Opening Scene
The vault door loomed ahead, its serpentine lock glinting under the beam of Luca's flashlight. Mia's stolen crystal shard burned in her pocket, its pulse syncing with her racing heart. Somewhere inside, the contract binding her mother's soul and her fate waited to be destroyed.
Stay close, Luca muttered, his blade slicing through the lock. The metal hissed, dissolving into a black ooze that dripped like tar onto the stone floor. Alessandro won't make this easy.
Mia's palms tingled, magic simmering beneath her skin. Nothing about him is easy.
The door creaked open, revealing a chamber choked with shadows. The air reeked of decay and desperation, thick enough to taste. Ancient tapestries lined the walls, their threads frayed into skeletal fingers that seemed to reach for her.
Alessandro knelt at the room's center, his once-impeccable suit hanging in tatters. The serpent scar on his chest writhed, veins branching like cracks in glass. Before him, the contract glowed, a parchment of blood and ash, its edges curling like burnt flesh.
You're too late, he rasped, not turning. It's already begun.
The Confrontation
Mia stepped forward, the crystal shard flaring in her grip. Jagged light spilled over the walls, illuminating symbols carved into the stone witch marks, just like her mother's journal.
"We're ending this, she said, voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.
Alessandro laughed, brittle and broken. Do you think this is salvation? You're signing our death warrant.
Behind him, the portrait of his ancestors shifted, oil paint melting into a grotesque smirk. Elena's ghost materialized, her scarred hands hovering over the contract. Burn it, Mia. Now.
Luca lunged for the parchment, but Alessandro moved faster. His dagger pressed to Luca's throat, drawing a bead of blood that dripped onto the contract.
I won't let you destroy my family, Alessandro snarled.
Your family is already dead! Mia's magic erupted, slamming Alessandro into the wall. The crystal shard glowed white-hot in her grip, its light searing her skin. This ends tonight.
The Ritual
She thrust the shard into the contract. Flames erupted, devouring Elena's name first, then the Russos' lineage each signature curling into ash.
No! Alessandro roared, clawing at the air as if he could grasp the disintegrating threads of his legacy. You don't know what you've done!
The vault shook, stone grinding against stone. Dust rained from the ceiling as cracks spiderwebbed across the floor. Elena's ghostly form twisted, her hollow eyes locking on Mia.
Foolish girl, she hissed, voice echoing from the walls themselves. You've freed me… but not you.
The Sacrifice
Black tendrils erupted from the ashes, snaking around Luca's ankles. He staggered, blade clattering to the ground as the shadows dragged him toward the crumbling portrait.
Mia! He grabbed her wrist, fingers bruising. "Go! Now!"
I'm not leaving you!" She clawed at the tendrils, her magic sparking uselessly against the curse's grip. Luca's skin grayed, veins bulging black beneath the surface.
Alessandro staggered to his feet, his eyes wild. Take my hand!
Why?
Because I'd rather die with you than live as a monster.
Their hands clasped. The crystal shard exploded.
The Aftermath
Light swallowed the vault, blinding and brutal. When it faded, Luca was gone. The contract was ash. And Alessandro lay motionless, the serpent scar vanished from his chest.
Mia collapsed beside him, her lungs burning. Luca? Luca!
Silence.
Then!
A gasp. Alessandro's eyes flew open, blue and blazing. "Mia…"
She recoiled. "Where is he? What did you do?"
"What I had to." He gripped her arm, strength returning with unnatural speed. "The curse needed a sacrifice. He volunteered."
Liar! She shoved him, magic flaring. "You killed him!"
Alessandro didn't flinch. "I saved you."
The Resurrection
Mia's locket snapped open. Inside, her mother's face smiled alive. A voice echoed from the shadows, sweet and venomous:
"Did you think it'd be that easy, daughter?"
Elena stepped into the light, flesh, and blood, the cursed crystal glowing in her palm. Her scars were gone, replaced by the same gold-flecked green eyes as Mia's.
"You broke the contract," Elena purred, "but the curse… the curse is mine now."
Alessandro lunged, but Elena flicked her wrist. He froze mid-step, veins blackening as the serpent scar reappeared—this time, coiled around his heart.
Run, Mia, he choked. Please…
Elena laughed. "Oh, she's not going anywhere. Not when I've finally found my heir."
Mia's stomach lurched. Heat pooled low in her abdomen, unfamiliar and terrifying. Elena's grin widened.
Surprised? Life finds a way, even in death. She pressed a hand to Mia's belly. The curse demands a new vessel. And your child… your child will be perfect.