Damned by Him

Back to the Present...

Sarah stood silently beside Rosaline’s bed, her eyes fixed on the sleeping woman. The room was unusually quiet, with only the soft crackling of the fireplace and the rhythmic sound of Rosaline’s breathing filling the air.

A faint circle of silver light glowed beneath the bed. It was the spell Sarah had been maintaining for hours.

Tiny streams of magical energy flowed from her fingertips and disappeared into the glowing formation before returning to Rosaline in a continuous cycle. It was a delicate spell, one that allowed Rosaline’s consciousness to wander through fragments of her forgotten past without allowing her mind to become trapped there forever.

Sarah had cast similar spells before but never one this dangerous.

Rosaline wasn’t simply reliving memories.

She was walking through a life that no longer belonged to this world.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, carefully adjusting the flow of magic.

"Just a little longer..." she muttered to herself.

"If she can remember everything, perhaps all these mysteries will finally make sense."

The magical circle suddenly flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the entire room trembled ever so slightly.

Sarah frowned.

That wasn’t supposed to happen, the spell had been perfectly stable only moments ago.

She quickly changed the movement of her fingers, trying to regain control over the flow of mana.

"What..."

Before she could finish speaking, a violent force surged through the spell.

It felt as though someone on the other side had grabbed hold of her magic.

Sarah’s eyes widened.

"No..."

She tried pulling away.

She couldn’t.

The connection had become too strong.

The next second, an invisible force yanked her consciousness completely out of her body and her vision went black.

When Sarah opened her eyes again, she was no longer inside her house but she stood alone as an endless darkness stretched before her.

Above her.

Beneath her.

Every direction she looked was swallowed by an infinite abyss, there was no ground.

Yet she stood.

No sky.

No stars.

No wind.

Only silence.

It was so quiet that she could hear the sound of her own heartbeat echoing inside her ears.

Sarah slowly turned in a circle.

"What is this place...?"

Even as a witch, she had never seen anything like it.

This wasn’t an illusion neither was it a dream.

It felt...real.

Too real.

A sudden light appeared several meters away.

It wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the endless darkness, yet it stood out like a lone star in the middle of a moonless night.

Within that light stood a woman.

Sarah immediately recognized her.

"...Saline."

The name escaped her lips before she even realized it.

At first glance, Saline looked exactly like Rosaline.

The same delicate features.

The same beautiful white hair that flowed down her back.

The same emerald-green eyes.

Yet something was terribly wrong.

Those eyes...

They were empty.

Not cold.

Not angry.

Simply...Empty.

It was as though every emotion she had ever possessed had disappeared long ago.

Sarah felt an uncomfortable chill crawl down her spine.

She had faced powerful witches.

Ancient spirits.

Even demons.

None of them had made her feel the way Saline did now.

"What do you want?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Her voice echoed into the endless darkness before fading away.

Saline didn’t answer immediately.

She simply stared.

The longer that emotionless gaze remained fixed on Sarah, the more goosebumps spread across her skin.

Finally...

"I don’t want Rosaline to regain the memories of the past."

Her voice was calm.

Almost detached as though she were merely stating an ordinary fact.

Sarah frowned. She had expected many things.

But not this.

"...Why?"

The question escaped her before she could stop herself.

For a brief moment, silence returned.

Then Saline spoke again. "It is what I want." No explanation nor reason, just those simple words.

Sarah clicked her tongue.

"That’s hardly an answer."

Saline remained completely unmoved.

"I want you to protect her." Her voice remained just as emotionless.

"Protect Rosaline at all times."

Sarah blinked.

"...What?" She almost laughed.

Surely she had heard wrong.

"You heard me." Saline’s gaze never left her.

Sarah rubbed her forehead.b"Protect her?"

She pointed at herself.

"Me?"

"Do you have any idea who her husband is?" She let out a dry laugh.

"Xandros barely tolerates my existence."

"If I even suggest following Rosaline around all day, he’ll probably snap my neck before I can explain myself."

She folded her arms.

"So no, i’m afraid that’s impossible."

For the first time since arriving in the abyss, Saline took a single step forward.

"You will make a witch slave-master bond with Rosaline."

