LOVER OF THE DEAD

Chapter 7: Echoes of the Past

The air was thick with tension as Avriel sat on the floor, still trembling from her encounter with Iver. Shadows seemed to mock her from every corner of the room, and the oppressive silence felt alive, pulsating with a sinister energy. She had thought she could confront her fears, but now she was left feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Shaking off the remnants of dread, she pushed herself to her feet, trying to regain a sense of control. "I can't let him intimidate me," she muttered, clenching her fists at her sides. "Why should I be afraid of him when he is the one who is already dead".
Determination surged within her, propelling her forward despite the suffocating darkness.

She needed to understand Iver , his pain, his anger, if she ever hoped to find a way to escape the grip of this house. Steeling herself, she began to search for anything that might shed light on his past.

The library, a grand but forgotten space filled with dust-covered books and faded memories, beckoned to her. As she stepped inside, the heavy scent of aged paper and wood enveloped her. The room was dim, illuminated only by the ghostly glow of the moon filtering through the grime-streaked windows.

Avriel moved cautiously through the rows of bookshelves, her fingers trailing along the spines of old volumes, searching for something , anything that might connect her to Iver's story. Her heart raced as she recalled the anger in his voice, the pain that had seeped into every word.

In the far corner of the room, she spotted a journal lying open on a battered oak table. The pages were yellowed and frayed, the handwriting scrawled in a hurried, almost desperate style. She approached it, her breath hitching as she leaned closer to read.

"They say the house is cursed. They say I am cursed." The words resonated with an unsettling familiarity, sending shivers down her spine. "But they don't understand. They never will."

Her pulse quickened as she continued to read. The entries chronicled a life filled with darkness, of loss and betrayal. Each word bled pain, a haunting echo of the despair she had sensed in Iver.

"I was betrayed by those I trusted. They turned their backs on me, and now I am bound to this place, tormented by my own ghosts."

Avriel felt her heart ache for the boy who had once inhabited these pages. This wasn't just Iver's story; it was the story of anyone who had suffered in silence, trapped by their past.

Suddenly, a chill swept through the room, and she could feel it, the unmistakable sensation of Iver's presence. She whipped around, the journal clutched tightly in her hands, and gasped as he materialized from the shadows, his expression dark and foreboding.

"You shouldn't have touched that," he growled, stepping closer, his eyes blazing with anger.

Fear clenched her heart, but she stood her ground. "Why? It's a part of you, isn't it? You can't keep hiding from your past!"

His face twisted with rage, and she felt the temperature drop as shadows twisted and writhed around him. "You have no idea what you're meddling with!" he snarled, his voice echoing with a haunting power.

She raised the journal, holding it like a shield. "I want to help you! You're trapped here, just like this house. You need to confront what happened!"

For a moment, the anger in his eyes flickered, replaced by something softer, almost vulnerable. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Help? You think you can help me?" he spat, advancing on her with a predatory grace that sent terror coursing through her veins.

With each step he took, the shadows deepened, swirling around him like a tempest. Avriel stumbled back, heart racing, as the fear she had tried so hard to suppress threatened to consume her. "I-I'm not afraid of you!" she shouted, her voice trembling.

Iver laughed, a low, chilling sound that echoed in the cavernous library. "You should be. I am what this house has made me , an avenger, a wraith of the past. And you, Avriel, have awakened something that cannot be controlled."

In that moment, she understood the truth ,she had ventured too far, awakening a darkness that was not just his but was intertwined with the very essence of the house. Shadows crept closer, their fingers brushing against her skin, icy and unyielding.

"Leave while you still can," he warned, his voice low and filled with a twisted sense of urgency. But as he spoke, a flicker of something more human appeared in his eyes. "You don't know the dangers that lurk here."

"I don't care!" she shot back, her fear morphing into defiance. "I refuse to run. You're not just a ghost, Iver. You're a person, and I can help you find peace!"

He hesitated, and for a heartbeat, the shadows around him seemed to pause, as if they were waiting. But then his expression hardened, and the darkness surged back to life, consuming him once more. "You think you can save me? I am beyond saving!"

With a roar, he lunged at her, shadows swirling violently around him, and Avriel barely managed to sidestep his attack, her heart pounding in her chest. She stumbled back, fear coursing through her as she struggled to regain her footing.

"Iver, stop!" she cried, desperation lacing her voice.

But he wouldn't listen. The shadows writhed and twisted, reaching for her as if they had a mind of their own. She could feel their cold fingers graze her skin, drawing closer, and panic surged within her.

Just as she felt the darkness close in, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, a flicker of the boy from the journal, the one who had once been filled with hope.

"You're not a monster!" she shouted, desperation breaking through the fear. "You're a victim of this place! Fight it, Iver!"

In that moment, she saw it, a crack in the darkness, a hesitation in his movement. For a fleeting instant, it seemed he might relent, the rage and sorrow battling within him.

But before she could process the change, he let out a scream of rage, the shadows enveloping her completely. Avriel felt herself being pulled into the abyss, fear clawing at her throat as she struggled against the dark tide.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the shadows receded, leaving her breathless and shaken on the floor. Iver stood before her, his expression a tempest of emotions, the darkness swirling restlessly around him.

"You shouldn't have provoked me," he said, his voice was low and filled with a haunting depth. "You've chosen a dangerous path."

Avriel's heart raced as she met his gaze, a mix of fear and determination igniting within her. She had come seeking answers, and now she was entwined in a battle far beyond her understanding.

But she refused to back down.

"I will find a way to save you, Iver. No matter the cost," she vowed, her voice steady despite the trembling in her chest.

The silence that followed was thick with tension, and as Iver's gaze bore into her, she knew she had crossed a threshold. There was no turning back now.

Avriel stood her ground, adrenaline coursing through her as Iver's shadows whispered around her, a mixture of anger and something resembling longing swirling in his eyes. The battle between light and dark had begun, and she was determined to emerge victorious, but at what cost?

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Hii loves, thanks for reading this chapter 🫶🏻