The air had turned colder since Lorenzo's return, as if the forest itself recoiled from the dark presence that had awakened. The trees whispered in foreign tongues, the ground crackled underfoot, and even the moonlight seemed to hesitate before touching the earth.
Selena couldn't sleep that night.
She sat near the remains of the cathedral's broken altar, tracing her fingers over the crimson-stained stone where Dante had once knelt, his body carved with pain and prophecy. She could still feel the phantom heat of his skin, still hear his oath echoing in the corners of her mind: "To burn—but never alone."
It wasn't just the fear of Lorenzo that kept her awake. It was the fear of what Dante might become. Of what she might have to become to stop it.
"You're thinking too loudly," Dante said quietly from behind her.
Selena turned, startled. "I didn't hear you come in."
He walked into the light, shadows dancing along his bare arms. The markings on his skin had grown darker, thicker, like vines curling tighter around his soul. He was changing, and she didn't know if she could stop it—or if she was supposed to.
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Too many questions."
Dante sat beside her, their shoulders brushing. "Ask them."
She hesitated, then said, "What did Alara mean when she said the bond connects enemies too?"
Dante's jaw tensed. "The curse that links us... it's old magic. It was meant to bind two halves of one power, light and dark. But when a bond like ours is forced, it pulls at both sides, sometimes creating more destruction than unity. Lorenzo... he's my mirror. My mistake. And now, he's tethered to us."
Selena's heart dropped. "You mean... if we grow closer, he grows stronger?"
"Yes," Dante said. "But if we break apart, it could kill us both. The bond has already been sealed by blood and fire. There's no undoing it now."
The weight of his words settled like ash in her lungs. "So we're cursed no matter what."
"Not cursed," he said, meeting her gaze. "Chosen."
"Chosen by what?"
He looked toward the moon. "By whatever gods decided that love would never come without war."
They sat in silence until a sudden roar shattered the night.
Not human.
Not animal.
Something else.
Dante stood instantly, his entire body tense. "That's near the village."
Selena followed without question. They raced through the woods, the path lit only by Dante's fire as it flickered across the trees. Smoke curled in the air ahead. Screams echoed.
When they emerged from the forest, chaos reigned.
The village was under siege—not by soldiers or beasts, but shadows. Living, breathing darkness that clawed through buildings and people alike. The air was thick with ash and blood.
Dante didn't hesitate. He surged forward, flames exploding from his hands as he tore through the shadows like a vengeful god. Selena moved beside him, adrenaline overriding her fear.
But then she saw her.
Alara.
Standing at the center of it all, untouched, unbothered, watching the carnage unfold like a queen admiring her throne of corpses.
Selena marched toward her, fury boiling in her veins. "You did this."
Alara turned, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "You misunderstand, dear. I merely opened the door. Your bond did the rest."
"What do you mean?"
"You and Dante are power incarnate—light and dark forced into one flame. But flames devour. And what do they burn first? Everything close to them."
Selena clenched her fists. "We'll stop you."
Alara laughed. "You can't stop what you are."
Before Selena could react, Alara vanished in a burst of obsidian smoke.
Dante called her name, and she turned just in time to see a shadow creature leap toward him. She threw out her hand instinctively—and fire erupted from her palm.
The creature turned to ash midair.
She stared at her hand, shaking. "I... I didn't mean to—"
"You're awakening," Dante said, awe and fear in his voice. "The bond is giving you power."
Selena looked at the destruction around her. "Then I have to learn to control it. Before it controls me."
They spent the rest of the night saving who they could, putting out fires, burying the dead. By dawn, the village was a ruin—but it still stood.
Exhausted and bloodied, Dante and Selena returned to the cathedral.
He collapsed against the altar. "We won. For now."
She sat beside him. "We need help."
"There's no one left who can help us."
She looked at him, her expression resolute. "Then we become what we need. I'm done waiting. I want to learn everything. About the curse. About the bond. About what I am."
Dante searched her face, as if trying to find a trace of the girl she had been just days ago. "You're changing."
"So are you."
He reached out and brushed a streak of soot from her cheek. "You terrify me, Selena."
She smiled faintly. "Good. That means I'm doing something right."
They didn't kiss.
They didn't need to.
Because something deeper passed between them—a vow unspoken, sealed in blood and fire and the ruins of a world that wanted them dead.
And in that silence, that fragile heartbeat of calm before the next storm, Selena knew one thing for certain:
The war was far from over.
But she would walk through fire for him.
And he, for her.
Because love wasn't soft.
It was a weapon.
And they were ready to wield it.
Together.