Chapter 7:The Tower That Remembers
537 Words
By morning, mist clung to the ground like breath from something ancient. The cliffs rose in the distance, sharp against the sky. Atop them stood the tower.
Liora and Kael made the climb in silence. Each step forward felt heavier, like the air itself resisted them. As they neared the peak, Kael touched his temple.
“It’s happening again,” he said, voice tight. “A pressure… behind my eyes.”
“Hold on,” Liora whispered, gripping his hand. “We’re almost there.”
The tower was made of dark stone, cracked with age but still standing tall. Its doors were etched with unfamiliar runes that shimmered faintly. Kael traced them with his fingers.
“I’ve seen these before,” he muttered. “In dreams I forget.”
The door creaked open.
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Inside, the tower was cold and silent. Dust floated in the air like suspended time. The walls were covered in mirrors — tall, narrow, and rimmed in silver.
But these weren’t ordinary reflections.
Liora gasped. In one mirror, she saw herself dancing in the forest as a child. In another, Kael stood in armor, sword raised beside a banner bearing a golden lion.
Kael stared. “That’s me…”
More memories filled the mirrors — flashes of Kael laughing, crying, loving. In one, he kissed Liora under the stars. In another, he held her hand by the river.
“I… I knew you,” he whispered. “Before the curse.”
Liora’s heart ached. “You did.”
The mirrors flickered — then darkened.
A voice filled the tower. Low. Echoing.
> “So the lost prince returns.”
A shadow emerged from the far end of the hall — robed, face hidden.
Kael stepped forward. “Who are you?”
“I am what was left behind when you abandoned your name,” the figure replied. “You cast me out. But curses have memories, even when you do not.”
Kael drew his sword. “You’re the one who cursed me?”
“No,” the voice hissed. “You did. To forget your pain… you broke your soul in two.”
The mirrors cracked.
Liora’s breath caught. “Wait—he cursed himself?”
Kael’s grip faltered. “I… I wanted to forget?”
“To protect her,” the shadow said, turning to Liora. “You were dying. He gave up everything — his name, his kingdom, his love — to save you. But now… the curse begins to break. And the cost must be paid.”
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The tower trembled.
The mirrors shattered — and with them, Kael dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
Liora ran to him. “Kael—stay with me!”
He looked up at her, eyes glowing silver. “Liora… I remember.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “You do?”
His fingers brushed her Soulmark. “I never stopped loving you. I just… forgot how.”
But the shadow wasn’t finished.
> “To remember… means to relive your pain.”
Kael stood, sword in hand, eyes burning. “Then I’ll face it.”
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Outside, the wind howled.
Inside the tower, the true battle had only just begun.
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- Writer
