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Chapter 53: The Breaking Point
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2025-02-22 22:42:23
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His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 54: The Return
The world snapped back into focus with a rush of air and blinding light.Lena staggered as she and the others tumbled through the portal, hitting solid ground. The cold, oppressive weight of the Rift vanished, replaced by the crisp night air and the scent of earth. For a moment, she couldnโt breatheโher body still thrumming with the aftershocks of the power she had claimed.Cassianโs arms were around her before she could fall. โEasy,โ he murmured, steadying her. โYouโre back.โBack.She lifted her gaze, her breath catching. They were standing in the ruins of the old temple, the same place they had been before the Rift had swallowed them whole. The night sky stretched above them, moonlight illuminating the cracked stone and twisted remnants of the Riftโs influence.Dorian groaned as he pushed himself up, brushing dirt off his jacket. โThat was the worst trip Iโve ever taken, and I once fell into a cursed lake.โIdris exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. โWe survived. Thatโ
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 55: Ash and Shadows
The road to the capital was unrecognisable.Once-paved paths had been reduced to crumbling stone, overgrown with wild brambles and scorched earth. Smoke clung to the air, thick and acrid, as distant fires raged. The closer they got, the more Lena could feel itโthe Riftโs presence. It pulsed beneath her skin like a second heartbeat, whispering in the back of her mind.Come closer. Come home.She clenched her fists, shoving the voice aside.They moved in silence, the weight of the war hanging over them. Cassian stayed close, his hand brushing against hers whenever the road grew treacherous. Dorian scouted ahead, daggers glinting at his sides, while Idris murmured quiet incantations, sensing for traps.The capitalโs walls loomed ahead. Once pristine and towering, they were now lined with jagged cracks, tendrils of dark energy slithering across the stone. The cityโs gates had been blasted open, twisted metal barely hanging onto the ruined archway.Lenaโs stomach twisted. This isnโt just w
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 56: The Beginning of the End
The palace doors yawned open, a gaping maw of darkness swallowing the moonlight. A sickly chill crawled over Lenaโs skin as she took a step forward, Cassian at her side, his grip tightening around his sword. Dorian and Idris flanked them, their expressions grim.The masked figure didnโt move, their presence as still as a statue. Only their voice carried through the ruined halls, thick with something ancient and knowing.โYou can feel it, canโt you?โ They tilted their head toward Lena. โThe Rift sings for you.โA pulse of energy throbbed beneath her ribs, responding to the call. She clenched her fists, shoving the feeling down. โThe only thing I feel is the need to end this.โThe figure laughed, a sound that echoed eerily. โEnd this? Oh, child, you still donโt understand.โ They spread their arms, gesturing to the ruined palace. โThis was never about war. This was about balance. Youโve tipped the scales, Lena. You think youโve won just because you made it back?โThe shadows along the wa
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 57: The Price of Victory
The air in the ruined palace was thick with the scent of scorched stone and lingering magic. Lenaโs heartbeat was a steady drum in her ears as she took in the aftermath.The Rift was gone.The masked figure had fallen.But the city was still in ruins.Lena pulled away from Cassianโs support, straightening despite the exhaustion in her bones. She could feel the lingering traces of the Riftโs energyโfaint whispers in the air, like a dying echo. It no longer had a hold on this world, but the scars it had left behind were undeniable.โWe need to check the city,โ she said, voice hoarse. โSee who survived.โDorian let out a low breath, rolling his shoulders. โRight. Just survived an ancient, world-ending catastrophe, and now weโre doing a headcount.โ He shook his head but didnโt argue. โFine. Letโs move before we get buried in this place.โIdris, still leaning on his staff, nodded. โThe corruption may be gone, but not everyone will have been freed instantly. Some might be lostโฆ permanently.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 58: Whispers in the Dark
