THE UNBINDING

The forest wanted a blood offering.

But what it got… was a love story.

That was the first sin.

---

Evelyn sat across from a woman who looked barely older than her, yet her eyes were hollowed with centuries of pain. Agatha Blackwood, the last surviving descendant of the original Hollow guardians, had been waiting.

The old chapel deep in the woods was crumbling, swallowed by ivy and moss. Carved in its stone altar was the rune burned into Evelyn's skin.

> "You want answers?" Agatha said.

> "You'll regret them."

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🌒 The Truth of the First Bride

Two hundred years ago, the Hollow demanded a sacrifice every decade—one soul to keep the forest from devouring the town.

They gave it orphans. Criminals. Then virgins.

Then… a bride.

Lilian Thorne.

The mayor's daughter.

Promised to a man she didn't love.

But she loved Silas.

> "He was human once," Agatha whispered.

"Beautiful. Kind. A healer."

But when they tried to run, the Hollow took revenge.

It killed the wedding guests.

It buried the town in darkness.

It twisted Silas's body into the very thing he hated—a beast.

And Lilian? She gave herself up to stop it.

She walked barefoot into the woods and let the Hollow take her.

But she made one mistake:

> She kissed Silas goodbye.

And that kiss bound her soul to the curse.

Now, every ten years, the Hollow doesn't just take a body—

> It searches for her spirit.

---

Evelyn backed away, her breath shaking.

"No," she muttered. "No, that's not possible."

Agatha looked at her with such deep pity.

> "The Hollow has stopped looking, Evelyn."

"It has found her."

> "You are Lilian's line. You are the unbinding."

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🌕 What Is the Unbinding?

Silas appeared then, soaked in rain, breath ragged. He had heard everything.

"If the Hollow kills her," he said, "it ends. The curse dies with her blood."

Evelyn stared at him, stunned. "So you brought me here... to die?"

His voice cracked.

> "No. I brought you here to choose."

Agatha stood. "You can give yourself… and free him. Or you can fight. But if you do—"

> "The Hollow will take this entire town."

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🩸 One Final Choice

They walked back to the cabin in silence. Evelyn stared at the fire, feeling it dance in rhythm with her heartbeat.

> One life for many. Hers.

> Or fight fate—and risk everything.

She turned to Silas.

"Would you let me go?" she asked.

His jaw clenched. "I would burn the forest to the ground first."

> "Even if it means becoming the monster forever?"

He didn't hesitate.

> "Especially then."

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