Part 1: The Mark of the Rose
The storm roke over Paris before sunrise. Rain slammed against the narrow streets, washing soot and blood into the gutters. The city, unaware of the war unfolding beneath its cobblestones, slept while gods and ghosts began to move again..Bill Moreau guided Elara into a hidden passage beneath the ruins of the northern district — a labyrinth of stone corridors and forgotten chambers known only to the Syndicate's oldest members. Every step echoed in the silence. Elara's hands shook, though not from fear. Her skin burned faintly under her collarbone, where a golden mark shimmered like a living brand. "Bill," she whispered, her voice tight. "It's happening again." He turned instantly — the soldier vanishing, replaced by the man. "Show me." She hesitated. Then, with trembling fingers, she pulled her collar down just enough to reveal the mark. It glowed faintly through her skin, shaped like a rose in bloom — its petals lined with gold veins that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. PBill's expression darkened. "Lucien did this." Elara swallowed hard. "But how? He wasn't even there." "He didn't need to be," Bill said, jaw tightening. "He left the link in the blade."
The Awakening He took her wrist gently, his hand rough but steady. The contact sent a spark of energy between them — not painful, just… alive. Her breath hitched. "I can remove it," he said. She nodded faintly. "Then do it." But when he pressed his palm over the mark, the glow spread — faster this time — climbing his arm like living fire. His breath caught, and for a heartbeat, the air around them shimmered with the same golden hue. Elara gasped. "Bill—!" He pulled away sharply, his eyes glowing like molten metal for a split second before dimming again. "No. It's bonded." "What does that mean?" "It means…" He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. "You carry a part of me now. And Lucien finds you—he'll use that bond to control both of us."
The Hideout They reached a dim underground chamber — an abandoned safehouse carved into the old catacombs. The walls were lined with crates and old weapons; a single lantern flickered against the damp stone. Bill sat heavily on a broken chair, his body tense, his voice low. "We'll rest here. Then we move before dawn." Elara leaned against the wall, her pulse still racing. "You're bleeding again." He ignored her. "Bill," she said more firmly, moving closer. "You can't keep pretending you're made of steel." He looked up then, his eyes meeting hers — that fierce, silent storm in his gaze. "And you can't keep pretending you're not afraid." Her lips parted, but no words came. He wasn't wrong. She was terrified — of Lucien, of the power inside her, of losing the only person who'd ever made her feel safe and alive in the same breath. "I'm not afraid of you," she said finally, quietly. He blinked — once, slow — as if those words struck deeper than any weapon could.
The Confession Bill stood, stepping closer. "You should be," he murmured. Elara didn't move. His voice dropped lower. "You don't know what I become when the power takes over. You saw what I did to the Mirror House." "You saved me," she said simply. "That's not saving, Elara. That's destruction disguised as mercy." She took a step forward, close enough that their shadows merged. "Maybe destruction is what this world needs." Something flickered in his eyes — a mix of pain and admiration. "You talk like someone who's already lost everything." She smiled faintly. "Maybe I have." Silence stretched between them, thick, fragile, charged. His hand brushed her arm, tracing the faint shimmer of gold beneath her skin. "Elara…" His voice broke slightly. "I swore I'd never take another vow." "Then don't," she whispered. "Just keep this one — whatever it is — between us."
The Intrusion The moment shattered with the echo of metal scraping stone. Bill turned instantly, gun drawn. "Stay behind me." From the darkness ahead, faint footsteps echoed — slow, deliberate. A man's voice spoke, smooth as silk. "Still hiding under Paris, brother? How poetic." Lucien. Bill's grip tightened around his weapon. "Show yourself." Lucien stepped from the shadows, dressed in black, rain dripping from his coat. His smile was calm, confident — terrifyingly composed. "Relax," he said. "If I wanted you dead, I'd have sent someone else." Bill sneered. "Like the assassin you resurrected?" Lucien shrugged. "Elaina served her purpose. You, on the other hand… you've become interesting again." His gaze slid to Elara — and his smile deepened. "And this must be the girl who carries your curse." Elara flinched. Bill stepped forward, blocking her from view. "You lay a hand on her, and I'll—" Lucien cut him off with a quiet laugh. "You'll what? Kill me again?" He gestured lazily toward the faint golden mark glowing on Elara's chest. "You've already done it for me. The bond is sealed. You're both pieces of the same vow now." Bill's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Break it." Lucien's eyes gleamed. "Why would I? When your love for her is the leash I've always needed."
In one fluid motion, Lucien raised his hand — and the golden light inside Bill exploded. Bill fell to his knees, gasping, clutching his chest. His veins lit up again, the glow searing through his body. Elara cried out, rushing toward him, but Lucien's voice echoed through the chamber like thunder. > "You swore to protect her. Now she'll be the one who destroys you." The walls began to shake. Cracks formed along the ceiling, dust raining down. Elara reached for him, tears streaking her face. "Bill! Look at me! Stay with me!" His eyes snapped open — bright gold, fierce, unrecognizing. And then his voice, cold and hollow, filled the air. "Elara… run." But before she could move, his hand closed around her wrist—too tight, too strong. And his eyes — once full of grief and longing — now burned with the light of a god reborn.
