DARK CAMPUS

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9: Choosing My Fate

We sat together on the rooftop of the tallest building, watching the full moon drift slowly across

the dark sky, its light silvering the tops of the trees surrounding the campus. The night was crisp

and clear, peaceful in a way that felt almost wrong given everything happening beneath us.

From up here, the school looked like any other old building — beautiful, historic, quiet. It was

easy to forget what lay beneath those stones.

"The ceremony is tomorrow," Alexander said quietly, his voice carried away slightly by the

breeze. He wasn't looking at me; his gaze was fixed on the horizon, as if seeing something only

he could perceive. "You will have a choice that no one has ever truly been given before. You can

destroy the ritual, erase every trace of this destiny, and return home to a normal life. But know

this — they will not simply let you go. They will hunt you, send others to find you, and you will

always be looking over your shoulder, wondering if today is the day they finally catch up. Or you

can accept who you are — not as a sacrifice, but as my equal — and stay here, by my side.

Together, we can rewrite what this means. But it will change everything. Your life will never be

ordinary again."

He turned to look at me then, his golden eyes shimmering with centuries of loneliness that

suddenly felt so close to the surface.

"I will never force you, Iyanna. Whatever you choose, I will help you make it happen. But know

this: in all my endless years... you are the only one who has ever made me feel alive. The thought

of returning to that darkness without you... it is a loneliness I barely survived once. Please don't

make me survive it again."

I reached out and took his hand. It was cold as always, but his grip tightened around mine,

desperate and afraid. "Alexander," I said softly, letting my voice carry every bit of certainty I felt.

"I am not the sacrifice you were waiting for. I am the person who loves you — an ordinary girl

who fell for someone extraordinary. And wherever you are... that is where I belong. I choose you.

Not because it is my destiny, but because it is my heart."

He closed his eyes, and for a moment I thought I saw tears glistening on his lashes. He brought

our joined hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles gently. "Then tomorrow, we face it all

together. And may heaven help anyone who stands in our way."