The whispers of the weakening curse reached Derick not as a gentle breeze, but a howling gale threatening to rip apart the very fabric of his existence. His sixth life, a meticulously crafted masterpiece of dark magic and stolen power, was unraveling. For centuries, he’d thrived on the life force leached from Elara through Serenity’s curse, a parasitic existence that had granted him immense power and a chilling longevity. Now, that lifeblood, the very source of his strength, was receding like a retreating tide, leaving him stranded on a shore of diminishing power.
He hadn't anticipated this. His calculations, usually precise and deadly, had been thrown into disarray. The destruction of Destiny, a being he'd manipulated and used as a pawn in his grand scheme, had created unforeseen consequ