End of Part 1
Part 2: When Gods Remember
The catacombs trembled. Shards of rock fell from the ceiling as gold light rippled through the chamber, crawling up the walls like wildfire. Elara's breath came fast, her vision blurred by tears and dust. "Bill—!" she cried, but the man before her wasn't Bill anymore. His body arched under invisible force, veins glowing bright as molten iron. The air around him shimmered with heat — reality bending, trembling under the power that lived in his blood. When his head finally lifted, his eyes were no longer human. They burned gold. Cold. Infinite. Elara's heart fractured. "You're hurting—please, fight it—" A growl rumbled from his throat, deep and primal. When he spoke, his voice was layered — two tones overlapping, one human, one divine. > "He made me remember what I am." "Bill," she whispered. "You're not what he says. You're more than that." But the War God didn't hear her. He reached out, fingers brushing her cheek, and though his touch was gentle, the power beneath it crackled — a promise of destruction restrained only by memory.
The Fracture Elara stood her ground, trembling but unyielding. "You said once that love is the only vow worth keeping. I'm holding you to it." Something flickered in his gaze — pain, confusion, longing. Then the power surged again, forcing him to stagger backward. He gripped his head, teeth bared, as golden light flared from the mark on his chest. "Elara—get out!" he roared. "I won't!" she shouted back, tears streaming. "If I run, he wins!" The air around them exploded with energy, throwing her across the room. She hit the stone wall hard, gasping for breath. Her hands shook, but she pushed herself up — blood on her lip, defiance in her eyes. Lucien's laughter echoed faintly through the chamber. "Touching," his voice whispered through the stone. "But every god needs a sacrifice."
The Memory That Breaks Bill fell to his knees, clutching his chest, his voice breaking with agony. Flashes tore through his mind — the factory where his parents starved, the battlefields soaked in fire, Elara's face in the candlelight of the House of Roses. And beneath it all, one memory stood out — his father's trembling hands the day he disappeared. "Son, if they take your heart, you'll never find your way home." Bill slammed his fist into the ground, the stone cracking beneath him. "I won't lose it again." The gold light dimmed. His breathing steadied. And for a heartbeat, the god inside him faltered — as if the human part refused to let go. Elara crawled to him, her hands trembling as she reached out. "Bill… please come back." He turned toward her slowly. His gaze was still otherworldly, but softer now — as if her voice reached through the chaos. "Elara?" he whispered, uncertain. "Yes." She grasped his hand. "It's me. You're here. You're home." The mark on her skin pulsed again — once, twice — then flared with golden light that wrapped around both of them. The connection between them twisted, deepened, until their bond was no longer something Lucien could control. The light dimmed. Silence fell. The Choice Bill's voice came out ragged, human again. "He tried to erase me." Elara cupped his face, her fingers tracing the edge of his jaw. "Then let's remind him who you are." He looked at her — truly looked — and something inside him broke open. The tension in his body melted into exhaustion, but his hand found hers, anchoring himself to the one thing Lucien could never steal. "Elara," he murmured. "If I lose control again—" "You won't," she said fiercely. "You don't know that." "I don't care." Her voice trembled. "If I have to stand in the fire with you, I will." He stared at her for a long moment — then, slowly, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. The gold in his eyes dimmed to amber, and for the first time since his return, Bill Moreau breathed like a man instead of a god.
The Calm Before the Storm.They stayed like that for what felt like hours — the silence filled only by the distant rumble of thunder above the city. When Elara finally spoke, her voice was soft. "What happens now?" Bill's gaze hardened. "Lucien thinks he can use the vow to control me. But vows work both ways." "You mean—" "I mean I can use it to find him." Her breath caught. "Then we go after him?" He nodded once, grimly. "He started this war. I'll end it." Elara took a deep breath, fear flickering in her eyes but resolve burning brighter. "Then I'll stand beside you." He smiled faintly — tired, but proud. "You already are."
Before they could move, the chamber doors slammed open. A dozen men in black suits stormed in — Syndicate assassins, their weapons glinting in the dim light. At their head stood a woman with blood-red hair and eyes that gleamed with wicked amusement. "Stand down, War God," she said coolly. "Lucien wants his vow back." Bill stepped in front of Elara, the mark on his chest glowing again, brighter this time — wild, untamed. He cracked his neck, smirked, and said softly: > "Tell Lucien he'll have to kill me first." The woman smiled. "Oh, darling… that's the plan." Her blade glinted once in the lantern light before she lunged forward, faster than human — and the screen of the underground world shattered into chaos again.
End of Part 2
Part 3: Blood and Vows
Gunfire erupted before Elara could even scream. The chamber filled with the deafening roar of bullets ricocheting off stone. Sparks flashed in the air. Bill moved before she could think — his arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her behind a column as a hail of bullets tore through where she had stood moments before. "Stay down," he ordered, voice low and razor-sharp. Elara's heart hammered. "There's too many of them!" Bill smirked — a dark, dangerous smile that made her blood run cold and warm all at once. "There's never too many." He rose in one smooth motion, eyes burning gold, and the ground trembled. The assassins froze as the air shifted — dense, heavy, alive. Bill stepped forward, one man against twelve, yet in that instant, he didn't seem human. Every bullet they fired bent off course, curving midair as if the world itself obeyed him. He moved like a storm — silent, devastating. One man lunged with a blade. Bill caught his wrist, twisted, and the crack echoed. Another fired at point-blank range — Bill's hand snapped out, catching the bullet mid-flight before driving his fist into the man's chest, sending him flying into the stone wall.
