The wind howled like a wounded beast as the cursed moon bathed the ruined cathedral in a ghostly light. Selena's footsteps echoed across cracked stone as she stepped inside, her every instinct screaming to turn back. But she couldn't. Not now. Not when the truth clawed so violently at the edge of her mind.
Dante had disappeared after their last confrontation with Alara, vanishing without explanation. Days had passed, each one weighing heavier on her heart. She knew he was hiding something—something that threatened to tear apart the fragile connection they had built. But she couldn't let him carry it alone.
The cathedral smelled of dust, blood, and old magic. Shadows twisted along the broken pews and shattered stained glass, dancing like whispers of forgotten gods. The remnants of forgotten rituals and long-dead prayers seemed to hum in the air. And in the center of the ruined altar stood Dante.
His back was to her.
His shirt gone.
His skin glowing faintly with the mark—the curse—that bound them.
"Dante," she whispered, voice trembling.
He turned slowly. His eyes glowed like twin embers, filled with torment, hunger, and a hollow kind of pain that stole the air from her lungs.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice hoarse.
"You said you'd protect me," she replied. "But now I'm the one protecting you."
He gave a humorless smile. "I'm losing control, Selena. This curse… it's changing me."
She stepped forward, unafraid. "Then let me help you. Don't shut me out."
"I could kill you," he said, jaw clenched. "This fire inside me—it's not just pain anymore. It's fury. It's chaos."
"And it's yours," she said. "Not Alara's. Not the curse's. Yours. Control it. Or let me help you control it."
He turned away, his shoulders tight with restrained energy. "You don't understand. I hear voices in my head, Selena. Her voice. Alara's. The curse feeds on me. And now… it feeds on you too."
Selena faltered. "You knew. You knew she bound us both."
"Yes," he said bitterly. "The moment we kissed. The bond awakened not just love—but the curse itself. She embedded herself in it."
Selena's breath caught. "Then we break it."
"You don't break a curse like this," he said. "You survive it… or you burn."
She walked right up to him, placed her hand against his chest where the cursed mark pulsed beneath his skin. "Then let's burn together."
He looked at her, something breaking behind his eyes. "I don't want to lose you."
"Then stop running from me."
He pulled her into his arms suddenly, violently, as if afraid she might vanish if he waited another second. His lips crashed into hers—hot, desperate, wild.
And then the flames came.
Crimson and gold, they burst from his skin like a second soul, wrapping around them both. But she didn't scream. She didn't flinch.
She clung to him.
Because this was what love meant now. Not safety. Not comfort. But fire. Shared pain. Devotion that demanded scars.
As their lips parted, he gasped against her throat. "You're not burning…"
"I'm already marked," she whispered. "Your flames recognize me."
But then the ground trembled. A deep, guttural growl echoed through the cathedral. The shadows thickened at the edges of the room.
"She's here," Dante said. "Alara knows we've connected fully. She'll try to sever it."
Selena stood firm. "Then let her come."
The doors exploded inward, and a whirlwind of black mist surged forward. Alara appeared at the center, dark robes trailing like smoke, eyes glittering like cold stars.
"You were never meant to be, Selena," Alara said with a mocking smile. "He was mine. The curse was mine. And you… you're just an interruption."
Dante stepped in front of Selena. "You won't touch her."
"Oh, but I already have," Alara said sweetly, lifting her hand. "The bond ties her to me too. Didn't he tell you? You are cursed by proxy, little mortal."
Selena's knees weakened, but she gritted her teeth. "Then we'll sever that tie. Together."
Alara laughed. "You think love can break a blood spell older than kingdoms?"
"No," Dante said. "But sacrifice can."
Selena turned to him sharply. "What are you—"
Before she could finish, Dante drew a dagger from the folds of his belt. The same ceremonial blade used by the cursed kings of his bloodline. The blade that fed on power… and on soul.
He slashed his palm, blood dripping onto the floor.
"No!" Selena cried. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't," Dante said. "But I can transfer it. All of it. The curse. The power. To me alone. You'll be free."
"Don't you dare leave me like this," she said, eyes wild. "We fight together, or not at all."
He cupped her face, kissed her forehead. "You saved me. Let me save you back."
Alara shrieked, sensing the spell's build-up. She launched herself forward—but Selena stepped in her path.
She raised her own hands, light flaring at her fingertips. "I won't let you take him."
Their powers clashed—light against shadow. Selena and Alara screamed in unison as the cathedral shook, glass exploding, stone groaning.
And in the center of it all—Dante whispered the final words of the blood spell.
There was silence.
Then light.
And then… nothing.
Selena woke alone.
The cathedral lay in ruins. Alara was gone. And Dante…
She found his body by the altar, the mark burned out of his skin.
"No," she whispered, crawling to him. "Dante, no…"
But then—his chest rose.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Alive.
She sobbed, holding him close.
The curse was gone.
But the fire between them remained.
And as he opened his eyes, he whispered, "Together, we rise."
Together… they survived the dance of the cursed flames.