CHAPTER 10: THE CHOICE WEIGHS HEAVIER

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silver glow over the stone courtyard. Evelynn's feet echoed in the silence as she paced back and forth in the shadow of the ancient castle, her mind in turmoil. Every step she took seemed to echo the decisions she was forced to make, each one more difficult than the last. The cold air bit at her skin, but it did nothing to numb the ache deep within her chest.

Darius's words still reverberated in her mind. You don't have to do this alone. We could rule this world together. The temptation was so powerful, so seductive. She had always felt like an outsider in this world of magic and curses, but with Darius… with him, she could be something more. Something powerful. Something that could change the world.

But at what cost?

Evelynn stopped her pacing and looked up at the towering walls of the castle. She had spent the last few days locked in this place, trapped in a web of choices that felt like no choices at all. She had hoped for an escape, for a way out of the curse that threatened to consume her, but every time she tried to run, she was pulled back, like a puppet on invisible strings.

"I've made my decision," she muttered to herself, her voice steady but uncertain. She had spent too long dithering, too long hiding from the truth. The curse would claim her eventually, and she couldn't keep pretending she had the luxury of time.

Just as she turned to walk back inside, she heard a sound—a faint rustling, barely audible, but it sent a chill through her spine nonetheless. Evelynn froze, her instincts on high alert. She wasn't alone. Not anymore.

The figure emerged from the shadows, moving with a predatory grace. Evelynn's breath caught in her throat as she saw him.

Darius.

His red eyes glowed faintly in the dark, reflecting the light of the moon like two bloodstones. His silhouette was imposing, framed by the darkness that seemed to bend around him like a cloak. He stepped closer, his movements deliberate, and for a moment, Evelynn felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her feet.

"You've been avoiding me," Darius said softly, his voice rich with amusement. "I thought we were past the games, Evelynn. But here you are, hiding from your own power."

"I'm not hiding," she snapped, though her voice faltered slightly. "I'm thinking."

"Thinking?" He stepped closer still, his eyes never leaving hers. "You've been thinking for days, and yet, you still haven't come to a conclusion. You know what you want. You know what you need."

Evelynn opened her mouth to argue, but the words stuck in her throat. He was right, in a way. She had been avoiding the inevitable. She had been hoping for some way out, some magical solution that would free her from the curse without having to make the painful choice that now loomed before her.

"You've been running from yourself," Darius continued, his tone soft, almost coaxing. "From what you could be. From what we could be together."

Evelynn's heart beat faster as his words wrapped around her like a vine, tightening with every syllable. She had tried to deny it, tried to suppress the feelings that surged within her every time he was near, but it was no use. The pull between them was undeniable, and the more she resisted, the stronger it became.

"I'm not like you," she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions. "I don't want to be like you."

Darius's lips curled into a smile, though there was no humor in it. "No one is like me, Evelynn. I am a product of the curse, just as you are. But you have something I don't—a choice. You're still human, still capable of making your own destiny. That's something you should treasure."

"Treasure?" She scoffed, her hands balling into fists. "You think I'm going to treasure the fact that I'm cursed? That I can't control what's happening to me? You think I want any part of this?"

Darius's expression softened, though his eyes remained as cold as ever. "You don't have to control it. You just have to accept it. Accept the power that flows within you. Accept me. And together, we can take everything we've ever wanted."

Evelynn swallowed hard, her throat dry. She felt her pulse quicken as her thoughts collided with one another. His words were dangerous—so dangerously alluring. She could feel the lure of the curse within her, the power pulsing beneath her skin, urging her to give in, to embrace what Darius was offering. The temptation to say yes was overwhelming. To surrender. To be free of the fear and uncertainty that had plagued her for so long.

But at what cost?

"What happens if I don't?" she asked, her voice trembling. "If I refuse you? If I try to fight this curse?"

Darius's gaze darkened, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something like pain in his eyes. "Then you will be consumed by it, Evelynn. Slowly, painfully. The curse doesn't care if you're ready. It doesn't care if you're willing. It will claim you in the end, and when it does, there will be nothing left of you but dust and shadows."

The air in the courtyard seemed to grow heavier, thicker, as if the very night itself were holding its breath. Evelynn felt the weight of his words settle over her like a shroud. There was no escaping the truth. The curse was inevitable. She could no longer deny it.

She turned her gaze to the castle doors, her mind racing, her heart torn. It felt like everything she had ever known was slipping away, like the very foundation of her existence was crumbling beneath her feet. But she couldn't hide from the truth anymore. She had to face it. She had to choose.

"I don't want to be like you," she repeated, though this time, her voice was stronger, more certain. "I don't want to embrace the darkness."

Darius didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. Evelynn's breath hitched as he placed a hand on her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle, despite the coldness that radiated from him.

"You don't have to be like me," he said quietly. "But you will be changed. You already are. Whether you like it or not."

Evelynn closed her eyes, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. She had come so far, and now it felt as though the choice had already been made for her. The curse had its hold on her, and there was no escaping it. The question now was whether she would embrace it... or let it consume her.