THE STRANGER AT THE DOOR
1205 Words
The knock came again. Louder. More insistent.
Kael hesitated only for a second before pulling the door open. I held my breath, every muscle in my body tensing as I braced for the unknown.
A man stood on the threshold.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and draped in a long black coat, he exuded an aura of cold authority. His face was sharp, his dark eyes unreadable. But the way he looked at Kael—like he knew him too well—sent a chill down my spine.
“Kael.” His voice was smooth, controlled. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Kael exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. “For good reason, Dorian.”
Dorian. The name was unfamiliar, but something about him wasn’t.
Then, suddenly, his gaze shifted—to me.
A slow, deliberate assessment. My breath caught as his piercing eyes settled on mine.
“So,” Dorian murmured, studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. “It’s true. She remembers.”
Kael stepped in front of me instantly, blocking his view. “She’s not part of this, Dorian.”
Dorian arched an eyebrow. “Not part of this?” A quiet chuckle escaped him. “You really think you can keep her out of it? Kael, the moment she touched you, everything was set into motion.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Dorian ignored me, his gaze still locked on Kael. “It’s happening again, isn’t it?”
Kael didn’t answer.
That silence was enough.
Dorian sighed and stepped over the threshold. “I told you before,” he said, voice dropping lower. “You can’t fight this. No matter how hard you try, fate always catches up.”
I clenched my fists. “Then maybe fate should start running, too.”
Dorian turned to me, amusement flickering in his eyes. “You’re different this time.” He studied me like I was an anomaly. “In every lifetime, you’re drawn to each other, but you… you always try to change things.”
“Because it’s a curse,” I snapped. “Not fate.”
Dorian’s smirk faded. “Call it what you want. But you need to understand something, Ava. There are forces at work here far beyond your control.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Then explain it to me.”
Kael tensed beside me, but Dorian only sighed. “It started centuries ago,” he said. “With a betrayal. With magic older than this world. A punishment that bound your souls together… but never to peace.”
His dark gaze flicked to Kael. “You know this, don’t you? You’ve tried before. And every time, you lose her.”
The weight of his words settled over the room.
Kael looked away.
Dorian’s voice cut through the silence like a blade. “The curse isn’t just about keeping you apart. It thrives on your suffering. Every time you fight it, it fights back harder. The closer you get—”
“Something terrible happens,” I finished, my voice barely a whisper.
Dorian nodded. “And this time won’t be any different.”
The air felt heavy. Oppressive.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Then we break it.”
Kael and Dorian both looked at me.
I squared my shoulders. “There has to be a way. Something no one’s tried before. You said I’m different this time. So maybe this time, we win.”
Dorian studied me for a long moment before exhaling sharply. “You sound like Kael did the first time.”
I frowned. “What happened the first time?”
Kael’s voice was quiet. “I died first.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
Dorian’s gaze flicked between us. “You want to break the curse?” He folded his arms. “Then you need to understand what you’re up against. Because it’s not just magic.”
A strange chill crept over my skin. “What do you mean?”
Dorian hesitated. Then, in a voice lower than before, he said, “The curse has a keeper. A guardian of the magic that binds you.”
I stared at him. “A person?”
“A force,” he corrected. “A being older than time itself. It watches. It waits. And when the moment comes—when the two of you think you’ve found a way to defy it—it strikes.”
A shiver ran through me.
Kael’s fists clenched. “I won’t let it take her again.”
Dorian shook his head. “It’s not about what you’ll allow, Kael. It’s about what you’re willing to sacrifice.”
Something in his tone made my stomach turn.
Kael stiffened. “You mean—”
“You know exactly what I mean,” Dorian said darkly. “You want to break the curse? Then one of you has to die first.”
Silence.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
“No.” My voice was firm.
Dorian arched a brow.
I shook my head fiercely. “That’s not breaking the curse. That’s just repeating it. There has to be another way.”
Kael looked at me, silver eyes stormy. “Ava—”
“No,” I cut in, stepping forward. “If this curse has followed us through lifetimes, then something is keeping it alive. Something is feeding it.” I turned to Dorian. “So what is it? What does it want?”
Dorian studied me, his expression unreadable.
Then, slowly, he said, “You.”
My breath caught.
Kael immediately moved in front of me, his stance rigid. “Explain.”
Dorian’s gaze didn’t waver. “The curse isn’t just magic—it’s a cycle. A story rewritten over and over again. And Ava is the key. In every lifetime, she’s the one who fights it. The one who searches for answers. And every time—she fails.”
I clenched my fists. “Then maybe this time, I don’t.”
Dorian smirked. “Spoken like someone who hasn’t seen the full cost yet.”
I refused to back down. “If I’m the key, then that means I have power over it. Maybe not much, but enough to change the ending.”
Dorian sighed. “You’re determined. I’ll give you that.”
Kael glanced between us. “If Ava is the key, then there’s something we’re missing. Something we haven’t tried.” He turned to Dorian. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know something. So tell us.”
Dorian hesitated.
Then, finally, he said, “The curse started with a betrayal. So maybe… it ends with one.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Kael’s voice was low. “Whose betrayal?”
Dorian’s dark eyes flickered with something almost unreadable.
“The one that started all of this,” he murmured. “And the one still waiting to be revealed.”
The room seemed to shrink. The air turned thick.
Something told me that whatever came next wouldn’t just be about survival.
It would be about trust.
And whether we were willing to betray each other to finally break the curse.
- Writer