The realization sat heavy in Lenaโs chest. The Rift wasnโt gone. It was lurking, waiting, biding its time beneath the surface. She stared down at the unconscious man, his body still twitching, his breath shallow. The black veins that marred his skin pulsed faintly, as though something inside him was still alive. Cassianโs hand found her arm, grounding her. โLenaโฆ what did you see?โ She swallowed, forcing herself to steady her voice. โItโs not over.โ Dorian let out a sharp breath. โOf course itโs not. Why would we ever catch a break?โ Idris crouched beside the fallen man, his fingers hovering over the corrupted veins. A flicker of magic passed between them, and his brow furrowed. โItโs weakโฆ but itโs still there. The Riftโs influence hasnโt disappeared entirely. Itโs justโโ He hesitated, his jaw tightening. โSleeping.โ A chill crawled up Lenaโs spine. Cassian cursed under his breath. โThen we have a problem.โ The city had barely begun to recover. The people were holding on by
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 59: Into the Abyss
Darkness surged around Lena like a living force, swallowing sound and light in its wake. She tried to move, but the shadows clung to her, thick as tar. A sharp chill seeped into her bones, numbing her limbs.Then she heard it.A whisper.You donโt belong here.Her pulse pounded. The voice wasnโt just in her earsโit was inside her head, crawling through her thoughts like venom.Cassianโs grip on her hand tightened. โLena, stay with me.โ His voice was steady, but she could hear the tension beneath it. He was afraid too.The Riftโs magic pulsed again, and suddenly they were no longer standing on the floating rock.They were falling.The world twisted, folding in on itself. The sky shattered like glass, and for a moment, Lena glimpsed something beyond the Riftโa void so deep it made her stomach churn.Thenโimpact.She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. A dull ringing filled her ears as she tried to push herself up. The ground beneath her wasnโt stone or earthโit felt
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 60: The Aftermath
The cavern walls no longer pulsed with dark energy. The air, once thick with malice, now hung heavy with silence. Lena could still feel the remnants of her magic flickering through her veins, the aftershocks of the battle leaving her drained.Cassian hadn't let go of her hand. His grip was firm, steadyโa grounding force in the wake of chaos.Dorian ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Well, that was fun. Who wants to do it again?"Idris shot him a glare before kneeling beside the fallen manโs body. He pressed two fingers to the manโs throat, waiting, searching.Lena already knew.โHeโs gone,โ she whispered.Idris nodded grimly. โThe Rift used him until there was nothing left.โA sick feeling curled in Lenaโs stomach. This manโwhoever he had beenโhad been alive before the Rift took him. A vessel, a shell, but still human.And now, because of them, he was dead.Cassian shifted beside her. โIt wasnโt your fault.โShe swallowed hard, not sure if she believed that.Dorian crouch
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 61: Shadows of the Past
Lena woke to the scent of burning wood and damp earth. The fire had dimmed, its embers glowing softly in the pre-dawn light. Cassian was still beside her, his arm draped loosely around her shoulders.For the first time in days, she had slept.But the moment of peace was fleeting.A rustling sound came from the edge of camp, followed by hurried footsteps. She sat up just as Idris appeared, his expression grave.โSomethingโs wrong.โCassian stirred at her movement, instantly alert. โWhat is it?โIdris glanced toward the treeline. โScouts spotted something near the Rift site. Or whatโs left of it.โLenaโs stomach tightened. โWhat do you mean?โIdris hesitated before answering. โThey say itโs still there.โDorian, who had just emerged from his tent, scoffed. โThatโs impossible. We shut it down.โIdris nodded grimly. โThatโs what I thought, too. But they swear they saw something moving. And thereโsโฆ a sound.โLena was already on her feet. โTake me there.โCassian rose beside her. โLenaโโโ
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-22
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His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 142: The Riftโs legacy
