Bound by Fate

Chapter 10: "The Gathering Storm

The weight of indecision had never felt heavier. Natasha spent the next few days walking through life in a daze. Her mind, once sharp and focused on her studies, was now a tangled web of emotions. The shadow of Rajvir lingered in every corner of her thoughts, pulling her toward a world she could not fully understand, but deeply craved.

Aisha and Aryan noticed the change in her. They didn’t press for details, but Natasha could feel their concern. Her academic work was slipping, and even simple tasks like showing up for class felt like monumental efforts. But with every day that passed, the pressure to choose mounted. She knew she couldn’t linger in this limbo forever.

One evening, after barely making it through her political science seminar, she sat on the steps outside her building, the city buzzing around her. She looked at the people walking by, completely unaware of the chaos she was dealing with—unaware of the man from another world who was demanding her heart, her future. She couldn’t tell anyone what was really happening, not without sounding insane.

The vibration of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Aryan.

Aryan: Are you free tonight? I think there’s something you need to see.

Natasha: What is it?

Aryan: Meet me at the bookstore. The one where this all started.

Her stomach knotted. The bookstore—where she’d first found the cursed book that introduced her to Rajvir’s world. Natasha hesitated for a moment but then typed her response.

Natasha: I’ll be there.

---

Natasha arrived at the bookstore as dusk began to settle over the city. The old wooden sign creaked in the wind, and the warm glow of the interior lights spilled onto the street. She pushed open the door, the familiar scent of paper and leather welcoming her as she stepped inside.

Aryan was already there, waiting for her by the shelves in the back. His expression was serious, more so than she had ever seen him before.

“What’s going on?” Natasha asked, her voice tight with apprehension.

Aryan gestured for her to follow him deeper into the store, toward a corner that was dimly lit and filled with older, more obscure books. They stopped in front of a large, worn tome that lay open on a small wooden stand. The pages were yellowed with age, the ink faded but still legible.

“This is what I’ve been researching,” Aryan said, his voice low as if the very walls were listening. “It’s about the connection between realms. There’s more to it than I originally thought.”

Natasha frowned, stepping closer to the book. “What do you mean?”

Aryan pointed to a passage on one of the pages, written in an ancient script. “The bond between you and Rajvir—it’s not just emotional. It’s metaphysical. It’s stronger than we realized. But the problem is, there are forces that are drawn to this kind of bond. Powerful forces from his world and even beyond.”

Natasha’s blood ran cold. “What kind of forces?”

“Entities that want to break through the veil between worlds,” Aryan explained, his eyes meeting hers with intensity. “If your connection with Rajvir remains, they’ll find a way to use it. And when they do, they won’t just threaten you. They’ll threaten both our worlds.”

A chill swept through Natasha’s body. The idea that something even more dangerous than Rajvir could cross over was terrifying. “Are you saying if I don’t break the bond, something worse is going to happen?”

Aryan nodded. “Yes. But there’s more.” He flipped to another page in the book, showing her a detailed drawing of a strange, rune-like symbol. “This is a sealing mark. It’s one of the only ways to break the bond between you and Rajvir without destroying either of you. It will close the gateway between your world and his for good.”