Heaven: A Maiden's Curse (Reader's POV) (One-shot)

10 - Reunion Of Shadows

The fight against the half-shadow, half-human cursed figure spiraled into chaos, every blow reverberating with the weight of desperation and fear. Despite his slow movements, the villain's immense strength made every attack life-threatening. His red skin gleamed with unnatural energy, the curse pulsating like a heartbeat across his twisted form.

The woman and I moved with precision—or at least we tried to. Her traps, though clever, weren’t enough to stop him completely. Each talisman she activated slowed him down, but it also unleashed a primal rage, his frank insults turning into guttural snarls.

“You think you can outsmart me, fools?” he bellowed, throwing a massive punch toward me. I managed to dodge most of it, but the force still sent me skidding across the blood-stained ground. My arms burned as I tried to shield myself from the impact.

The woman threw a warding stone, activating a flash of light that momentarily stunned him. “Get up!” she yelled, her voice sharper than the pain in my ribs.

We circled him, trying to trap him within the purification circle she’d prepared earlier, but he was too strong, too unpredictable. One swing of his arm shattered part of the barrier.

“Hold him there!” she ordered. I barely managed to avoid another punch as she darted to one of her hidden explosives. Sweat poured down her face, her usual composure cracking under the pressure.

“Do you even understand what you’re up against?” the creature sneered. “Hyacinth is playing a game you’ll never win. You’ll die just like the rest!”

But his bravado faltered for a moment as the woman activated another trap—a flame burst that burned part of his cursed shadow skin. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air, but instead of screaming, he laughed.

“You think pain matters to me? I’ve been through worse for her.”

Just as the red monster prepared a devastating attack—one that could’ve destroyed both of us—a soft, sweet voice cut through the chaos.

“Daddy?”

The word hung in the air like a fragile thread. The creature froze mid-swing, his monstrous form trembling.

“Daddy... is that you?” The voice grew louder, filled with innocence and warmth. It was a soul, one I’d spoken to before—the daughter of this man, who had once been a father fighting for his family.

He turned slowly, his red eyes searching for the source of the voice. “No... it can’t be...” His voice cracked, the monstrous growl replaced by something heartbreakingly human.

Out of the shadows, the faint glow of a small soul appeared. Her form shimmered with the faintest outline of a child, her eyes wide with sadness. “Daddy, stop fighting. Please. I don’t care where we go—hell, void—I just want to be with you again.”

The red monster dropped to his knees, his massive hands trembling as he reached for the soul. “My little girl...” His voice broke, tears streaming down his cursed, red-stained face. “I did all of this for you. Hyacinth promised... she promised you’d be free if I obeyed her!”

The girl shook her head. “It’s okay, Daddy. We’ll stay together, no matter where. But not like this. Not like this...”

His heart shattered visibly in that moment. His monstrous form seemed smaller, weaker. The curse that had consumed him faltered.

The woman’s cold voice broke through the fragile moment. “Now’s our chance.”

I hesitated. “Wait, he’s—”

“No,” she snapped. “He’s still dangerous.” She wasn’t wrong. The creature's body still pulsed with power, the curse clinging desperately to him.

As the soul of his daughter reached out to him, he closed his eyes and whispered, “I’ll do it... for you.”

He let his guard down, and with a nod to the woman, I plunged the enchanted dagger she’d given me into his chest. He didn’t fight back—he only whispered his daughter’s name as the shadows peeled away from his body.

The woman activated the final trap—a powerful explosion that engulfed his form, ensuring the curse wouldn’t regenerate.

When the smoke cleared, he was barely alive, his human form partially visible beneath the curse. He coughed, blood dripping from his lips as he looked at us.

“You’re stronger than I thought,” he said weakly. “For the sake of my daughter... I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

He handed over a fragment—a glowing piece of something ancient and powerful. Then, with trembling hands, he pulled out a worn map and a rusted key from within the folds of his cursed skin.

“This... will lead you to Hyacinth. But remember... she’s not what she seems. You’ll never stop her—not without paying the ultimate price.”

His daughter’s soul appeared beside him again, and as his body faded, he smiled. “We’ll be together now, sweetheart.”

And with that, he was gone.

---

The woman stared at the map and fragment, her face unreadable. “He wasn’t lying,” she said finally. “This is it. The path to Hyacinth’s stronghold.”

I looked at the spot where the red monster had vanished, my hands trembling. “He just wanted to save his daughter... and now he’s gone.”

She turned to me, her voice cold once more. “Don’t get sentimental. He was just another pawn of Hyacinth’s. And now, we’re one step closer to ending this.”

But as we walked away, I couldn’t shake the image of the father and daughter, finally reunited in death. Was that what awaited us too?