Elena didn't sleep the rest of the night.
She lingered on the balcony until the sky bruised purple with dawn.Kael eventually stepped outside with her — silent, noticing without pushing.
"You heard him again," he said quietly.
Elena nodded. "He's not here physically… but his magic is reaching for me."
Kael looked like he wanted to destroy the world and rebuild it just to keep her safe.
"Elena… when the time comes, will you let us fight for you?"
"I don't want anyone to die because of me."
Kael shook his head. "You didn't choose this fate. But you can choose how it ends."
Before she could answer, Lucian opened the balcony door, clearly having listened.
"We can't wait for Azel to make the next move. We need to get ahead of him."
🏛️ Strategy Room — Later
For the first time since Elena's return, the academy's highest strategists gathered:
Lucian
Kael
Liora
Three Council observers
Elena herself
A map of the kingdom floated magically above the table.
Lucian pointed to the east side. "Azel was last sensed near the Forest of Veilshade — heavily cursed territory."
A council member spoke sharply."Going there is suicide. His magic is strongest on cursed land."
Kael countered immediately:"And waiting here until he attacks again is safer?"
Elena took a shaky breath. "He won't stop unless he sees me."
Everyone stared.
Lucian clenched his fists. "You are not bait."
Elena answered softly, but firmly:"I'm not bait — I'm the reason he's here. And the only one who can end this without bloodshed."
Liora squeezed her arm, terrified but supportive."If you're going… I'm going."
Kael stepped forward. "I'll lead the mission."
Lucian didn't hesitate. "I'll protect her."
The Council tried to object — but Elena silenced them with a single sentence:
"This is my life. And I'll fight for it."
For the first time, she sounded like the Soulbearer fate feared.
🌫️ Journey to the Forest of Veilshade
The group left at sundown.
Lucian rode ahead on horseback — vigilant, silent, senses sharp.Kael stayed close to Elena — walking at her pace, matching each step.Liora chatted nervously, trying to lighten the mood, though fear shook her voice.
As they traveled deeper into cursed territory, the air changed.Whispers without voices.Shadows without shapes.
Liora shivered. "It feels like the forest is watching us."
Lucian drew his blade. "That's because it is."
Kael spoke to Elena quietly. "Stay close. If anything feels wrong — anything — tell me."
She nodded.
But with each step forward, she felt something else — something inside her responding to the forest.
The same pull she felt when Azel was near.
🌑 Heart of the Forest
They reached a clearing ringed by black-barked trees. A strange stone altar stood in the center — cracked, ancient, humming with faint magic.
Kael and Lucian immediately took defensive stances.
"Don't move," Lucian warned.
Elena didn't listen.
The closer she got to the altar, the more her heart raced — like memories were clawing upward.
And when she touched the stone—
A memory ripped through her:
A ballroomA danceHer wearing whiteAzel holding her handWhispering, "You promised me forever."
Then another memory—
Her standing in this very forestSame altarMark glowingSaying a vow:
"If I ever forget you in the next life…I will always find you again."
She staggered backward, gasping.
Kael grabbed her before she fell. "Elena! What happened?!"
She couldn't speak.
Lucian saw her expression change — and misunderstood. His voice turned hard.
"You're remembering him."
Elena didn't deny it.
Liora spoke desperately: "Remembering isn't loving. Trauma and love can feel the same inside a wound."
But then — the wind shifted.
Black feathers drifted from the sky.
Lucian raised his swords instantly.Kael shielded Elena behind him.Liora grabbed Elena's hand.
A familiar voice echoed through the trees —
soft, sorrowful, terrifying:
"You found your way back to me, Elena.Just like you promised."
Azel appeared at the edge of the clearing — not charging, not attacking.
He walked toward her slowly, like approaching something sacred.
His eyes weren't wild.They were full of desperate tenderness.
"Elena… you came."
The necklace glowed crimson once more — reacting to him and to her memory.
Kael growled. "One step closer and I sever your spine."
Lucian pointed his blade at Azel's heart. "Release her from the curse — or die."
Azel didn't even look at them. His eyes stayed locked on Elena.
"Elena," he whispered, voice shaking,"tell them to lower their weapons."
Her heart hammered painfully.Not because she wanted to protect Azel — but because she remembered the truth.
She was the one who made the vow first.
Her voice broke. "Azel… why did you kill me?"
Azel's face twisted — pain, regret, longing.
"You were slipping away. Someone else stole your heart. I saw the future — you loved him more than me. I panicked. I thought if I ended your life… fate would reset. I was wrong. I lost you."
He stepped forward one more slow step.
"Now I'm doing it right. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to win you back."
Kael snarled. "You will NEVER have her."
Azel finally tore his eyes from Elena — and when he looked at Kael, something vicious flashed:
"She chose me first. She loved me first."
Lucian stepped forward. "In a past life. Not this one."
Azel met his gaze — cold, fearless.
"Love doesn't disappear just because you die."
Elena felt the world press in on her — past and present colliding.
She had three men in front of her:
One she loved in a previous life
One who would die for her in this life
One who would destroy worlds for her
She stood between them — trembling.
Azel extended his hand.
"No spells. No force. Just a choice.Elena… will you come with me?"