Chapter 5 THE NIGHT HE TOUCHED ME

The air shifts. It's thick. Heavy with something I can't name.

But I know it. I feel it.

Her.

The woman in white stands in the doorway, smiling like she's been waiting for me. Her eyes shimmer a pale gold, and the way she tilts her head-like she's studying me-fills my chest with an icy dread. This isn't just any enemy. This is the woman who cursed me, who made me live this endless cycle of death and rebirth.

"Aria," she whispers, her voice soft like velvet, but sharp enough to tear through my skin. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

I can't speak. Can't move. All I can do is stare at her-the woman who's not supposed to exist in this lifetime, the ghost of the past pulling me back into the flames.

"How do you know my name?" I finally manage to say, my voice thin and weak.

She steps forward, her presence filling the room like the night itself. I can feel the chill of her aura, and it sinks deep into my bones, freezing me in place. "I've known you longer than you can imagine."

I glance at the ring on my finger-the one Lucien gave me. The one I've started to believe holds the power to change everything.

The woman smiles. "I see you're wearing the key."

My heart stutters. She knows. Somehow, she knows.

"I don't want to hurt you," she continues, her voice almost tender. "But I need you to understand, Aria, you don't have a choice in this."

My stomach churns. "What do you want from me?"

She steps even closer, her face a few inches from mine. "Your soul. And everything that's left of it."

I try to take a step back, but my feet won't move. I can't move. There's something in her gaze, something that locks me in place. I'm frozen, held by invisible chains.

"I've been waiting for this moment," she continues, voice low, almost a purr. "The moment you remember who you were. The moment you finally stop running."

"You think I'll just go with you?" I spit the words out. "After everything?"

She smiles again. "I know you won't go willingly. That's why I'll have to make you."

Before I can react, she raises her hand, and a wave of cold, unrelenting power surges through the room. I gasp as the force knocks me off my feet, sending me crashing into the floor. My head slams against the wood, and for a moment, everything goes black.

When I open my eyes again, she's gone.

But the room still feels... wrong. Heavy.

I push myself to my feet, my pulse racing. The ring on my finger glows faintly, and I can feel it thrumming with energy-energy that's not mine.

And then, through the haze of panic and confusion, I hear his voice.

"Aria."

Lucien.

I turn, and there he is, standing in the doorway. His silver eyes burn with intensity, but there's something else there, something darker. His gaze locks onto the woman's ring on my finger, and his jaw tightens.

"She was here," I whisper, breathless. "The woman in white. She's the one who cursed me."

Lucien doesn't answer right away. He steps into the room, his footsteps slow and deliberate, like he's testing the ground beneath him.

"Don't listen to her," he says, voice hoarse. "She's lying."

I stand frozen, staring at him. "How can I believe you when everything she says... feels true?"

Lucien's face softens, and for a split second, I see the man who tried to protect me. The man who has failed time and again. "I've tried to stop her, Aria. I've tried to protect you. But she's too powerful. And she won't stop until she has what she wants."

"What does she want from me?" I ask, voice trembling.

"Your soul," he replies, his words heavy with meaning. "She's been hunting you for centuries. She's the one who cursed you to die and be reborn."

"But why? Why me?"

Lucien looks away, his eyes pained. "Because you're the key. You hold the power to end it all-to break the curse."

My heart skips a beat. "How do you know that?"

"I know because I've watched you die, over and over again," he says, his voice barely a whisper. "And every time, I've failed to save you. But this time..." He meets my gaze, his eyes burning with determination. "This time, we're going to end it."

Before I can respond, a loud crash echoes through the room, and I spin toward the sound. The window shatters, glass raining down like a storm, and the figure of the woman in white appears once more, her smile widening.

"You can't escape me, Aria," she says, her voice lilting with amusement. "You belong to me."

"No," I snap, my voice rising. "I won't let you have me. Not again."

Lucien steps forward, his body tense and ready for whatever comes next. "Aria, listen to me. You have to fight. You're not helpless."

I nod, gripping the ring tightly. "I remember... I remember how to fight."

The woman's smile falters for the briefest second, as if surprised by my defiance. "You think you can stop me?" she sneers. "You're nothing but a child."

I close my eyes, focusing on the energy within me, feeling the power of the ring coursing through my veins. I can do this. I don't know how, but I will.

"Get out of my way," I whisper, my voice shaking with a power I've never felt before.

The room seems to tremble around me, the air thick with energy. The woman in white falters for a moment, her eyes widening.

"I've had enough of you," I growl.

The next moment is chaos.

A blinding light erupts from my body, forcing the woman back. Lucien stumbles, his eyes wide with shock and awe, but there's no time to explain. I feel the weight of centuries of death and suffering in my chest, and I channel it all into one final blow.

But before I can release the power-

The world goes black.

---

I don't know how long I've been out, but when I wake, everything is still.

The room is empty. The woman is gone.

And so is Lucien.

I stumble to my feet, disoriented, and immediately check the ring. It's warm against my skin. But I can't sense anything else. No trace of the battle. No traces of them.

There's a ringing in my ears. My pulse is still racing.

I look around, but the apartment feels... wrong. Like it's too quiet. Too still.

There's no sign of the woman in white. No hint of her power lingering in the air.

And then the door opens, slow and creaking on its hinges.

Lucien steps in, his eyes shadowed and guarded. He looks at me, and there's a sadness there that I can't quite place.

"Are you alright?" he asks, his voice almost too soft.

"I-I don't know," I whisper, my hands trembling. "Where... where did she go?"

"Gone for now," Lucien says, his voice steady. "But she'll be back. They always do."

"But she said... she said I couldn't escape her."

"Don't listen to her. She's been lying to you since the beginning. She'll say anything to control you."

I feel the weight of his words. They sink into my chest like stones.

"You said you'd help me," I whisper. "You said you'd help me end it."

Lucien hesitates, like he's unsure of how to answer. "I will help you, Aria. But you need to understand-you're not alone in this. Not anymore."

"But you've always failed," I say, my voice thick. "You've never saved me."

His eyes darken. "I won't fail again."

But just as the words leave his lips, the lights flicker again, and a shadow passes the window.

I turn, my heart leaping in my chest.

The woman in white.

She's back.

But this time, we're ready.