Page 312 of Cursed Evermore

Bitterness burned through me. "So it all ties back to him. To my father's death."

"Sadly, yes, my boy." Her eyes softened. "I do not yet know why Elariya's father carried the ring into the mortal lands, but the darkness you face wants it returned. And it does not want you to find it first. It has interfered every time you sought to find the ring, trying to stop you.”

My fists tightened at my sides.

“When you found Elariya, it sent the Ruskiel to take her.” Her gaze flicked to Elariya then back to me. “When the witch failed, the entity drew close, choosing instead to use your search to find the ring for itself. It wormed its way near enough to deceive. The moment Elariya conjured the rose in the library, it saw the truth at once. It recognized the power of time burning in her veins. That is why it tried to take her. And it will try again."

"You must have some idea who this is," I pressed, my voice tight with strain.

"No, my boy. Some truths lie hidden from my reach and will not be revealed until their hour comes. Even I cannot force that hour to arrive sooner." She brought her hands together, fingers locking. "That said, I suspect it is a great power. Older than I. But I believe it is not yet whole. If it were, ruin would already blanket this realm. It would not need the Ruskiel, nor the necromancer, nor the rebels to serve its hand. It would not need to feed on Fae souls at the camp. Such hungers betray limits."

Rage twisted my gut.

What the fuck were we up against?

It was hard enough to fight what you couldn't name. Harder still when you knew you were already out of your depth.

Beside me, Elariya's hand trembled where it rested against her skirt. She was clearly scared, but beneath the fear, I saw it. A raw determination to fight.

I still felt like I'd damned her by bringing her into my world, but she didn't look like a ziyka anymore. The fledgling mage had stepped into her place in this world, ready at last to become who she was meant to be.

"We need to find the ring and stop this madness before it gets worse," Elariya spoke up. "But all I have is three days until I forget. That will set me back."

"Fret not, child. Yes, the curse will be invoked on the rise of the new moon and you will forget. But you will find your way again."

"What if I don't? What if I'm different?" She glanced back at me. "What if...we'redifferent?"

The worst thing about that question was there was no answer for it. Not right now. All we could do was wait and see what happened.

The Seer turned Elariya back to face her and lifted her hand with the shackle.

"Hear me, child. You fear that the reset will steal him from you, that the hours will strip away what you hold most dear including the progress you've made with your powers. But that is not the case."

"Isn't it?"

"No. What you've built together leaves an imprint on the soul, so what you gain is never truly erased. The resets may scatter the sand, but each time it falls, it settles closer to its true form. You are not being undone, Elariya. You are being shaped. And now that you have each other, you know what must be done. That is a blessing we cannot overlook."

Elariya nodded. "It does make things easier, knowing what to do. Before, we spent five years stumbling in the dark."

"Indeed. And take comfort in this, you do not need to seize the ring with your own hand. You need only locate it. The moment your magic pierces the veil and shows where it lies, the memory-loop curse will break. Then every memory you have lost across these five years will return. Every heartbeat, every touch, every moment of love restored."

The words struck like dawn breaking through a long night. Elariya gasped, hope blazing in her eyes. The same hope that surged through me, fierce enough to steal the strength from my knees. She would remember me. She would rememberus.

Our gazes caught, her smile soft and luminous. And though I knew I would remain cursed until the ring sat on my finger, in that moment I felt triumph. Not for myself, but for her.

She turned back to the Seer and squeezed her hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You are most welcome, my dear." The Seer inclined her head, eyes brightening with some private knowing. "Am I correct in assuming you wish to keep your shackle?"

"Yes."

"Then let me give you something more. A spark to hold when the dark presses close." Her hands glowed gold over Elariya's wrist, light spilling in radiant strands. "I cannot sway your choices, but I can tether your hearts. So you will always feel your love for him. Yet remember such a tether will only hold if your mind is willing."

"My mind?"

"Yes. For when the heart cannot feel, the mind commands. But I have faith that yours will beat for him still, as it does now."

"That means more to me than I can say." Elariya's voice brimmed with awe.