A dance with shadows

Chapter 3

Years passed, but time had lost meaning for Damien. He was no longer bound by the forest's curse, yet freedom had never felt so hollow. Each night, he wandered the winding paths of the dark wood, retracing the steps of their fateful dance, hearing the echo of Alina's laugh in the wind, feeling the ghost of her hand in his.

The clearing where she had vanished was now overgrown, untouched by sunlight. The trees bent closer to the earth, as though mourning her, and no life stirred within the shadows. This place was hers now—a monument to her sacrifice, a reminder of the price of love.

But Damien was not alone.

The forest was watching.

He could feel its presence in every breath of wind, every creak of wood. It was ancient, older than memory, and it had taken her for its own. He had tried, so many times, to reach her. To summon her spirit. To offer his soul in her place. But the forest was silent.

Until tonight.

As Damien knelt at the edge of the clearing, a soft hum broke the silence. His head snapped up, heart pounding in his chest. He knew that sound—it was the melody Alina used to hum when they danced, long before the shadows had claimed her. The tune drifted through the trees, ethereal and haunting, drawing him deeper into the dark.

"Alina?" Damien whispered, rising to his feet. The air around him grew colder, and the shadows moved with unnatural purpose, twisting like tendrils of smoke.

The forest shifted.

For the first time in years, Damien felt something different. The weight of the curse was gone, but the power of the forest still lingered—dark, unyielding, but perhaps now, merciful. The clearing seemed to ripple as if the earth itself was stirring.

And then he saw her.

Alina stood at the center of the clearing, her form translucent, shimmering in the moonlight. Her eyes were as bright as the night they had first met, but her body seemed made of mist, the edges of her fading into the dark. She was beautiful and heartbreaking all at once, a memory made flesh.

Damien's heart stopped. "Alina..." His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief. He reached out, afraid she would disappear again.

But she did not move. She stood, watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read. There was love in her eyes, yes, but there was something else. Something darker.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, stepping closer. "Why now?"

Alina's lips curved into a sad smile. "I never left," she whispered, her voice as soft as the wind. "I'm part of this place now, Damien. Bound to it, as you once were."

He shook his head, his chest tight with emotion. "No. I'll free you, just like you freed me. I'll find a way."

She stepped toward him, her fingers brushing his cheek, but the touch was barely there, like the ghost of a breeze. "There's no freedom for me. The forest claimed me, and I belong to it. I chose this."

Damien's breath caught, tears stinging his eyes. "I never wanted you to suffer for me. I would have rather been cursed forever than see you lost to this."

Alina tilted her head, her smile fading. "You don't understand, Damien. The forest... it's alive. It has its own will. It didn't just take me—it changed me. I'm no longer who I was."

A chill ran through Damien as her words sank in. "What do you mean?"

Her eyes darkened, and for the first time, Damien saw the truth. Alina was no longer just a spirit bound by love—she was something else, something connected to the forest's ancient power. The shadows that had taken her were now part of her, twisting her very soul into something darker.

"I'm tied to this place," she said, her voice low and distant. "I see everything. The forest speaks to me, and through me, it watches over the world. I am its guardian now."

"No," Damien breathed, stepping back in horror. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to save you."

Alina looked at him with pity, reaching out once more. "You can't save what's already been claimed, Damien. I'm not the woman you loved. I'm something else now—something eternal."

His heart shattered as he realized the full extent of her transformation. She was no longer just Alina. She was part of the very force that had once cursed him, an entity woven into the fabric of the forest itself. And yet, despite the darkness that had taken root in her, he still loved her. The bond between them, though twisted, had never broken.

"I'm not leaving you again," he said, his voice trembling. "Even if you've changed. Even if you're bound to this place. I'll stay with you, for as long as it takes."

Alina's eyes softened, and for a brief moment, he saw the woman he had fallen in love with—the warmth in her gaze, the quiet strength in her smile. "Damien, I wish it could be that simple. But the forest won't let you stay. It has no use for you anymore."

Before he could protest, the shadows began to move again, swirling around his feet, tugging him backward. Damien struggled, his desperation rising as the mist thickened, pulling him away from her.

"Alina, no! Don't let it take me away from you!" he shouted, his voice breaking as he reached for her. But the shadows were relentless, dragging him toward the edge of the clearing.

Alina watched, her eyes glistening with sorrow. "I will always love you, Damien," she whispered, her voice fading with the wind. "But some things can't be undone."

And with that, the darkness swallowed her whole, and Damien was left alone at the edge of the forest. The shadows released him, leaving him standing in the moonlight, breathless and broken. He could feel the cold emptiness of the forest behind him, but he knew—he could never go back.

Alina was gone, lost to the forest forever. And Damien, once free, now carried a new curse—he would live the rest of his life with the memory of her, knowing she had become something far beyond his reach.

But every night, he would return to the edge of the forest, waiting, hoping, for just one more glimpse of the woman he had loved and lost.

And sometimes, when the wind whispered through the trees, he swore he could hear her voice calling to him from the shadows.