The Awakening of the Vow But the red-haired woman wasn't ordinary. She smiled, circling him with deliberate grace, her crimson lips curling as the chaos around them faded into background noise. "Still magnificent, even after all these years," she purred. "Tell me, War God — do you even remember me?" Bill's gaze hardened. "You should've stayed dead, Selene." Her laughter filled the chamber, cold and melodic. "Lucien resurrected me for one purpose — to remind you what loyalty costs." She raised her blade, and the golden veins along its edge pulsed in sync with the mark on Bill's chest. Elara gasped. "It's the same symbol—" Bill didn't hesitate. "She's bound to the vow." Selene smiled wider. "And you're bound to me, my love." The words hit Elara like ice. "Love?" she whispered. Bill's eyes flicked to her — pain flashing in the depths. "It was a long time ago." Selene lunged, blades flashing like lightning. Bill blocked, sparks flying with every clash. The ground split beneath their feet as they moved — god and revenant locked in a dance of fury and memory.
The Power Shared Elara pressed her hand against her glowing mark. The same golden fire burned under her skin, resonating with his. She could feel his heartbeat, his pain — every pulse of power he unleashed. And then she felt it: the moment his strength began to waver. He was holding back — fighting her and protecting her at once. She closed her eyes, whispering into the storm, "If you won't use it, I will." The golden mark flared, and a rush of energy surged through her veins. The bond ignited. Power burned through her body, wild and searing, filling the chamber with light. Bill froze mid-fight, his gaze snapping toward her. "Elara! Stop—" But it was too late. The energy collided between them — his and hers, merging into a blinding wave that threw Selene backward, slamming her into the far wall with the force of an explosion. Dust and fire filled the air. The chamber shook as cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling. When the light faded, Elara was on her knees, panting, the glow dimming beneath her skin. Bill dropped beside her, catching her shoulders. "You could've killed yourself!" She smiled faintly, even through the pain. "You taught me how to fight, remember?" He stared at her — and in his eyes, fear turned into awe. "You shouldn't have been able to use that power." She swallowed hard. "Then maybe it's not just your vow anymore."
Selene's Last Words A low laugh echoed through the chamber. Selene staggered to her feet, blood dripping down her chin, her once-beautiful eyes blazing with betrayal. "So that's it," she said, voice trembling with fury. "You found another who carries your curse. How poetic." Bill stood, shielding Elara behind him. "Lucien used you." Selene's smile was bitter. "We were all used, Bill. But tell me—when he comes for her, will you protect her, or will you destroy her too?" He hesitated — just a flicker — and she saw it. She smiled sadly, almost human for a moment. "Then it's already begun," she whispered. Her body dissolved into golden dust, scattering into the air like dying embers. And as the light faded, the mark on Elara's chest pulsed once — and then stopped glowing altogether.
The Calm Silence. Elara slumped against the wall, exhausted. "Is it over?" Bill shook his head. "No. This was just the opening move." He helped her up, his touch gentle now, the warrior's edge softening. "Lucien's testing us — seeing how far he can stretch the vow." Her voice trembled. "He wants to break you." Bill's gaze darkened. "No, Elara. He wants to merge us." Her eyes widened. "What?" He stepped closer, his tone grave. "Lucien's trying to create a single vessel powerful enough to hold divine and human essence — the perfect weapon. The vow isn't a curse… it's his experiment." Elara's blood went cold. "And we're the test subjects." He nodded. "Until one of us dies, or both of us become him."
A faint hum filled the air. Bill's head snapped up, instincts sharp. The walls began to glow faintly with the same golden light — lines of ancient symbols flaring to life across the stone. "Elara," he said slowly, "we need to leave. Now." But before they could move, a voice echoed through the catacombs — deep, resonant, familiar. > "Leaving so soon, brother? The ceremony's just begun." Lucien's reflection appeared on the wall — not flesh, but flame and shadow, his eyes burning like twin suns. Bill pulled Elara behind him as the walls trembled. Lucien's smile was calm. "You've taken your first step. The vow grows stronger with every heartbeat you share." "End this!" Bill roared. Lucien's laughter was soft, chilling. "Oh, I will. At midnight, beneath the ruins of the old cathedral… the War God will be born again." The image vanished. Silence fell. Bill turned to Elara, his jaw set, his heart breaking under the weight of destiny. "He's calling me to war." Elara met his gaze, unflinching. "Then we'll go to war together." He stared at her — this fragile, stubborn woman who refused to bow to gods or ghosts — and for the first time, the War God almost smiled. "Together," he said quietly. Then the lantern flickered out, plunging them into darkness
.
End of Chapter 5,