Thorns of Obsession
---
Darkness stretched endlessly around me as I ran.
Not ordinary darkness.
This place felt alive.
It whispered.
Watched.
Waited.
---
But ahead of me—
There was light.
Faint.
Flickering.
Riven.
---
The closer I got, the louder the whispers became.
Thousands of voices layered together.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Cruel.
---
"HE WILL DESTROY YOU."
"THE CRIMSON HEIR ALWAYS DESTROYS EVERYTHING."
"RUN."
---
I ignored them.
---
Then finally—
I reached him.
---
Riven knelt in the center of the void, chained by shadows from his wrists, throat, and chest. Crimson cracks spread beneath his skin like fractures through glass.
His head hung low.
Still.
Silent.
---
My chest hurt just looking at him.
---
Me (softly):
"Riven."
---
He froze instantly.
Slowly—
His head lifted.
And the second his eyes met mine—
Pain crossed his face.
---
Riven:
"…No."
---
I stepped closer.
---
Riven (shaking):
"You shouldn't be here."
---
Even now.
Even trapped inside a nightmare.
His first thought was protecting me.
---
I crouched in front of him carefully.
---
Me:
"I came to bring you back."
---
He laughed weakly.
Broken.
---
Riven:
"There's nothing left to bring back."
---
The shadows tightened around him violently as if agreeing.
Dark blood ran down his wrists where the chains cut into his skin.
---
Anger flared inside me instantly.
Not at him.
At the curse.
At the Council.
At the generations of suffering forced onto him before he was even born.
---
I reached toward the chains.
The darkness hissed violently.
---
Riven (panicked):
"DON'T TOUCH THEM!"
---
But I already had.
---
Pain exploded through my hand instantly.
Memories crashed into me—
Screaming.
Blood.
Kings drowning in shadows.
Crimson heirs slaughtering entire cities after losing control.
The First King crying over the body of the first Seal.
Centuries of obsession.
Centuries of grief.
Centuries of people destroying the things they loved most.
---
I gasped sharply and nearly collapsed.
Riven caught me before I could fall.
Even chained.
Even breaking apart.
He still caught me.
---
Riven (desperate):
"You see now?"
---
Tears burned my eyes.
Because I finally understood the truth.
The curse wasn't born from hatred.
It was born from fear of loss.
---
Riven pressed his forehead weakly against mine.
---
Riven:
"If you stay with me…"
His voice cracked.
---
Riven:
"…this thing will keep trying to turn me into a monster."
---
I grabbed his face immediately.
---
Me:
"Then we fight it together."
---
The shadows around us trembled violently.
---
Riven:
"You don't understand."
---
Me:
"No. YOU don't understand."
---
For the first time—
He went silent.
---
I took a shaking breath.
---
Me:
"I'm done watching people decide what we're supposed to become."
---
Golden light began spreading slowly across my skin.
The Seal responding.
Listening.
---
Me:
"The Council wanted a weapon."
The chains weakened slightly.
---
Me:
"The First King wanted a prison."
More cracks spread through the darkness.
---
Me:
"But I just want YOU."
---
Riven stared at me like the words hurt him.
Like nobody had ever chosen him over fear before.
---
The void suddenly screamed.
Literally screamed.
---
Shadows exploded around us violently.
A massive shape began forming behind Riven—
The entity.
The true source of the curse.
---
Countless crimson eyes opened within the darkness.
Watching us.
Hungry.
Ancient.
---
Entity:
"THE HEIR BELONGS TO ME."
---
The pressure nearly crushed me instantly.
But I didn't move.
---
I tightened my grip on Riven instead.
---
Me:
"No."
---
The entity roared.
The void shattered around us.
---
Entity:
"LOVE ALWAYS ENDS IN RUIN."
---
The First King's voice echoed faintly somewhere beyond the darkness.
---
First King:
"…That's what I believed too."
---
The golden light around me brightened violently.
Not consuming.
Warm.
Alive.
---
I looked directly at the creature.
At centuries of pain and obsession given form.
---
Me:
"You're wrong."
---
The entity lunged.
Darkness swallowed everything instantly.
---
And Riven screamed my name.
---
Then—
Light exploded.
---
Not from the Seal.
Not from the curse.
From us.
---
The bond between us ignited completely at last.
Golden light and crimson shadows collided violently before merging together instead of destroying each other.
The chains around Riven shattered instantly.
The void cracked apart.
And for the first time in centuries—
The curse hesitated.
---
Riven stared at me in shock.
The darkness in his eyes faded slowly.
Human again.
---
Riven (whispering):
"…How?"
---
I smiled through tears.
---
Me:
"Because I chose you."
---
The entity screamed as golden cracks spread across its body.
The entire void collapsed around us.
---
Far away—
I saw the First King standing alone beside the black sea.
Watching.
And for the first time—
Smiling peacefully.
---
Then his body dissolved into light.
Gone.
Free.
---
The curse shattered with him.
---
Everything faded.
Darkness.
Light.
Pain.
Until finally—
I opened my eyes.
---
Morning sunlight spilled across ruined stone.
Rain had stopped.
The Hollow was gone.
Collapsed into silence.
---
And beside me—
Riven was alive.
---
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
We just stared at each other like we couldn't believe it.
Then suddenly—
Riven pulled me against him hard enough to hurt.
---
Riven (shaking):
"You idiot…"
---
I laughed weakly against his shoulder.
---
Me:
"You're welcome."
---
His arms tightened around me immediately.
Like he never intended to let go again.
---
Above us, the storm clouds finally began to clear.
For the first time in centuries—
The Crimson curse was gone.
No Council.
No Seal.
No destiny.
---
Just us.
---
Riven pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against mine.
His voice was quieter now.
Softer.
Human.
---
Riven:
"So what happens now?"
---
I looked toward the rising sun beyond the ruins.
Then back at him.
---
And smiled.
---
Me:
"Now we live."
---
[The End]