Echoes of the Past

Cassandra stood at the vibrant party, surrounded by lively conversations and echoing laughter. But her mind felt clouded, and a sudden sense of unease plagued her thoughts. The air felt dense as she mingled with the guests, but she couldn't shake off a disquieting premonition.

As she made her way towards the exit, a peculiar vision washed over her. In her mind's eye, she saw a woman cloaked in darkness, gliding slowly towards a blazing fire pit.

The flames danced hypnotically, casting eerie shadows on the faces of fervent onlookers. They lowered themselves before the woman, their heads bowed in reverent submission. A faint melody of incantations filled the air, carried by whispered words in an unknown language.

Cassandra's heart raced as the vision consumed her senses. She understood that this wasn't a mere hallucination, but a foreboding glimpse into the future. Something sinister was about to unfold, an event that could unleash havoc upon all those involved.

She quickly needs to tell about this to Victor. Who knows what problem this vision was trying to warn her?

***

Inside the old dusty room, Equinox tried to find Victor's diary which she knew he might keep it somewhere here in the library. After getting it, half of her questions will be answered. Why everything happened? What went wrong that time that she had to lose her everything?

She was trying to find it by skipping through various other books, when suddenly she heard foot steps noise coming inside the library.

She quickly got up from the place and hided inside a cupboard so no one can see her.

Victor walked inside his old library and noticed his personal box out in open. Someone was skipping through all the books he has written.

He raised his eyebrows wondering who it might be. Only he knows the secret code of entering his personal room. It might be someone close to him who might have entered inside.

Equinox breath was caught off guard when she saw it was Victor. She was scared to move because she knew he would recognise her even by the sound of her breathing.

If by chance he caught her, she will have no chance but to confront him. She can't use her magic in the diamond palace so talking to him while changing appearance would be impossible. He won't fall for same trick again and again. She have to wait till he leaves.

After some time, the room again went quiet. She heard noise of door closing. Which means he might be gone now.

She slowly got out from cupboard, making sure no one was around.

Her attention was so on fixing her dress that she didn't noticed that she was not the only one who was present in the room.

"You really thought i left?"

By hearing the voice, Equinox's soul almost left her body. She wanted nothing but to run away from that place. She was not ready yet. Her body was standing like a statue, not daring to move.

As Equinox stood frozen in the dimly lit room, her eyes locked with Victor's, a torrent of emotions flooded her senses. She felt the weight of a thousand years bearing down on her, memories swirling just beyond her grasp like whispers in the wind.

Victor's gaze held hers, searching, probing, as if seeking answers in the depths of her soul. His eyes, once familiar, now seemed like distant stars in a night sky, shining with a mixture of longing and pain. He wanted to go towards her and hug her and tell her how much he missed her. But he could not anymore except standing in same place staring at her.

"I... I didn't know you would be here," she whispered, her voice barely a breath against the silence of the room. Her heart ached with a longing she couldn't name, a yearning for something lost to the sands of time.

Victor's expression softened, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Nor did I," he admitted, his voice a gentle caress against the stillness of the night. "But fate has a way of bringing the past back to us, whether we are ready for it or not."

Equinox felt a shiver run down her spine at his words, a sense of deja vu washing over her like waves crashing against the shore. Her pulse quickened as she turned to flee, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the room. But before she could take another step, Victor held her hand, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Don't go," He pleaded, his voice raw with emotion, the mask of stoicism crumbling before her eyes. "Please, don't leave me again."

The desperation in his voice struck a chord deep within Equinox's soul, stirring feelings she had long buried beneath layers of pain and regret.

Victor's eyes bore into hers, haunted and pleading, his hands trembling at his sides as if reaching out for something just beyond his grasp. "I can't lose you again," he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper, heavy with the weight of a thousand years of longing.

Tears welled in Equinox's eyes, the floodgates of her heart threatening to burst open with the intensity of her emotions. She reached out a trembling hand toward him, fingers outstretched as if to touch the fragile threads that bound them together across time and space.

They were so lost in themselves that they didn't noticed someone else was in room too.

As Equinox and Victor stood locked in their emotional exchange, the heavy silence of the room was suddenly pierced by the soft sound of Cassandra's footsteps.

As she watched them together, Her eyes welled with tears, a silent testament to the shattered pieces of her own heart, replaced by a bittersweet ache that threatened to consume her whole.

Seeing the man who she had unrequited love for years with his lover should have sparked a fire of jealousy, a pang of longing for a love she could never have. But instead, as she watched the tenderness in his gaze, the raw emotion etched on his face, she felt a strange sense of peace wash over her.

She wasn't jealous. No, she realized with a start, she was happy for him. Happy that he had found his way back to the one who held his heart, even if it meant that hers would remain forever out of reach.

