PROLOGUE

He drove his blade through me, his once-loving, beautiful blue eyes now ablaze with hatred. I had once cherished the way his gaze could pierce through the coldest of façades, revealing a warmth that felt like my own precious secret. I thought myself lucky, believing I was the only one who could see the tenderness hidden beneath his stoic exterior, embrace it entirely as my own.

His face was close to mine, and I could feel the heat of his breath mingling with the chill of betrayal as I pulled him closer, desperate for connection while he pushed the sword deeper, twisted it.

"Why?"

"You're a demon, a monster, an abomination among abominations, an evil worth severing from this world." His accusation was blunt that it echoed in my mind, clear and cutting, before he stepped back, creating a chasm between us as he withdrew the blade.

"No." I whispered to myself, gripping the sword tightly before it could escape completely, wounding my palms as they bled endlessly.

"Did you ever love me, even for a moment?" Tears streamed down my face as the words trembled from my lips.

"No." His response was unwavering, a chilling certainty that shattered what little hope remained that with renewed force, he yanked the sword free just as I summoned the courage to let go, entirely.

A familiar tingling sensation washed over me—one I had always known but buried deep in denial. I regretted holding on for so long, allowing myself to be ensnared by so brittle promises of eternal love and sacrifice. Perhaps, in my naivety, I had killed every sweet memory we had shared.

As I began to disperse, I transformed into crimson sparks, rising like embers into the vast, unforgiving dusk sky.

This was it—a day etched into my soul, impossible to erase, one no future life could ever eclipse. The memory of that moment, the day I found a bittersweet kind of freedom, the day I longed but couldn't have, that was the day I died.