The cavern felt wrong.Even though the Riftgate had disappeared, something lingered in the airโan unnatural stillness, thick with expectation. The Riftfire still simmered inside Lena, coiled like a beast waiting for permission to strike. But it wasnโt just hers anymore.It belonged to her.And she belonged to it.A cold shiver crawled up her spine, but she forced her body to move. One step. Then another.Behind her, Cassian exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he slid his daggers back into their holsters. โAlright. I have questions. Many, many questions.โ His voice was light, but his eyes were sharp as they flicked toward her. โStarting with what the hell just happened?โLena flexed her fingers, watching the faint traces of violet fire dance along her skin before flickering out. The Riftfire wasnโt resisting her anymore. It wasnโt raging. It was waiting.The realization made her stomach twist.โI donโt know,โ she admitted, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. โIโI felt it. The R
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 141: The Riftโs Voice
Lenaโs pulse roared in her ears. You were meant to open it. The Kingโs words curled around her mind like smoke, insidious and inescapable. She wanted to deny them, to cast them away like a lie. But the Riftfire inside her didnโt reject them. It recognized them. She staggered back, breath ragged. โYouโre wrong.โ The King only watched her, his golden eyes steady, unreadable. โAm I?โ Lena clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. โI came to close this gate, notโโ A sharp pulse of power cut through her words. The Rift trembled. And suddenly, she wasnโt alone. Not just with the King. But with the echoes of something long buried. The vision struck like a lightning bolt to the skull. A battlefield. The air thick with Riftfire, burning violet against the endless night. Creaturesโmonstrositiesโcrawling from the gate, their shrieks tearing through the void. And at the center of it allโ Her. Or ratherโ The woman who wasnโt her. The woman who was. A w
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 140: The Riftโs Song
The pull tightened around Lena like invisible chains, wrapping around her ribs, her spine, her mind. It wasnโt violent. It wasnโt forceful. It was patient. A silent whisper, a presence at the edges of her thoughts, waiting. "Lena?" Ronanโs voice cut through the haze, grounding her. She blinked. The tunnel stretched before her, Cassian and Ronan already a few steps ahead, both watching her nowโCassian with wary confusion, Ronan with something closer to understanding. She forced herself to move. One step, then another, until the pull loosened its grip. It didnโt leave. But it let her go. For now. She exhaled slowly and followed them into the narrowing passageway. The tunnel walls pressed in, rough stone scraping against her arms. The air smelled of damp earth and something olderโsomething untouched by time. Their footsteps echoed, the sound swallowed too quickly, as if the Rift itself was listening. No one spoke. Cassian led the way, navigating the uneven terrain wi
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 139: The Riftโs Truth
The cavern still hummed with the remnants of Lenaโs power, the air thick with the scent of scorched flesh and magic. The Riftfire coiled around her fingers like a living thingโno longer wild, no longer resisting. It had chosen her. Lenaโs breath came in ragged pulls, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wasnโt just standing in the aftermath of battle; she was standing at the edge of something irreversible. She could feel it. The Riftโs presence, no longer just a force that haunted her, but a part of her. Her. Cassian took a hesitant step forward, his daggers still in hand, though his grip had loosened. โLenaโฆ what the hell was that?โ Lena swallowed hard, but the words tangled in her throat. She didnโt know how to answer. Because she didnโt fully understand it herself. Ronan was watching her closely, his jaw clenched. His sword was sheathed, but his stance hadnโt relaxed. โYour fireโโ He cut himself off, then exhaled sharply. โItโs different.โ Lena flexed her fingers, st
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 138: The Rift's Curse
The ground trembled beneath Lenaโs feet. Not with violence, but with recognition. The Rift knew her now. And it wanted her back. Lenaโs breath came in sharp, uneven pulls as the air around her thickened, reality bending at the edges. She could feel the Rift pulling, not with brute force, but with something far worseโfamiliarity. She was sinking into it. Becoming part of it. No. Lena clenched her fists, summoning every ounce of willpower to push back against the weight pressing on her chest. Riftfire surged at her fingertips, flickering wildly, caught between obedience and rebellion. The King watched her struggle, his burning gaze unreadable. โYou still resist.โ Lena swallowed against the rising panic. โI donโt belong to this place.โ The King tilted his head slightly. โNo,โ he agreed. โBut it belongs to you.โ The words struck something deep inside her, something she wasnโt ready to face. Because part of her felt it. The Riftfire inside her wasnโt just reacting
