Chapter 2 - The Bond Between Life and Death

The grand amphitheater was packed to the brim. The glow of lanterns bathed the towering stone pillars in a warm, golden hue, casting flickering shadows upon the eager crowd. As the murmurs of anticipation swelled through the stands, the heavy curtains finally rose, unveiling the grand stage where the legendary tale was about to unfold.

A hush fell over the audience as the first scene began with the narrator telling the story about,

Aisha Aeroen was born from a cursed clan. Her red hair blazed like fire, her eyes dark as the void, and her body bore the marks of a thousand battles. She was feared and despised — a weapon molded to protect a kingdom that reviled her till her soul vanquish completely from Mithel.

And yet, there was one who saw her for more than her curse and a weapon. Zacchurs Fae, the youngest prince of Azove, shone like the sun itself — golden-haired, amber-eyed, and beloved by all. His touch could heal, his laughter could chase sorrow. Yet the world that loved him also sought to control him.

The stage shifted to the moonlit gardens of Azove, where the two first met. Their love was forbidden, tragic, and beautiful—a fleeting beacon in a world descending into ruin.

Aisha, surrounded by fear, and can travel anywhere in Mithel had longed for love but dared not hope for it. Prince Zacchurs, cherished by everyone who heard abou him, longed for freedom and equality. Among thousands, they only had each other.

"Why do you stay near me?" the girl playing Aisha asked the boy playing the prince, her voice sharp as her blade.

"Because when I'm with you, I am alive," he replied, 'the weight of his words steeped in longing. For the Prince Zacchurs, life had always been a gift given to others — a healer's touch, a flicker of hope — but with her, he felt its fullness, every heartbeat a moment of belonging rather than mere survival.' Narrator said in an affectionate tone and changes his tone to grave and continues.

'But the kingdom's chains weighed heavy. The Prince, with all his power, grew to despise how his people treated Aisha and the others bound by the king's will through magic.He sought a way to break the curse, to free her — even if it meant plunging the world into darkness.'

As the Scene shifted, They heard a man saying to another man beside him, "Ah!...it seems they are going with that controversial story based on the theory that Prince Zacchurs brought the Devil to Mithel in the name of love" for which his companion nods and admirngly said, "how bold of them to use this version out of others" Just in time, the narrator continues his story

'One night, under the silver glow of twin moons'

 Aisha confronted him saying "You brought the darkness."

"I did," he admitted, his voice steady. "For you."

Her eyes burned with fury. "Why?"

The narrator with exaggerated voice 'He felt his Memories flashed'

And the man playing Prince Zacchurs said in the background, 'when others including his family praised his beautiful smile, she alone asked him "why is your smile ugly?" and when others ask him to hold his tears, she sits next to me and gave her shoulder so that he could cry loudly, her kindness even to those who belittle and put her in this cruel fate, her innocent eyes when she looked at a flower bloomed for a first time, or when she saw a puppy approach her first.'

He stepped closer; his amber eyes fierce with emotion. He said to Aisha, "Because I want to see you smile when you see me. Laugh when I do something silly. Be angry with me, pout, cry, be jealous, feel joy, sadness, everything. I want you to be free, to see this world together with me."

Aisha's breath caught. "And you? What do you want for yourself?"

He smiled, a sad, beautiful smile. "Even if the world is burning, I want to live one more day with you."

Her heart ached, Aisha looks at him and asked, "Why does my heart always ache when you smile like that?" 

He kissed her forehead and touched his forehead with hers in silence as if it would answer.

Then the woman playing Aisha in the background said, "she could feel her Memories flashed — the first time she had seen him smile, the warmth of his hand as he tried to heal her scars, and cried when he couldn't do it, the way he had always looked at her eyes with unshakable faith and, embrace her when others hesitate to look at her eyes . The way his face would give a bright ugly smile, when others did something he didn't like, the way he would swear at others when they belittle me. and now, the way he is currently looking at me with emotion in his eyes she didn't understand."

Aisha reached for his hand, her voice breaking. "Then I will stand with you, even against the end of all things."

As the scned shifts to the next scene, the narrator takes over and continued as the background shifts to bare land and smoke were released from the side of the stage as background effect and the actors were seen fighting over a dark monster, "The world remembers, When Lux rose to swallow Mithel, how they stood together against the darkness, when all were losing hope and engulfed in the darkness, almost all the kingdoms fell and it finally reaches to Azove, there she was standing waiting for it, 

 Aisha Aeroen became Death incarnate, her blade striking with unerring fury. her blade a whirl of crimson fury. Her eyes burned with darkness as she carved through legions of shadow-beasts. Each strike of her sword was a requiem, and her very presence made the battlefield tremble. Her curses lashed through the air, unravelling the darkness with a fury that seemed endless."

When Aisha prepared to sacrifice herself, she turned to the Prince, who had come up behind her and reached out, taking her hand. "Since the world is ending," she said, "I want to die next to you."

He whispered back, shaking his head and his voice filled with resolve, "I would burn this world if it meant one more day with you being to express your emotions. But you want to save it. So, here I am—with you." 

And so, Prince Zacchurs Fae stood beside her as Life's final hope. His right hand glowed with golden light and the left hand holding a staff raised and a barrier was formed against the encroaching void. Each fallen soldier he touched rose again, their wounds sealing with radiant power. His voice, calm and strong, echoed commands that brought unity to the chaos

Death prepared to protect the world, and Life stood ready to protect Death.

They faced the darkness together. Aisha fought with steel and fury; Prince Zacchurs fought with light and love.

The clash of their powers sent ripples throughought Mithel. Storms gathered above as the sky split in two — one half consumed by eternal night, the other ablaze with searing light. The earth beneath their feet fractured, molten rivers flowing as the air filled with screams and the keening of shadows.

Then the curse upon Aisha cracked.

A scream pierced the heavens as blinding light erupted from her heart, a tempest of pure fire that devoured the darkness. The shadows shrieked and writhed, their forms burning to ash as the ground trembled with fury. The scent of scorched iron and bitter sorrow hung heavy as the curse shattered, its chains falling like broken stars. And the play eneded with Aisha weeping bitterly holding the body of the prince in a dramatic way.

As the play reached its heart-breaking climax, the audience fell into hushed reverence. The curtains fell, and the crowd erupted in applause, moved by the tale of love filled with flaws, sacrifice, heroism and endless love.