Chapter 43

Sarah's POV

The air was electric, a heavy pulse of tension thrumming through every corner of the mansion. The chants of the Blackwood family echoed off the walls, a haunting rhythm that seemed to blend with the very heartbeat of the house. The blood moon hung high above, its crimson light filtering through the shattered windows, bathing everything in an eerie glow. I lay bound on the altar, the cold stone beneath me leeching the warmth from my body.

But as I stared up at the pulsating moon, I felt something shift. The rhythm of the chants faltered, the harmonious unity unraveling into discord. The air grew thicker, more oppressive, as if the mansion itself was struggling to contain a force greater than the one it served.

Eleanor's voice, sharp and commanding, sliced through the chaos. "Focus! Do not stop!"

Victor tightened his grip on my wrists, his knuckles white, his usual stoic expression now lined with tension. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a desperate plea for salvation.

Then it came—a sound so deep and primal that it shook the very foundation of the mansion. A roar, not of rage or triumph, but of anguish and fury, as though the earth itself was crying out in defiance.

The walls trembled, cracks spidering across their ancient surface. The chandelier above us swayed violently, its crystals clinking like a symphony of shattered glass. The ritual's energy, once a steady current, now surged wildly, out of control.

Eleanor's eyes darted around, her confidence wavering. "What's happening?" she demanded, her voice laced with panic.

Victor shook his head, his grip on me slackening. "The demon—something's interfering."

Before anyone could react, the air around us seemed to split open. A rift formed in the center of the room, darkness spilling out like ink.

Axel.

He was no longer the man I had known. His presence was commanding, almost otherworldly. His eyes glowed with an intense light, a sharp contrast to the darkness that clung to him like a second skin. His movements were deliberate, each step resonating with an unspoken power.

"Let her go," Axel said, his voice low but resonant, carrying a weight that silenced the room.

Eleanor's face twisted in fury. "Axel! You dare defy the pact? You know what this means!"

Axel's gaze never left hers. "I know exactly what it means." He raised a hand, and with a flick of his wrist, Victor was thrown across the room, his body colliding with the wall in a sickening thud. Eleanor barely had time to react before Axel turned his focus to her.

"Your time is over," Axel said, his voice as cold as the grave. "The demon's hold on this family ends tonight."

Eleanor's composure cracked, her mask of control slipping. "You fool!" she spat. "Without the demon, we are nothing! Our immortality, our power—it will all be lost!"

Axel took another step forward, the air around him crackling with energy. "Then so be it."

The mansion groaned, the walls buckling as if struggling to contain the power surging through Axel. The blood moon's light flickered, its crimson hue dimming and brightening in an erratic pattern.

"Axel," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What are you doing?"

He turned to me, his expression softening for just a moment. "Saving you."

Eleanor lunged at him, her hands clawed and desperate. "You will not destroy centuries of power!" she screamed.

Axel didn't flinch. With a sweep of his arm, Eleanor was frozen mid-lunge, her body suspended in the air as if caught in invisible chains. She thrashed and screamed, but it was futile.

"Eleanor," Axel said, his voice low and menacing, "you've lived long enough on borrowed time."

The mansion trembled violently, and the light from the blood moon intensified, illuminating the room in a blinding red. The air grew colder, each breath like ice slicing through my lungs.

Axel approached the altar, his gaze fixed on me. "Sarah," he said softly, "this will end tonight. You will be free."

Tears streamed down my face. "And what about you?"

He didn't answer, but the look in his eyes told me everything.

"No," I said, my voice breaking. "There has to be another way."

Axel placed his hands on the altar, his touch sending a wave of warmth through the cold stone. "There's no other way," he said. "This curse has taken everything from us. It's time to take it back."

The light from the blood moon fractured, shards of crimson falling like rain. The demon's roar echoed again, but this time it was different—panicked, desperate. The oppressive weight of its presence began to lift, as if its power was being drained away.

Eleanor's screams grew louder, her body convulsing as the invisible chains tightened around her. "You'll doom us all!" she cried. "You'll destroy everything!"

Axel didn't waver. "Everything you've built was a lie."

The mansion began to collapse, the walls caving in as the roof crumbled. The ancient structure, held together by the demon's power, was disintegrating.

Axel's hands glowed with a brilliant light, the energy radiating from him like the sun. The cracks on the altar spread, and I could feel the curse breaking, the chains that had bound me to this dark legacy shattering.

The light engulfed everything, and for a moment, there was silence.

When the light faded, I found myself standing in an open field under a starless sky. The mansion was gone, reduced to rubble, and the blood moon was no more.

Axel stood beside me, his body flickering like a dying flame. The cracks on his skin spread, tiny fractures that glowed faintly.

"No," I whispered, reaching for him. "You can't leave me."

Axel smiled, a bittersweet smile filled with both love and sorrow. "The curse kept us alive, Sarah. Without it… this is the price."

Tears blurred my vision. "I can't do this without you."

"You can," he said gently. "You're stronger than you think."

His form began to fade, dissolving into the night. "Live, Sarah," he whispered. "For both of us."

And then he was gone.

I stood alone under the vast, empty sky, the weight of freedom pressing heavily on my shoulders. The curse was broken, but the cost was unbearable.

As the wind whispered around me, I closed my eyes and made a silent confession. "I love you too, Axel."