angel_writes00

A story about a place that neither exists in maps or history books, this place was called Athame.

•••

"The root of every fear is the unknown, yet how can one fear what they cannot grasp? Tch... how misleading." His voice, deep and rough, sent an involuntary shiver through her as he closed the distance between them with deliberate steps, his presence suffocating in its intensity.

With a slow, predatory grace, his fingers brushed along her jaw, settling on a strand of her scarlet hair, his touch deceptively tender. "Knowing me will matter little," he whispered darkly, his breath warm against her skin. "For even in the shadows of uncertainty, you will come to fear... and desire me all the same."

•••

Aricia, born with extraordinary abilities in a world that fears anything out of the ordinary, was destined for a marriage alliance to secure peace between kingdoms. 

But on the day of her engagement, her entire family is slaughtered—by the very family she was meant to marry into. 

Grief-stricken and consumed by vengeance, Aricia swore to destroy those who betrayed her. She would wield the very power they had feared against them, seeking justice with no mercy. After years on the run, she found shelter within an elemental clan, hiding her abilities and keeping to the shadows.

But her carefully constructed peace shattered in a single moment. A burning touch, a chance encounter with his haunting gray eyes—an unknown force within her stirred, threatening to unravel her carefully guarded secrets and the fragile balance of magic, madness, and vengeance she had built....

Vengeance Through Passion

The words came out slower than Aricia intended, heavy with disbelief. She stared at Vincent, arms crossed over her chest as if to protect herself from the whirlwind of confusion spinning inside her. 


No, those were not the first words she expected from this man—not after everything. 


Vincent, standing under the pale shadow of her cottage roof, looked calm but distant, as though he were already far away in thought. 


"Were you not crying to your friend about wanting to leave Xylaris?" he replied, his voice flat, almost bored. “I have excellent hearing?” 


'I wonder how much more he must've heard.. was it because he's a mors(grim reaper)?' 


He exhaled slowly, stepping back with a finality that made her heart twitch. 


“There you go,” he said, with an indifferent lift of his shoulders. “I free you.” 


A beat of silence passed before Aricia’s brows furrowed. 


“What?” she asked, stunned. “Are you joking with me this moment?” 


Chapter 80| All Too Strange