Chapter: Chapter 7 rules of noctisDraven's words hadn't finished echoing before I turned on him."What... did you just say?"The playfulness drained out of his face. For the first time since I'd met him, he looked tired. Actually tired, like something heavy had been sitting on him for a very long time.Kai turned so fast it startled me. "Draven."One word. A warning, sharp as a blade.Draven shrugged, but it didn't land the way his shrugs usually did. "What? She deserves one honest answer.""I said enough."I looked between them, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. "No." I stepped in front of Kai before I even decided to move. "No, you don't get to do this again."I pointed at him. "He said you watched me die." My voice cracked. "What does that mean?"Kai said nothing.I laughed, and it came out bitter and broken. "Seriously? Again?" I turned to Draven. "You said it. Explain it."He opened his mouth.Then closed it.And for the first time since I'd met him, Draven actually listened to his brother i
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 6 The Diary Without an AuthorThe diary was still on the floor where I'd dropped it.I stared at it for a long time before I made myself move. My hands were shaking so bad it took two tries to pick it up again, like some part of me already knew that once I opened it, I wouldn't be able to close it again and pretend I hadn't seen what was inside.I opened it anyway.The handwriting looked like mine. Not similar. Mine. The same slant, the same way I loop my Y's too big."This isn't possible," I whispered.The next page started with a date that meant nothing to me.Day One.If you're reading this, then we failed again.Don't panic.I know you don't remember me.I am you.My heart slammed once, hard, against my ribs. I laughed this short, broken, nervous sound that didn't feel like it came from me."No," I said, out loud, to an empty room. "No, that's not possible..."I turned the page anyway. I couldn't stop myself.The diary didn't explain anything. It just kept going, like whoever wrote it assumed I already knew e
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-17
Chapter: Chapter 5 Familiar paintingsThe old woman's words hung in the air long after she said them."The Bride of the Ninth Life has returned."Nobody moved.Not Kai, Not Draven, Not even the servant. The whole courtyard had turned to stone around me, and I stood in the middle of it, shaking, with no idea why a stranger kneeling on cold marble made me feel like the ground had opened under my feet.Ninth life??What did that even mean?I looked at Kai. His jaw was tight enough to crack. I looked at Draven. For the first time since I'd met him, he wasn't smiling.That scared me more than anything else that had happened tonight."That's enough," Kai said. Quiet. Final.The old woman's head snapped up like she'd been slapped. "Forgive me, my lord. I only..." She didn't finish. She just bowed lower and scrambled back, disappearing into the castle like she couldn't get away fast enough.I was still shaking. I didn't even realize it until Draven noticed.He didn't laugh this time. He didn't make it a joke. He just stepped up
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 4: WELCOME TO NOCTISThe car came to a smooth stop. My fingers stayed locked around the door handle as I stared out the window. The forest stretched endlessly beneath a blood red moon. The trees were taller than any I’d ever seen, their black branches twisting together like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. Thick silver mist rolled across the ground and swallowed the narrow stone road behind us. This couldn’t be real. It had to be a set. Or maybe... maybe I’d finally lost my mind after watching my parents die. I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, nothing had changed. The crimson moon still hung above us. The forest was still there. The air outside looked darker, heavier, wrong. “Out.” Kai’s voice was calm, almost emotionless. I didn’t turn. “No.” Silence. A few seconds later: “Get out of the car.” “I said no. I’m not stepping into whatever this place is.” Draven let out a quiet laugh from the driver’s seat. “I like her.” Kai ignored him. “Maya.” “No.” “You’ll be safer inside.” I la
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-02
Chapter: Chapter 3: The Confused Bride“You... married neither of us.” The words refused to register. I stared at Draven, waiting for him to burst into laughter and tell me this was one of his sick jokes. But he didn’t. The crooked smile stayed on his face, yet his eyes were watching me carefully, like he was waiting for me to break. “No,” I said, shaking my head slowly. “No... you’re lying.” Neither of them answered. A dry laugh escaped me. “This isn’t funny.” Still nothing. Something inside me snapped. “Are you both insane?” My voice echoed down the nearly empty street. “I stood in front of a priest, at the altar. I exchanged vows. I signed a marriage certificate. I walked down that aisle in a stupid white dress and watched him put this ring on my finger. So don’t stand there and tell me I married nobody!” Tears stung my eyes again. Draven rubbed the back of his neck. “I told you she’d react like this.” Kai didn’t even look at him. “No. You made it worse.” Draven raised both hands innocently. “I made it entertainin
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-02
Chapter: Chapter 2: The Man I Married Doesn't ExistThe car suddenly felt too small, too quiet, too cold, and I could barely hear anything except my own breathing. It came in short, painful heartburn as I stared at the man sitting in front of me. I wiped at my tears with trembling fingers, but they kept falling, and my chest ached so badly I wondered if my heart was breaking apart inside me. Then his last words replayed in my head “My twin brother won’t be happy knowing that his bride is a pathetic weakling...” Twin brothers Bride?? The words didn’t make any sense. I slowly lifted my head. “What... Did you just say?” He didn’t answer. He simply looked out of the windshield as though I wasn’t even there. My fingers curled into the fabric of my wedding dress. “I asked you a question,” I said, but he still remained silent. I swallowed hard. “If you’re not my husband...” My voice shook. “...then who are you?” Still nothing. I stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “You stood beside me at the altar. You exchanged vows with m
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-02
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