The next morning, sunlight sliced through the heavy velvet curtains, casting golden beams across the marble floors of Liana's bedroom. She sat on the edge of the luxurious bed, still in her nightdress, clutching the silver locket she had retrieved from the library. Its warmth had faded, but the unease in her gut hadn't.
What was their mother's locket doing hidden like that? And who had planted it?
Before she could spiral further, a sharp knock rattled her door.
"Liana?" Kieran's voice, low but gentle.
"Come in."
He opened the door, holding a tray with breakfast—eggs, toast, and a steaming mug of herbal tea. "Darian told me you skipped dinner. Figured you might need this."
She blinked in surprise. "That's… thoughtful of you."
Kieran's ears flushed pink, and he cleared his throat. "Don't get used to it."
Liana laughed softly, but it didn't last long.
"Did you find anything else in the library?" she asked, watching him closely.
Kieran shook his head. "Only dust and scratched-up furniture. But Riven's still tearing the place apart for clues."
"Of course he is," Liana muttered. "He'd probably love to blow a hole through the walls if he could."
Kieran smirked. "He already tried. Darian nearly throttled him."
That earned a proper laugh from her.
But just as the room began to feel safe, the door flung open again—this time with no knock.
Riven stormed in, holding something wrapped in dark velvet. "I found this in a secret drawer behind the fireplace," he declared triumphantly.
Kieran groaned. "Did you destroy the fireplace?"
"Technically, I enhanced it."
Liana raised a brow. "Enhanced?"
He ignored her sarcasm and unwrapped the item—an old book with strange markings on the cover. The title was etched in fading gold:
The Binding of Fates.
Darian arrived at that moment, eyes narrowing at the book. "That's one of the forbidden archives. We thought it was destroyed when the East Wing burned."
"Yeah, well," Riven drawled, "it was just cozying up behind some bricks."
Liana took the book in her hands. The cover pulsed slightly beneath her touch. Her throat tightened. "This… this has something to do with our bond, doesn't it?"
Darian nodded grimly. "There's a reason the ritual chose all three of us. And I think this book might explain why."
As Liana flipped open the pages, ancient symbols shimmered and shifted into words she could understand. Her eyes scanned the passage, and her breath caught.
"'When a soul is fractured across lifetimes, only a trinity of guardians may awaken the balance… lest the cursed one consume them all.'"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"Well," Riven muttered, "that sounds encouraging."
Liana stood slowly. "So I'm… cursed?"
Kieran reached for the book, flipping to the next page. His eyes widened. "There's a prophecy. It mentions your family name."
"Everhart?" she whispered.
Darian's jaw clenched. "This changes everything. We need to know what happened to your family—why they fell. It might not have been a betrayal… but a cover-up."
The windows rattled just then, as if the very manor felt the weight of their discovery.
And then—
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed from somewhere below.
Riven grinned. "Well, that wasn't me."
"Someone's breached the outer grounds," Darian barked. "We need to move."
But before they could take a step, Midnight the cat darted into the room, fur bristling, eyes glowing faintly blue.
She jumped onto the bed, meowed once—and then vanished into thin air.
"…Did that cat just teleport?" Liana shouted.
"Apparently, we're living in a cursed prophecy with a magic cat," Riven said. "Normal day."
And with that, they all raced downstairs—toward the blast, toward danger, and toward the truth of why fate had chosen them.
Liana wasn't just the girl bound by fate anymore.
She was the storm fate feared.
The grand hall was in chaos.
Thick smoke curled through the shattered entrance doors, and the scent of burnt wood filled the air. Liana's heart pounded as she clutched the ancient book to her chest, her nightdress flapping behind her like a battle cape.
"What happened?" she coughed, trying to see through the smoke.
Darian was already ahead, sword drawn—yes, an actual sword—cutting through the air like a warrior from another century. Kieran pressed close behind her, shielding her instinctively with his body as they advanced. Riven, of course, looked far too excited for someone in danger.
"Whoever blew our door up is either extremely bold," Riven said, cracking his knuckles, "or extremely suicidal."
They stepped through the smoke into the main foyer, where the ground was scorched black. But what shocked Liana most wasn't the destruction.
It was the person standing calmly in the center of it all.
A woman in a blood-red cloak. Her face hidden beneath a hood. Her presence eerie.
She tilted her head. "So, the prophecy girl lives."
Darian raised his blade. "Identify yourself."
She chuckled. "Still so dramatic, Darian. Has exile made you more tense, or just more foolish?"
"I said identify yourself!" he growled.
The woman flicked her hand.
Suddenly, Liana felt the air twist around her, and her knees buckled under an invisible force. The book tumbled from her hands.
Kieran caught her just in time. "What the hell is she—"
"I'm the one trying to clean up this mess before it becomes unstoppable," the woman cut in. "The binding should have never happened. The Everhart line was sealed for a reason."