Sarah’s smile disappeared instantly.

"...Absolutely not."

Her refusal came without hesitation.

"Do you even know what that bond means?" Of course she knew she childed herself mentally.

"It isn’t some ordinary magical contract." She continued,"It forces the slave to protect the master with their life."

"If Rosaline dies because I fail to protect her..."

Sarah swallowed.

"I die too or any way round I still die."

She shook her head firmly. "I like being alive."

"I’m not sacrificing myself for anyone."

"You don’t have a choice." Saline voice rang out coldly.

Those five words carried no anger.

No threat...or a little though

Yet the instant they reached Sarah’s ears...

Her entire body froze.

She couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak or even force a single finger to twitch.

An invisible pressure wrapped itself around her like chains.

Her breathing became shallow.

Fear slowly settled into her heart.

Then...

Saline spoke once more.

"If you obey..."

A faint golden light appeared between her fingers.

"I will give you a Nocturne Seed."

Sarah’s pupils contracted.

The pressure crushing her chest suddenly seemed far less important.

A Nocturne Seed.

One of the rarest treasures known to witches.

An item believed to amplify spiritual power and extend one’s magical lifespan.

Many witches spent centuries searching for one without success.

"You..."

Sarah whispered.

"You actually have one?"

Saline gave no answer.

Instead, her figure slowly began dissolving into countless particles of light.

"Wait!"

Sarah shouted, finally finding her voice again.

"How am I supposed to get it?"

The last traces of Saline’s figure disappeared into the darkness.

No answer came.

The abyss began collapsing around Sarah.

The darkness twisted violently.

Everything spun.

A powerful force seized her consciousness once more.

Then....

Her eyes flew open.

Sarah gasped sharply as her soul snapped back into her body.

The sudden return left her lungs burning as though she had been submerged underwater for far too long. She staggered backwards, instinctively placing a hand against the edge of the bed to steady herself.

A thin layer of cold sweat covered her forehead.

Her heart hammered violently against her chest.

For several seconds, she could do nothing except breathe.

The endless abyss...

Saline’s emotionless eyes...

Those words...

"You don’t have a choice."

They continued echoing inside her mind.

A chill slowly crept down her spine.

Just then, she sensed a familiar presence standing beside her.

Sarah looked up abruptly.

Xandros.

He was already standing only a few steps away from her, his cold grey eyes fixed on her with the same unreadable expression he always wore.

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin.

Seriously...

What was wrong with this family?

Did every single one of them enjoy appearing without making a sound?

She silently swallowed the complaint before it could escape her lips.

"Where did you go?"

His voice was calm.

Cold.

Yet there was unmistakable suspicion hidden beneath it.

"I watched your body go completely still."

"You weren’t unconscious."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Your soul left your body."

It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Sarah forced herself to remain composed despite the panic threatening to show on her face.

Before she could think of a believable excuse, Rosaline stirred.

A soft murmur escaped her lips as her fingers twitched against the blanket.

Xandros’ attention immediately shifted away from Sarah.

Without another thought, he moved towards the bed, intending to help Rosaline sit up.

"Wait!"

Sarah’s voice rang through the room.

Xandros stopped instantly. His hand hovered only an inch away from Rosaline’s shoulder.

He slowly turned to look at Sarah.

A silent question lingered in his gret eyes.

"You can’t touch her yet."

Sarah hurried over to the bedside.

"The spell hasn’t been completely severed."

"If you touch her now, whatever lingering fragments of the memory remain could rebound onto you."

Xandros didn’t fully understand what she meant.

But he trusted her knowledge enough to step aside.

Sarah carefully took Rosaline’s hand into hers.

Rosaline’s fingers were unusually cold.

Closing her eyes, Sarah whispered a short incantation beneath her breath.

The words were ancient.

Soft.

Barely audible.

A faint silver glow slowly spread between their joined hands before gradually turning crimson for the briefest second.

Then...

The light disappeared completely.

Sarah quietly released Rosaline’s hand.

"It’s done."

She stepped backwards and nodded towards Xandros.

"You can carry her now."

Without hesitation, Xandros slipped one arm beneath Rosaline’s knees and the other around her back before lifting her effortlessly into his arms.