There comes a time when the light is so dense, suffocated in absolute darkness, that even the tiniest glimpse struggles to break through. The moment Elias passed out, the air itself seemed to have frozen.
"Elias!" Rowan's voice cracked, his breathing uneven.
"No… Elias!" he screamed. The sharp pain traveled through the once harmonious hall. But his voice met a blockage. Elias could barely hear him. His vision blurred as he faded into the shadows.
Rowan held him tighter. Elias's body was cold—too cold. He was gradually turning too cold for his liking. Elias suddenly choked, his hands both trembled as his body convulsed—poison spreading through his veins.
Nobles murmured around them. Some gasped in surprise and watched the scene, which seemed awfully familiar.
"Why is the physician not here? ... Get the physician!" He roared, his hands curling beneath Elias's limp body, pulling him closer with unexpected strength.
Laura quickly reacted with the other guards and soon arrived at the prince's chambers. Rowan could not bear to part with his new consort, but the pale figure in his arms was too quiet—and cold. With the help of the others, he placed him on the bed.
His trembling hands slightly brushed aside Elias's sweat-drenched hair.
"Stay with me," he muttered, more to himself than to Elias. His eyes pleaded for something. His lips quivered with unspoken words, but Elias couldn't stay.
Elias could hear Rowan's desperate pleas. His mind fought, but his body betrayed him. The poison was too strong. His eyes fluttered open for a split second.
His last thought wasn't of the betrayal. It wasn't even from the pain.
It was one of those eyes… Rowan's eyes.
Though cold and ancient, they burned with something real, something he wanted to hold on to. Elias's lips parted, but there was nothing. He carried words, but it was too late. A vast darkness swept him away.
It was over… or so he thought.
Everything was suddenly quiet—too calm for Elais's liking. He blinked, but he could not make sense of where he was. The place was unfamiliar and unnatural, and the air felt heavy.
"Fate is relentless… but so are you."
The darkness cracked, and Elias's eyes flew open. He gasped, sucking in more air like one risen from the depths of an ocean. His heart pounded against his ribcage, threatening to break through.
His eyes glanced at the familiar surroundings. He was not in the hall, Rowan's bedchamber, as he had expected. Rather, his memory stared at the tall green forest.
His hands instinctively traveled to his body and sure enough, they carried cuts, ones too familiar. He shot upright, then winced in pain.
The forest!
His mind swayed. The same forest where he had almost bled to death. He lifted his torn, blood-soaked shirt, but the wounds were fast healing, unlike the last time.
"What…?" he whispered, his mind barely making sense of anything.
A soft crack of a branch behind him made him turn—and there he was- the stranger in the dark cloak.
Just as before, he was watching.
"You…" Elias took a step forward.
The stranger walked over, but something was different. When their eyes met, this time, there was a knowing glint in the stranger's gaze.
"You died," the man said simply.
"Again," he added.
Elias's body stiffened.
"Again?" he asked, but the stranger stepped passed him.
"You're stubborn. I warned you. Fate doesn't like to be defied. But she gave you another chance."
His words only made Elias's mind a puzzle. The wedding, poison, the voices… and Rowan's eyes. It all felt like a memory—something he had felt, touched, and experienced, not just some dream. And now… here?
"How is that possible?" he demanded.
The stranger's lips curved faintly.
"Because it must be. The forbidden court's fate is entangled with yours. Whether you like it or not."
His sharp voice rang like a warning.
Elias staggered back, his heart pounding. He stared at the man before him, fury burning in his eyes.
"Is my life some game? To think death would have brought rest," he chuckled bitterly. From a distance, he could hear them. They never stopped chasing, and even with a second chance, he still couldn't escape treason… a crime he knew nothing of.
"Then why bring me back here? To die again?" he yelled.
The stranger was in no hurry. They were out, touches in place, claws drawn, and weapons at hand, searching for him like the murderer he had been made. It all still felt like a cruel dream, but he refused to be a pawn in the games of others.
"I don't know if my fate is entangled with his. I will make my choices," he said, then turned and walked away. The stranger was quiet; he watched with patient eyes. Elias had only taken a few steps when his breathing hitched, his body froze, and his legs seemed stuck. His body trembled, and heat engulfed him like one boiled in hot lava.
"What's happening?" his voice cracked.
The stranger's lips curled. "I can't keep coming to you… You've been warned. Your fate is tied down with his." The stranger walked ahead, his back to him.
"Then why bring me back? Why put me through all this when I will end up dead… Again," Elais roared, frustration seeping through his veins.
"To choose differently."
Three words. Elias had more questions. He had read of time loops, but never had thought he would be a victim.
The stranger marched ahead, his steps thundering against the branches.
"It will rain," his voice echoed in the distance.
Elias hurried towards him.
"Let's go."
The stranger turned and smiled.
"He is waiting."
Elias didn't need to ask who. He sighed heavily but followed.
But this time, things would be different. He was not going to be a pawn in royal games or a consort to be killed on his wedding night.
Deep down, he vowed to change the ending. To rewrite his fate…
And everything would have to be on his terms.