The crystal felt impossibly cold in Kaelen's palm, its sharp edges digging into his skin as if it were warning him, reminding him of the world of danger he was about to step into. He couldn't explain why, but there was something about it something almost... alive.
What the hell is this? he thought, turning it over in his hand as he stood frozen in the doorway.
The encounter with Elira had left him shaken, her words echoing in his mind like a drumbeat he couldn't silence. "You're in deeper than you think." What did she mean by that? And why had she come to him now?
Kaelen took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He had to focus. He couldn't let himself be distracted by cryptic strangers and magic he didn't understand. His primary goal was to survive—everything else would come after that.
But that damn pull he felt from Darius... It gnawed at his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it lingered, like an itch he couldn't scratch.
He shoved the crystal into his pocket and walked over to his desk, trying to get a grip on his emotions. The room seemed to close in around him, the silence suffocating. The walls, the floor, everything felt like it was closing in on him, drawing him into something he couldn't control.
Focus, Kaelen. Focus.
Just as he was about to sit down, another knock at the door this time, it was sharper, more urgent.
Kaelen froze. He knew who it was without even looking.
He opened the door to find Darius standing in the hallway, his dark presence towering over him. His crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, and his expression was unreadable stoic, but there was something lurking beneath the surface, something dangerous.
"You've been avoiding me," Darius's voice was low, almost like a growl. "I gave you a chance to come to me willingly. Now, I've come to collect."
Kaelen's stomach churned. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until the air rushed back into his lungs. "You don't just get to show up here whenever you want. Who the hell do you think you are?" he snapped, trying to muster some kind of courage, but his voice wavered despite himself.
Darius tilted his head, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. "I think you know exactly who I am. You're not fooling anyone, Kaelen. Not even yourself."
Kaelen's mind raced. His heart was pounding. Every instinct screamed for him to slam the door in Darius's face, to tell him to leave, to fight back. But something in Darius's gaze held him in place, paralyzed as if he were caught in the grip of some unseen force.
"I've come to give you a choice," Darius continued, stepping forward, his dark aura pressing against Kaelen like an invisible weight. "You can continue to resist, and I'll take what I need by force, or..." He paused, letting the silence stretch. "You can come to me freely. You can accept your fate."
Kaelen clenched his fists at his sides. "I'm not going anywhere with you," he spat, trying to push the fear from his voice.
Darius's expression remained impassive, but his eyes darkened with something that could almost be called amusement. "That's your choice, then. But don't mistake me, Kaelen. You're already mine, whether you like it or not."
The words hit Kaelen like a physical blow, and he staggered back, trying to steady himself. The weight of Darius's presence in the room pressed down on him even more, suffocating him, as if the very air around him had changed.
"I'm not yours," Kaelen managed to choke out, his throat tight. "And I never will be."
Darius's gaze darkened, his voice a low rumble. "You can deny it all you want, Kaelen. But that won't change the fact that the prophecy is already in motion. You don't have a choice anymore."
Kaelen opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Darius closed the distance between them, his hand grabbing Kaelen's wrist in a vice-like grip. His touch burned through Kaelen's skin, a searing heat that spread through his body like wildfire.
Kaelen gasped, unable to pull away as Darius leaned in closer, his lips brushing against Kaelen's ear.
"You're mine now, Kaelen," Darius whispered. "And soon, you'll understand why. I'll make sure of it."
A wave of panic flooded Kaelen's senses, but he refused to show it. He had to stay calm. He had to—
"Leave me alone," Kaelen hissed, twisting his arm to break free from Darius's grasp.
To his surprise, Darius let go, stepping back with a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'll give you space. For now," he said with a dark chuckle. "But don't think for a second you can outrun me, Kaelen. The path you're on is already set."
With that, Darius turned and walked away, his presence fading down the hall like a shadow retreating into the night.
Kaelen stood there for a long moment, his breath ragged, heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't even realized how tightly he'd been holding his breath until the sound of his own heartbeat filled the silence.
What the hell just happened?
He stumbled back into his room, hands shaking as he slammed the door shut behind him. The room felt even colder now, the shadows stretching longer across the walls, as if Darius's presence still lingered in the corners of the room.
Kaelen collapsed onto his bed, trying to calm his frantic thoughts, but nothing made sense. Why me? He had never asked for any of this. He didn't want any of it.
But now that he was in this mess, it seemed there was no way out. The prophecy, Darius, the magic that flowed through him—it was all too much.
He clenched his fist, the crystal Elira had given him digging into his palm.
Survive.
That was all he could think of. If he had to fight he would. If he had to run he would. He would do whatever it took to escape whatever fate awaited him.
But deep down, Kaelen couldn't shake the feeling that he was already too far gone.
And Darius... he was right. Kaelen was already his.