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 137: Riftborn King
The cavern trembled as the Riftโs energy expanded outward, swallowing the air, pressing against Lenaโs skin with a force so dense it was almost suffocating.The King stepped forward.He wasnโt like the mindless creatures that had come before. He wasnโt grotesque or malformed.He was whole.His form was cloaked in shadows that moved like living smoke, shifting around him in slow, deliberate waves. Beneath the darkness, glimpses of something ancient and inhuman flickeredโjagged obsidian armor, silvered veins pulsing with Rift energy, a face that was too sharp, too perfect, too unnatural to belong to anything mortal.His eyesโtwin voids of fire and starsโsettled on Lena, and the cavern dimmed, as if the very world was bracing for what came next.A voice, low and endless, rumbled through the chamber."You are the one."Lenaโs pulse pounded in her ears. Her Riftfire reacted violently to his presence, rising in defense or recognitionโshe wasnโt sure which.But she forced herself to stand he
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 136: Blood of the Rift
The world tilted.Lenaโs breath caught in her throat as the weight of realization slammed into her. The Riftโs power thrummed beneath her skin, but it was nothing compared to the force radiating from the woman standing before her.Her mother.No. That couldnโt be right. Her mother had died when she was a child. She had no memories beyond fleeting warmth and a lullaby whispered in the dark.And yetโThe womanโs presence felt familiar.Ronan shifted closer, tension coiled in his frame. โLenaโฆ?โCassian didnโt speak, but his fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade.Lena swallowed hard. โWhoโwho are you?โThe woman smiled, stepping forward. The edges of her form flickered, like she existed between realms. โYou already know, child. Youโve always known.โLenaโs pulse roared in her ears. โThatโs not possible.โโAnd yet, here I stand.โThe Riftfire in Lenaโs veins surged, responding to the womanโs presence like a long-lost tether being pulled taut.โNo.โ Lena shook her head. โYou canโt
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 135: Riftfire
Lena exhaled, steadying herself as the cavern pulsed with anticipation. The Herald stood motionless, hand still outstretched, its offer tangible in the air. The Riftโs power thrummed beneath her skin, no longer just a whisper but a steady, insistent call.This was the moment.She reached forwardโthen clenched her fist, drawing her hand back. โNo,โ she said, her voice stronger than she expected.The Heraldโs expression didnโt falter, but the cavern trembled in response. โYou refuse?โ it asked, tilting its head.Ronan let out a breath he hadnโt realized he was holding, but his stance remained guarded. Cassian edged closer, his eyes never leaving the Herald.Lena swallowed hard. โIโm not a pawn in whatever game the Rift is playing.โThe Herald regarded her with something that almost resembled amusement. โA pawn? No, Riftborn. You were never a mere piece. You were meant to be the one who shapes the board.โThe cavern walls pulsed again, and the Riftโs energy surged forward like a wave.Le
His Hunger, My Curse ย ย ย Chapter 134: The Fall
Darkness swallowed them whole.Lenaโs breath caught in her throat as the air rushed past her, cold and unrelenting. The abyss stretched endlessly below, an empty void that felt like falling through time itself.Ronanโs grip on her wrist was iron-tight. He refused to let go.Cassian was just ahead, his body twisting midair, trying to prepare for whatever awaited them below.But there was no ground.No end.Just falling.The Riftโs presence coiled around Lenaโs mind, whispering in a voice that sounded so much like her own.You are home.You were never meant to run.The air shimmered.Lena gasped as reality split apart.For a single, horrifying second, she saw itโthe Rift in its true form. A world between worlds. A chasm of shifting energy, pulsing with life and death, beginning and end.And at the centerโa throne.A throne waiting for her.Her blood burned. The mark on her skin pulsed in time with the Riftโs heartbeat.It was trying to pull her in.No. No, I wonโtโโLena!โRonanโs voice
