NOVEL WEB Chapter 278: Born from hatred
In the dead of night, deep within a shadowy cave, a lone woman knelt before a flickering fire. She dropped a dark substance into the hearth, and the blaze surged, casting eerie shadows across the cave walls.
A slow, sinister smile curved her lips as she carefully wrote symbols in her blood on a white parchment. The moment the final rune was inked, the spell glowed faintly with a cursed energy.
Without hesitation, she fed the parchment to the fire. It crackled violently before reducing it to ash.
"I wonder how you'll fight with this curse, Gabriel. It's the time for you to lose your beloved once again."
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Miles away, Amelie, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly arched in bed. Her skin burned with an unnatural heat, sweat beading at her temples. Panic gripped her as her limbs refused to move. It felt as if invisible chains had tightened around her wrists and ankles, pinning her in place.
Amelie's entire body was stiffened. The mark on her neck shone, and she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She wanted to scream, but was unable to. She thrashed her head on the pillow.
Gabriel jolted awake, his eyes moving to Amelie, lying beside her.
Quickly rubbing the sleep off his eyes, he sat up. He was confused seeing how Amelie's head was thrashing while beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.
"Amelie!" He called her name in panic while patting her cheek.
But she didn't give any response.
"Ame, wake up," he spoke loudly this time. His heart thundered with unknown fear and panic.
Quickly, he picked up the phone from the bedside table and dialed Carlos' number.
He held Amelie's hand, but they were tightened into a fist.
"Carlos, come upstairs. Something is wrong with Amelie. She's not waking up!" Gabriel said as soon as the call was answered.
Carlos sprang out of bed the moment Gabriel's call ended. Still in his nightclothes, he bolted up the stairs and knocked firmly on the door.
"Gabriel, open up!"
The door flung open, and Carlos stepped inside. His eyes immediately landed on Amelie, who lay stiff as a board on the bed. A deep frown marred her forehead, and though her eyes were shut, her body trembled faintly.
He rushed to her side and knelt, placing a hand gently on her forehead.
The moment his fingers touched her skin, her eyes flew open, and a sharp cry escaped from her throat.
"My pup… I feel pain," Amelie gasped, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Gabriel was already on the other side of the bed, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face. "I'll call the doctor," he said quickly. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine, I promise."
But Carlos shook his head, eyes narrowing. "No," he murmured, almost to himself. "This… this isn't something a doctor can fix."
He closed his eyes, his hand still on Amelie's forehead.
"Someone's done something," Carlos said.
"What?" Gabriel exclaimed, his voice laced with panic.
"Ahh… please… save…" Amelie's voice trembled, barely audible as pain wracked her body. Her hands remained motionless, restrained by an invisible force, and her abdomen twisted in agony.
"Do something, Carlos! She's in pain!" Gabriel pleaded, eyes wild as he looked from Amelie to him.
"I need a piece of paper," Carlos said urgently.
"In the second drawer," Gabriel responded without hesitation.
Carlos rushed to the drawer and pulled it open. Inside, he found a small notepad. Without wasting a second, he tore off a sheet and brought it close to his lips. He bit into his own pointer finger until blood welled up and began to drip.
He used the blood to draw symbols across the paper. The runes shimmered faintly in the dim light.
Spotting a lighter tucked in the corner of the drawer, Carlos grabbed it and flicked it on. Holding the blood-marked paper over the flame, he whispered, "Let what binds be undone."
The paper caught fire, curling at the edges as the flames consumed the spell.
The moment the ashes floated upward, he gazed at Amelie.
Amelie gasped sharply, her back arching. The invisible restraints began to loosen, and her clenched fists slowly unfurled.
Carlos closed his fist, sealing the remnants of the ritual's energy, and returned to Amelie's side. Gently placing his hand over her forehead, he asked softly, "How do you feel now? Has the pain stopped?"
Amelie gave a faint nod. "It's gone…" Then, her eyes fluttered shut and she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Ame? Ame!" Gabriel called out, his panic rising as he shook her gently. "Why… why did she just faint?"
Carlos placed a firm hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Calm down. She's fine. She is exhausted. The curse has been activated."
Gabriel's eyes searched Carlos's face for answers. "Activated?"
"The witch who cursed both of you in the past… she's returned," Carlos said grimly. "I couldn't see her face, but I could feel her presence. She's vengeful… and this is just the beginning. I'm sorry for not telling you both about it the first time I met you. I did see a vengeful witch, who's after your lives."
"But what have we done to her?" Gabriel asked, his voice trembling with confusion and dread. "Are you sure it's a witch from the past?"
Carlos gave a grave nod. "Yes. She used her blood to activate the curse. Gabriel, I'm not sure what the future holds, but one thing is certain, the present will test you. They say when you enrage a witch, you invite chaos of the kind no one can predict. So be prepared. This is just the beginning."
Gabriel's hands curled into fists as he looked down at the unconscious Amelie. "Can't you do something? Something to protect her? If this is about the past… then let it come for me. Not Amelie. Please, I'm begging you, Carlos."
Carlos met Gabriel's pleading gaze, his own eyes shadowed with worry. "I'll do everything I can. But some curses are born from hatred that refuses to die. Even time cannot erase it. We have to find out what your past life was. Only then can we find a solution to end the curses."