The Dark Path

The days following the vision were a blur of confusion and dread. Lyra’s mind raced as she tried to process what she had seen in the candle’s flame. The image of the grand hall, the cliff, the weight of the sword in her hands—it was all so vivid, so real. Yet the more she tried to make sense of it, the more tangled the threads became. What did it all mean? What choice had she made? And more importantly, what was she supposed to do now?

The shadow of the vision loomed over her as she moved through her daily life. Every step felt like she was walking in the footsteps of someone who was already lost, someone already caught in the trap of fate. Every person she spoke to, every place she went, felt like part of a story she no longer controlled. The future, she realized, wasn’t just an idea—it was a force that pressed down on her, like gravity, unyielding and relentless.

But what troubled her most was the feeling that she wasn’t the only one affected by the candle’s curse. Julia had already seen her future, and it had paralyzed her with fear. Lyra had seen hers, and now she was no longer certain she had the strength to follow it—or to avoid it. If they had both seen their paths, what of the others? How many others had already fallen victim to the merchant’s candles?

The question haunted her, gnawed at her every moment. She knew she couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t let the curse continue, not when so many people might be drawn into it, just as she had been. There had to be a way to stop it—to break free from the cycle.

And so, despite the fear that tightened her chest, Lyra found herself standing once more at the edge of the marketplace. She had no idea what she was searching for—maybe answers, maybe redemption—but she knew she couldn’t live in uncertainty any longer.

The merchant’s stall was there, once again, tucked into the corner of the square. The crimson candles were stacked neatly on the table, glowing faintly in the dim light, but Lyra could see that the merchant was not at his post.

A cold feeling settled in her gut. The merchant was always there when she had visited before. He was never absent.

“Looking for something?” a voice asked, breaking the silence.

Lyra turned quickly, her heart jumping in her chest. The merchant stood behind her, a shadow in the dim light, his hood pulled low over his face.

“I need to talk to you,” Lyra said, her voice tight with urgency. “There’s something wrong with these candles. They’re... they’re hurting people.”

The merchant raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable as always. “Hurting people?” he repeated, his tone almost amused. “What makes you think the candles are the problem?”

Lyra felt a surge of anger rise within her, but she forced herself to stay calm. “I saw it, didn’t I? The future—the one I saw. It’s not a gift. It’s a trap. It’s like... like fate is forcing us into a corner. I can’t stop it. I can’t change it. And it’s driving people mad with fear. People like Julia. People like me.”

The merchant studied her for a moment, his gaze never leaving her face. “You think you can control fate. That once you see it, you can decide whether or not to follow it.” He sighed, almost pitying her. “It doesn’t work that way.”

Lyra clenched her fists, fighting the urge to lash out. “Then what does it do? What’s the point of these candles if they’re just leading people to their doom?”

The merchant stepped closer, his shadow swallowing the light. “The candles show you a moment in time—a possibility. What happens afterward is up to you. The trick is... you can’t unsee it. And that is where the curse lies.”

Lyra’s mind raced. “So, what? The future is like a trap, and we’re the ones who fall into it?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a new candle—this one black, with streaks of gold swirling through the wax like dark veins. He held it up, the light of the stall flickering against the strange, haunting design.

“This,” he said softly, “is the most powerful candle I sell. The one that shows you everything—the truth, the path, the consequences. It is not for the faint of heart.”

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat. She had already seen enough, hadn’t she? The crimson candle had shown her enough to make her understand how dangerous this was. She didn’t need to see more.

But something inside her stirred, a dark curiosity, a hunger for knowledge she couldn’t explain.

“I don’t want it,” she said, though she felt her resolve slipping. “I’ve seen enough.”

The merchant’s smile was faint, almost sad. “You think you’ve seen it all, but you haven’t. There is always more. Always another choice, another moment, another decision you cannot escape.”

Lyra’s fingers twitched toward the black candle, as if the pull of its power was magnetic. She wanted to turn away, to walk away from this whole mess, but the temptation was too strong. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out.

As her fingers brushed the candle, the room seemed to grow colder. The shadows deepened. She pulled her hand back quickly, as though burned, but the damage had already been done.

“You are already marked,” the merchant said quietly. “The curse cannot be undone. You may think you have a choice, but the moment you lit the first candle, you sealed your fate. There is no escape from what lies ahead.”

Lyra’s heart pounded in her chest. “I don’t believe that. I won’t just accept it.”

The merchant’s eyes softened, but his voice was firm. “It’s not about belief. It’s about the path you walk. You will face what you saw in your vision. You will confront it, whether you want to or not. The future has already begun, and you cannot stop it.”

For a moment, Lyra stood frozen, her thoughts swirling. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a precipice, and the wind was pulling her forward, as though fate had already chosen for her.

“Take it,” the merchant urged, holding the black candle toward her once again. “If you want to see everything, if you want to understand how far this goes, take it.”

Lyra stared at the candle in his hands, the wax glimmering in the fading light. She felt an intense desire to grasp it, to see the full truth of the vision, to understand her fate. But deep down, she knew that once she took it, once she crossed that line, there would be no going back.

Her fingers hovered in the air, trembling as she made her choice.

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