Part 1 Riven's POV
Dawn had barely touched the sky when I stepped once more into the princess's chamber.
The king and queen were already inside, pale from sleepless nights. Their eyes sprang toward me the moment I entered, filled with a fragile, desperate hope.
The room was quiet—too quiet. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
I saw the little princess peeping fearfully from behind a door, her eyes on Lyria.
The king said in a tired voice, "My daughter will be fine, won't she? You will save her."
"Please save my daughter!" the queen pleaded in a trembling voice. "Please tell me you can save her!" She wept bitterly, and the king took her arm to support her.
I don't know if I can. The curse is so strong, old, and wrapped around her heart. Pulling it out forcefully will be difficult and dangerous , I said quietly. But I told Princess she'll be fine, so I'll try my best to help her.
Princess Luria lay on her back, unmoving, her skin almost translucent. But the moment I approached the bed, her lashes fluttered. Her gaze found me… and for a heartbeat, I sensed confusion, fear, and something else—recognition.
Behind me, Morrivayne's presence coiled like shadowed smoke. I didn't have to look to know she was there.
But the princess… she saw her too.
Or at least, the outline of her—an indistinct black silhouette, lurking behind my shoulder , maybe because she so close to death .
Interesting.
I climbed gently onto the bed, settling above the princess so I could reach her properly.
My palms hovered over her heart, and I gave her a small, soft smile.
"Don't be afraid," I whispered. It will hurt just a little bit but You'll be alright in a few minutes."
Her breath trembled beneath my hands.
Then—I activated my ability.
Immediately, the curse within her reacted.
Thick black veins—lines like ink—slithered from beneath her skin, crawling toward my palms. Two streams of darkness surged into my hands, winding up my forearms to my heart , like hungry serpents , it was so painful .
The king gasped. The queen covered her mouth.
But this was only the beginning.
For long minutes, the curse obeyed me… calmly. Quietly. Almost passively.
Then it fought back.
Like a beast resisting capture, the curse recoiled violently inside the princess's chest. Pain flared beneath my hands as I clenched my teeth, pouring more of my strength into the pull. My muscles trembled from the force my eyes color turned to red .
"Come out," I hissed through my teeth. "I'm not letting you stay."
My vision blurred—black, then red.
The world around me dissolved.
Suddenly I was no longer in her room.
I stood in a realm of darkness—endless, suffocating.
Chains floated in the air like broken ribs.
In the center: a heart—not beating, but trapped behind layers of ancient black magic.
And the princess was there, or some version of her, eyes wide with helpless fear.
A curse like this should not exist.
I reached out—my eyes glowing red, my hair whipping in a wind that didn't exist—and i seized the chains.
With a scream that shook the dark world apart, I ripped them free.
Light burst. A shockwave.
And I was back.
The last of the black lines surged from Luria's chest and sank into my hands. Pain stabbed my own heart as the curse entered me, sharp and cold—a poison rushing through my veins.
Then—silence.
Luria 's color returned instantly. Her breathing steadied. Her eyelids relaxed.
As though nothing had ever happened.
The queen collapsed to her knees in tears.
The king rushed forward and gathered his daughter in his arms, trembling.
I stepped down from the bed, breathing unsteadily, my vision already fading at the edges.
"I… told you," I murmured, "she's alright now. She only needs a few days to regain strength."
They all looked at me at once—the king, the queen, the princess, eyes wide in awe and relief.
I smiled, though my lips felt numb.
"Oh—one more thing," I added softly, sinking to my knees as the room tilted. "I forgot to mention… I'll be unconscious for a few days. So don't worry about me. Everything will be fi—"
My voice cracked.
The floor rushed up toward me.
I didn't feel myself fall—only the arms that caught me, the king and queen shouting my name as my consciousness slipped into darkness.
And then—
There was nothing.