Liana pushed herself up, eyes narrowing. "You know about me? About my family?"
The woman's hood shifted just enough to reveal a knowing smirk. "Sweet girl, I was the one who signed the order that destroyed your House."
The world tilted.
"You… you're lying."
The woman only smiled.
"Why?" Darian barked. "Why come here now?"
"Because," she said, turning to face Liana fully, "the bond is growing. And if she unlocks her full strength before we sever it, the realms will tear apart. Love was never part of this equation."
Riven, ever the wild card, stepped forward. "Wow, lady, you sound like a walking drama scroll. Want to throw in a cackling laugh next?"
She gave him a look of such disdain, he genuinely looked impressed.
"Cute," she muttered. "But this is no joke. She is not meant to be yours. She is meant to be silenced."
Liana's fists clenched, and suddenly, a strange warmth surged up her arms. The locket at her neck pulsed, reacting.
The woman's eyes darted to it. "You found the key…"
Before anyone could react, the woman flicked her hand again—and vanished into a burst of red smoke, leaving only ash behind.
The silence was deafening.
Kieran bent down, picking up the book. "She knew everything about your family… about you."
Liana took a shaky breath. "She said I wasn't meant to be yours. But she's wrong."
Riven snorted. "Damn right. You're definitely ours. No returns, no refunds."
Liana gave him a look. "Even if I'm cursed?"
"Especially if you're cursed," Darian said seriously. "We'll figure this out together."
Kieran gave her a rare, soft smile. "We already chose you. Now we find out why fate did too."
Midnight the cat reappeared on a chandelier above, tail twitching, as if mocking all of them.
She meowed loudly—and the chandelier swayed… right before it came crashing down.
Liana screamed.
Everyone scattered.
And Riven shouted, "Okay! Who forgot to feed the damn cat?!"
The chandelier hit the ground with a violent crash, scattering shards of crystal in every direction. Liana ducked instinctively, her heart thundering as splinters of glass rained like stars around her. The book thudded to the floor again, flung from Kieran's hands as he tackled her to safety.
Everyone froze.
Midnight the cat casually licked her paw on a now-empty beam, completely unfazed by the chaos she'd just caused.
"Are we sure she's a normal cat?" Riven asked, side-eyeing the feline like she might suddenly sprout horns. "Because I swear she just smirked at me."
Kieran didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on the remnants of the shattered chandelier. "This isn't a coincidence. The explosion. The red-cloaked woman. Now this…"
Darian bent over, examining the chain Liana wore. The locket was glowing again—only now, it pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Something is awakening," he murmured. "Something ancient."
Liana swallowed hard. "What does that even mean?"
"It means we need answers," Kieran said grimly. "And fast. Before whatever that woman warned about comes true."
Riven leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Or before the house collapses entirely. Either one."
Darian turned to Liana, his voice serious. "Do you trust us?"
She hesitated. Everything in her screamed not to. She had been betrayed before. Broken.
But then she looked into their eyes—Darian's unwavering resolve, Kieran's calculated intensity, Riven's chaotic honesty—and for the first time, she didn't feel alone in the fire.
"I trust you," she whispered. "Even if fate doesn't make sense."
Darian gave a single nod. "Then we begin."
---
Later that night, in the stillness of the Blackthorn library, they gathered around the opened book. Ancient symbols glowed faintly across the worn pages. Liana touched one, and a gust of wind swept through the room.
A hidden map unfolded, ink forming before their eyes.
It showed a forest.
An altar.
And a mark—the same sigil from Liana's locket, drawn in crimson.
Kieran traced the forest outline with his finger. "The Forbidden Vale. It was sealed off centuries ago."
Riven squinted. "That place is cursed. Ghosts, witches, demon squirrels. You name it."
Liana blinked. "Did you just say demon squirrels?"
Riven nodded solemnly. "Tiny. Furry. Evil."
Kieran groaned. "Focus."
Liana's pulse raced. "Why is the map showing it to me?"
"Because," Darian said slowly, "it's where your real story begins."
A gust of wind blew out the candle flames.
The room plunged into darkness.
Then—
A voice echoed from nowhere.
"She's awakening. The chains are breaking."
They all jumped.
Liana spun around. "Who said that?!"
No one replied.
But the shadows on the walls… moved.
Shapes flickered. A woman's silhouette. Three figures behind her—like soldiers, or… no, brothers.
A symbol burned into the wall.
The locket at her chest seared hot.
And in that moment, Liana saw a vision—brief and jarring.
Her hands covered in blood. Darian chained. Kieran on his knees. Riven screaming her name.
And a voice whispered: One must fall for the others to rise.
The vision vanished.
Liana collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Kieran reached her first. "What did you see?"
Her eyes were wide. Haunted.
"I saw… a future that shouldn't exist."
---