Chapter 8: Breaking The Curse
Kane looked deeply into her brown eyes. He saw no fear. He saw only a fierce, unwavering acceptance. This is first time he saw someone willingly to step up to be his bride, knowing she might be burned.
“If you die,” Kane whispered, his voice thick with raw emotion, “my soul will burn to ash right alongside you.”
Closing his eyes, Kane lowered his hand. His large, scarred palm met her soft, delicate fingers. They laced their fingers together.
The universe seemed to stop. Silence stretched across the labyrinth. The wind died down. Elena did not scream. She did not burn.
Instead, the moment their skin fully connected, a violent, beautiful shockwave of golden magic erupted from their joined hands. The oppressive, scorching heat radiating from Kane’s body suddenly softened, melting into a soothing, deeply restorative warmth.
The curse reacted. High above the palace, the ancient, dark clouds that had blanketed the Dragon Domain for a century began to fracture. A brilliant, blinding golden light pulsed from the courtyard, rippling through the entire valley. The withered night-flora in the garden instantly burst into vibrant, colorful blooms.
Kane opened his eyes, staring at their joined hands in absolute awe.
The prophecy had been incomplete. The shaman’s words had missed the most vital truth. The curse could never be broken by a forced sacrifice. It didn’t just require a human bride—it required a mutual choice. It required a human who would look past the scales and the fire, and willingly accept the dragon’s heart.
For the first time in a hundred years, Kane pulled a human into his arms. He wrapped his powerful embrace around Elena, burying his face in her dark hair, holding her tightly against his chest without a single ounce of fear.
Elena hugged him back, resting her head against his racing heart. The betrayal of her past faded into complete irrelevance. Here, in the arms of the Dragon King, she was safe. She was wanted.
“You’re safe,” Kane murmured, his voice fierce with a newfound promise of protection. “You will never have to run again.”
The curse was broken. The lineage was restored. But as Kane held Elena under the newly cleared, starlit sky, he wasn’t thinking about kingdoms, or heirs, or ancient prophecies.
For a hundred years, he had been a cursed king.
But in her hands… He finally became just a man.
~The end.
PS: This is my first short writing (SS= short story). I am wondering if I should rewrite longer version like a novel with 30-45 chapters and give more twist here and there XD