laugh.—Are you confessing you're attracted to me? —he teased.
—I didn't say that! —I snapped back, my cheeks burning once again.
—As much as I'd love to say I enchanted you with my alien powers, any attraction you feel has nothing to do with the supernatural —he said, and winked at me.
—You seem to enjoy this at my expense.
He smirked and quickly changed the subject.—Come on —he said in a low, rough tone—. I'll explain more… later.
…
When we reached the house, Mrs. Melyra was waiting in the doorway. But this time, she wasn't the gentle, protective woman I'd grown used to. Her brow was furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line.
—My lord, what have you done? The mist came too early today. And the white crow appeared. You know what that means.
—I know —Declan said, offering no further explanation.
Melyra looked at me. Her expression softened a little, but there was fear in her eyes. As if I'd crossed a line I wasn't supposed to.
—Are we in trouble? —I asked her directly.
She hesitated. Then slowly shook her head.—Not you, child. Not yet. But him… yes. —And she looked straight at Declan.
…
That night, I couldn't sleep. I sat by the fire, a blanket over my legs, a million thoughts swirling in my head. I felt Declan enter the room. I didn't look at him, but his presence was like a silent storm.
He sat close, without a word. For long minutes, only the crackle of the fire filled the space. Then he spoke.—Do you want to know everything? —he asked, without looking at me.
I nodded.
—Then tomorrow, we'll go down to the crypts. That's where it all began. That's where you'll understand what I am… and why you're here.
—You talk as if this were a normal situation.
—It's not easy for me to explain all this. —He paused and sighed.— I'll give you the choice after you've seen everything.
—It's not that simple —I said—. My family is ruined. As selfish as my own desires might be, I have to think of my younger brothers. This marriage will save my family from losing everything.
—A promise is a promise. Tomorrow, whatever you decide, I won't let your family fall. Even if you choose not to be my wife.
A sharp ache went through my chest. This man owed me nothing, didn't even know me, and yet something told me this wasn't his original plan. Something—or someone—had made him deviate. I could see it in the way his expression and words didn't quite align. What else was he hiding from me?
He didn't let me answer. He stood, gave a slight bow, and walked away.
…
Dawn spilled through the windows like a golden whisper. The warm, quiet light brushed against the stone walls of the house. I hadn't slept well, but fatigue felt distant now. It was as if my body understood that rest was no longer an option.
I dressed in silence, in clothes more comfortable than usual, though every part of me warred between anticipation and fear. The crypts. The place where, according to Declan, everything began. I didn't know if I was ready. But he was. And I had said I wanted answers.
I found him waiting at the entrance. Wearing a black shirt open at the collar, hair pulled back, Declan looked like a shadow born from the dawn.
Running away felt childish compared to this. I had the overwhelming sense that I was meant to stay. Every fiber of me was being pulled here, as if the island itself—and him—were my center of gravity.
—Are you sure? —he asked bluntly.
I took a deep breath and nodded.—I want to know.
A faint smile curved his lips. One of those smiles that never quite reached the eyes but hid a whole world behind them.—Come. —He took my hand again, and sparks jumped between us. He squeezed my hand a second later. Had he felt it too?
We walked down a hallway I'd never seen before. Before we reached the staircase, Declan suddenly stopped and held out his arm to block me.
—I need you to know —he said without turning— that if at any point you feel overwhelmed, or if something changes inside you… you have to tell me. The crypts aren't like other places on this island. They listen. It can feel as if they're touching you.
What…?
I shivered. But his arm remained there, firm, holding me back from the threshold as if he could still shield me from what lay ahead. The gesture wasn't harsh. It was instinctive. As if my well-being was an extension of his own.
—Thank you —I murmured.
Only then did he lower his arm, and we kept going.
We descended a stone staircase that disappeared into darkness. The humidity grew with every step. The air was dense, heavy with memory. Declan carried an oil lantern, its light casting dancing shadows across the walls. As we went deeper, the silence thickened. As if the stones themselves were holding their breath. Was all of this beneath the house? It felt like a buried cave.
—These crypts belong to the original families who settled here three hundred years ago —he explained in a low voice, as if not to wake something sleeping below—. But most of the tombs aren't human.
My heart skipped a beat. I said nothing, but every pulse felt like a hammer against my ribs.
The corridor finally opened into a circular chamber. In the center stood a stone altar. On it, a closed book and an old metal box covered in engravings. Other inscriptions on the walls seemed to shift if you stared too long.
—This is where legends end… and the facts begin —Declan said, setting the lantern down and stepping toward the altar.
—Declan! Wait—
He stopped. Looked at me with that calm tension that always came before a storm.
—If you open that box… —I whispered, breathless— there's no turning back, is there?
—No —he whispered—. But we crossed that point a long time ago.
And then… he opened the box.