Who said when you love someone you should get them? She knew that some stories were meant to be lived, even if they weren't her own.

She turned around to leave because she wanted them to have their moment. Her problems can wait. With heavy heart and smile on face she disappeared into the shadows.

***

Anastasia lay on her bed, staring at the bandaged wound on her leg. She blushed as she remembered how Ezen had gently wrapped it, like he felt her pain too. She thought maybe she was falling for him, but she was too proud to admit it. She wanted him to make the first move.

Suddenly, a bird flew in through the window, carrying a letter. It said someone wanted to talk to her in the garden secretly. Anastasia's heart raced when she saw Ezen's name at the bottom. She wondered why he didn't just come back like he said he would.

Ignoring her doubts, she jumped out of the window with her magic and headed to the garden, thinking Ezen had changed his plans. But when she called his name, no one answered. Confused, she turned to leave, but someone grabbed her and made her smell something funny.

She struggled, but it was no use. Darkness took over as she fell unconscious, lost and scared in the garden.

Before she could react, a hand clamped over her mouth, and the sickly sweet scent of chloroform filled her senses.

Panic surged through her veins as she struggled against the unseen assailant, her mind reeling with fear and confusion. Who is this person and why can't she use powers in this moment?

With every ounce of strength she possessed, Anastasia fought against the overpowering force that held her captive. But her efforts were in vain, the chloroform clouding her thoughts and weakening her resolve with each passing moment. Before she fell unconscious, only one name stayed on her lips which she knew would save her from any problems. She hoped Ezen would find her, she dropped her ruby necklace on the ground to give hint about her abduction, before her eyes closed.

***

Ezen felt weird, almost like he couldn't breathe because he felt something was wrong. Someone was calling for him but don't know who. Ignoring his feelings he continued his plan of making Larissa confess where dahlia might be right now.

He has been trying to get it out from her when she is drunk but she didn't opened her mouth and kept talking crap about their past.

He had enough of her wasting his time, he stood up to leave because this question was going no where. But Larissa finally opened her mouth.

"You think I am idiot Ezen? You think just by your charm you will find out where dahlia is?" She smirked. "I like you but not that much that I will give up my life for you."

"If you knew it then why were you wasting my time acting drunk?" He understood she was pretending from before. But what's the reason?

"You think I was falling for your plan?" Larissa laughed. "Actually you fell in my trap and are doing exactly what I want you to do. You are kin in finding a way to kill me and my brother. But have you wondered what might be happening behind scenes? Do you even know where your fake wife... I mean Anastasia might be?"

"What did you do to her!?" He quickly grabbed her neck angrily. Now he knows why he was feeling something bad happened before. He was more mad at himself that how can be so stupid that he fell into their trap? Their target was Anastasia from the start. "If something happened to her, I promise I'll kill you just like before!"

Larissa didn't react even if he was choking her. "Why so much care? Dont tell me you love her or something." She laughed. "And you think i am in pain by your touch. No! To be honest, I am not even here. You were wasting time for 10 minutes with a fake part of mine. I am currently making pyre to burn your precious Anastasia. Till you come, it will be too late. She will be dead till then and I'll be immortal." Larissa's fake body slowly disappeared leaving Ezen in panic.

Ezen's chest tightened with a mix of worry and panic as Larissa's words sank in. He couldn't believe he might have failed Anastasia. His mind raced with questions and doubts, but deep down, he knew he had to find her. He used his power to track Anastasia's whereabout and walks towards the place she was last seen.

With trembling hands, he followed the path to the garden, each step heavier than the last. The sight of Anastasia's red ruby necklace lying on the ground sent shivers down his spine. Bloodstains tainted its once vibrant color, painting a grim picture of what might have transpired.

Guilt gnawed at his insides as he replayed the moments leading up to her disappearance. If only he had been more attentive, more present. If only he had stayed by her side, none of this would have happened.

But now, standing amidst the darkness of the garden, Ezen felt something new stirring within him—an overwhelming need to find Anastasia, to make things right. The weight of regret hung heavy on his shoulders, but he refused to let it hold him back.

With determination blazing in his eyes, he swore to do whatever it took to rescue Anastasia from harm's way. Every fiber of his being screamed for her safety, urging him to push forward despite the uncertainty that lay ahead.

As he ventured deeper into the shadows, a newfound sense of purpose fueled his every step. He may have been a demon by nature, but in that moment, he embraced his humanity, his capacity to care, to love.

He didn't care for anything anymore. He wanted to find her. He can't let anything happen to her. The thought of her being hurt was making him crazy. Even if he have to burn whole town down he will do it to find her. Her safety is the only thing that matters to him now.