MY GOLDEN BLOOD - JossGawin FanFiction

CHAPTER 14: ECHOES OF THE PAST

The night was thick with the weight of memories Mark could no longer suppress. Chained in his dungeon, Mark's mind swam in a haze of pain and thirst, his body trembling under the pressure of the curse. The drop of Tong's blood had reawakened not only his hunger but also something far more dangerous—his past.

As his fingers clenched the cold stone floor, a name slipped from his lips, barely more than a whisper.

"Aeon..."

Mark's eyes fluttered shut as the name echoed through the silence of his dungeon. It wasn't Tong's name, but it was the name that had haunted him for centuries, the name of the man he had loved—once, in a life long since lost to time.

Tong was not merely a stranger who had wandered into Mark's world. Tong was the reincarnation of someone Mark had loved deeply, passionately, with a kind of devotion that had consumed him. But that love had ended in tragedy—a tragedy Mark had never been able to forget.

---

— Centuries Ago—In Another Time

Mark had been a different man then. He had not yet become the creature he was now. In the early years of his immortality, before the curse had hollowed him out, there was someone who had brought light into his dark world.

Aeon was a healer, a man with a gentle soul and a heart that seemed to shine through the shadows. They had met in a small village where Aeon had been known for his kindness, his ability to mend the wounded and comfort the dying. Mark, drawn to the light Aeon radiated, had found himself returning to the village again and again, unable to stay away.

At first, Mark had kept his distance, watching from the shadows, his curse making him wary of getting too close. But Aeon had noticed him—had seen through his carefully crafted masks. 

There had been no fear in Aeon's eyes when he looked at Mark. Only curiosity. Only compassion.

Slowly, inevitably, they had drawn closer. Mark had told himself he could never truly be with Aeon, that his curse made it impossible. But love doesn't listen to reason, and soon, the two were inseparable.

Aeon had seen the darkness in Mark and loved him anyway. And for the first time in centuries, Mark had felt something close to hope. With Aeon, he had imagined a future—something he had long since given up on. He had dared to dream that maybe, just maybe, he could find peace.

But peace was not something fate had ever intended for him.

---

—The Night Everything Changed

It had been a night much like this one. The full moon hung heavy in the sky, casting long shadows over the land. Mark had been away, hunting, feeding on the blood of animals in the forest to sate his hunger. He had promised Aeon he would return before dawn, and Aeon had waited for him, as he always did.

But when Mark returned to the village, something was wrong.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, and the village was eerily silent. Panic had clawed at Mark's chest as he ran through the streets, calling Aeon's name. The healer's house had been ransacked, its walls smeared with blood, the scent of death heavy in the air.

And there, in the center of it all, lay Aeon—lifeless, his body broken, his blood staining the earth.Mark had fallen to his knees beside him, his heart-shattering. At that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to die, to follow Aeon into whatever lay beyond. But his curse denied him even that. His immortality, which had once been his greatest shield, had now become his greatest torment.

Aeon's death had been the work of men—not monsters. Jealous villagers who had feared Aeon's connection to Mark, who had believed him to be a sorcerer or a demon's lover. They had taken Aeon from him out of fear and hatred, and there was nothing Mark could do to bring him back.That night, Mark had wept for the first time in centuries. And as he held Aeon's lifeless body in his arms, he had sworn he would never love again. He couldn't bear it. The pain of losing Aeon was too great, and the weight of his immortality too heavy.

---

—Present Day—The Connection Revealed

Mark opened his eyes, his chest heaving as the memories of Aeon flooded his mind. He had spent centuries trying to forget, trying to bury the pain, but Tong's arrival had shattered the fragile peace he had built around himself.

Tong was the spitting image of Aeon. Not just in appearance but in the way he moved, the way he spoke, the way his eyes sparkled with that same unyielding kindness. It was as if the universe had brought Aeon back to him—but with a cruel twist.

This wasn't Aeon. It was Tong. And though Mark could feel the echoes of his past love in Tong's presence, he knew they were not the same person. Aeon was gone, lost to the cruelty of time and the darkness of human nature.

But the resemblance was undeniable. Tong's blood, the very essence of him, called to Mark in ways that no one else ever had. It wasn't just that Tong's blood could break the curse—it was that Tong —was —the reincarnation of Aeon, reborn into a new life, into a world that would once again test Mark's resolve.

Mark's heart ached with the weight of his emotions. He couldn't lose Tong the way he had lost Aeon. He couldn't watch the man he loved die again, not after everything he had endured. But the curse demanded blood—Tong's blood. The very thing that had the power to save Mark was the thing that would destroy Tong.

And that was the cruelest twist of all.

Mark groaned, the silver chains biting into his flesh as his body writhed in agony. He couldn't break free—not now, not while the thirst still gripped him so fiercely. He had to hold on, to fight the monster inside him, for Tong's sake.

But even as he fought against the chains, Mark knew the truth. There was no escaping this. The cycle had begun again, just as it had centuries ago. He was bound to Tong, just as he had been bound to Aeon.

And this time, Mark feared that the only way to break the curse might be to lose Tong all over again.

---

As the first light of dawn crept into the dungeon, Mark's resolve hardened. He couldn't allow history to repeat itself. He would find a way to save Tong—to protect him from the curse, from the fate that had claimed Aeon.

But even as he made that vow, a small, terrified part of him wondered if it was already too late.