Timeless Decisions

Alliance

Red's heart pounded in her chest as she processed the rush of memories—fragments of a life she hadn't lived but somehow knew. She felt disoriented, like she was straddling two realities. The images were fleeting, hazy, but they left a lingering sense of urgency.

Beside her, Chloe was rifling through a thick, dusty book, her brow furrowed in concentration. When Red stirred, Chloe's head snapped up, her eyes wide with relief.

"Red!" Chloe exclaimed, throwing herself into Red's arms. The embrace was tight, desperate, like she'd been afraid Red wouldn't wake up. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Red hesitated, her mind still reeling from the memories that didn't quite belong to her. "I think... I think I got some memories from the me that was here before," she muttered, her voice thick with confusion. She glanced out the window, the silver light of the moon casting long shadows across the room. Something about the moonlight tugged at her, pulling her thoughts in a direction she couldn't yet place.

"How much time has passed?" Red asked urgently, the sudden fear of losing more time jolting her fully awake.

Chloe glanced at the clock on the wall. "About three hours," she replied. Red sighed, feeling the weight of lost time pressing down on her. They were in a race against the curse, and every minute counted.

"I think I know where we can find Morgian," Red said, the pieces starting to fit together in her mind. The treehouse—the place they had built together—seemed to call out to her, a beacon in the fog of her thoughts. "And we need to hurry. We don't know how much time we have left."

Chloe nodded, her face grim as she slid the book she'd been reading back onto the shelf. "If what I read is right, then the Curse of Frozen Hearts will affect each person differently. But from four days to a maximum of eight, everyone's heart should be frozen."

Red felt a chill run down her spine. "Six days. That's the most time we have to stop this crazy shit," she said, her voice steely with determination. The thought of everyone they knew—everyone they cared about—becoming cold, unfeeling shadows of themselves was too horrifying to contemplate.

They couldn't afford to lose this battle.

"Let's go," Chloe said, her voice equally determined as they gathered what they needed and headed out into the night.

The moon hung high in the sky, watching over them as they made their way to the treehouse. The path was familiar, but with every step, Red felt the pressure mounting. The memories she'd recovered hinted at something deeper, something that could help them—but only if they could reach Morgian in time.

The treehouse was more than just a hideaway. It was a link to their past, a place where they had forged bonds that could either save them—or break them entirely.

Red and Chloe rushed through the castle gardens, their eyes darting around in the dim light as they searched for the treehouse. The familiar path wound through the greenery, leading them deeper into the garden until Red spotted a faint light flickering high in one of the trees.

"There it is," Red whispered, pointing up at the treehouse. The soft glow seeped through the cracks in the wooden structure, casting eerie shadows on the ground.

Chloe squinted up at it. "How do you know about this place?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and concern.

Red shrugged, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over her. "I don't know... it just feels familiar, like I've been here before."

Without another word, Red approached the ladder and began climbing. The wood creaked under her weight, but it held firm. Chloe followed close behind, her heart pounding as they ascended.