Page 114 of The Moonborn's Curse

She heard the door creak open. Heard his breath catch as he climbed the steps slowly. She lay on her side, her back to him, the quilt pulled high over her shoulder.

"Please," he whispered, voice cracking. "Please look at me."

She didn't.

He stood there for a long time, saying nothing else.

Then she heard him turn away.

Later, she heard him crying downstairs.

The next day passed the same.

Veyr came and sat beside her on the floor. When he offered water, she sipped. But she still didn't speak.

Her phone rang.

Her mother. Talis. Astrid.

She didn't answer.

On the third morning, the footsteps returned.

Draken again, followed by Hagan.

The Oracle stood at the door, barring them from climbing the steps. "She's not ready," she said gently.

"She doesn't need time—she needs me," Hagan growled, panic rising in his voice.

"No," the Oracle replied. "She needs herself."

"At least let me touch her" begged Hagan "I don't want her in pain."

There was silence, then footsteps up the stairs. She could feel the bond pulse painfully as he came close. Slowly his fingers touched her toe peeking out from beneath the quilt. Immediately, the pain of the bond receded. There was peace. She slept.

He left, but not without lingering in the garden below, pulling out weeds, his tears soaking the earth. Occasionally he would look up at the loft window with longing in his blue eyes.

Inside, Seren remained beneath the covers.

Until, at last, she rose. On the fourth morning, her limbs finally moved.

She rose slowly, like someone rising from a grave. Her limbs felt stiff and ached from the inactivity. She bathed in silence, dressed, and walked down the stairs barefoot.

The Oracle didn't speak.

She simply placed a bowl of steaming broth on the table and sat nearby, watching.

Seren drank half.

Her hands trembled around the spoon.

Then her voice came, hoarse from disuse. "How do I break the bond?"

The Oracle's face paled. "Seren... you can't. It has never been done. It's not just magic—it's fate."

Seren didn't argue. She just stood, climbed the stairs again, and reached for her phone.

Her mother's face appeared on screen, bright and cheerful—until she saw Seren's.

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