Echoes of Wonderland

Running

Red's POV

The castle looms like a dark shadow against the backdrop of a world that's beginning to heal, but I feel none of that light. The magic around me, that familiar pulse of power, has shifted—fractured, like my heart. I feel the bracelet on my wrist tighten, the heat intensifying until it's almost unbearable. The same magic that Chloe and I once thought was a protection is now a punishment, and I welcome the pain because I deserve it.

The bracelet cracks, a fissure running through it as the pressure mounts. I can hear the echo of Chloe's voice in my mind, the way she cried out, the way I shattered her with every word, every lie I told her. The memories of the things I said to her, the venom I spat, burn hotter than the magic now searing my skin.

'You were just a distraction' I'd said, my voice cold, detached, the words a lie that tasted bitter on my tongue.

I remember the way her face crumbled, the way hope died in her eyes, and I had to keep going. I had to make her hate me, to push her so far away that she'd never want to see me again. It was the only way to break the spell, to save her from Maddox, from all of this. But what I didn't realize—what I couldn't admit even to myself—was that in saving her, I was destroying us. And maybe that's what I deserved.

The bracelet shatters, the light it emits blinding and brilliant, just like Chloe's was. A wave of magic erupts from it, tearing through the air with a force that knocks me back, pain lancing through my hand, up my arm, and into my chest. I gasp, but I don't scream. I just grit my teeth, tears burning in my eyes because this—this is what I deserve.

I deserve the pain, the torment, because I'm the one who did this. I'm the one who lied, who hurt Chloe in ways she didn't deserve. I told her I didn't care, that I was only using her, and I saw the way she broke. But I had to do it. I had to make her let go of me, to believe that I was nothing but a monster, so that she could find a way out, so that she could be free.

But now, as the remnants of magic scatter into the wind, I wonder if I was wrong. If maybe, in trying to save her, I only ended up destroying the one good thing I ever had. Chloe, with her love so fierce and unwavering, even when I didn't deserve it. She would have stood by me through anything, and I threw it all away.

My hand throbs where the bracelet was, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I've lost her, and I've lost myself. I can never take back the words I said, the lies I told. Even if she somehow understands why I did it, I'll never forgive myself. How could I? I've turned into exactly what I feared—a person capable of hurting the one I love most in the world.

I push myself to my feet, every movement heavy with regret. The castle stands before me, cold and silent, a reflection of the emptiness inside me. I have to find Maddox. I have to end this. But even if I succeed, even if I bring him down, it won't matter. Because I've already lost the only thing that ever mattered to me.

Chloe's gone. And I'm the one who drove her away.

I deserve to feel this pain. I deserve to be alone. I deserve whatever's coming for me, because I made the choice to hurt her, to lie, to push her away. And now, all I can do is see this through to the end, even if it destroys me too.

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As the spell unravels, I make my way toward the castle with a fierce determination. The chaos around me, the trembling earth and the shattered light of my bracelet, feel like a distant blur compared to the singular focus of finding Maddox.

The castle is a shadow of its former glory, torn apart by the magic that once bound it in Maddox's cruel enchantment. It's not just the castle that's in disarray; my own world has been shattered into irreparable pieces. Each step I take through the halls reverberates with the anguish of my broken heart. My steps are heavy, weighted by the immense grief and fury coursing through me.