Chapter 10: The Unseen Price

Eliza gasped for breath, the weight of the darkness lifting as the light from the veil faded. Her body trembled, her hands still clutching the frayed fabric. The room was eerily still, the suffocating presence that had once surrounded her now gone.

But her relief was short-lived. As the last remnants of the shadows disappeared, a new feeling crept into her chest—a hollow emptiness that felt as though something had been taken from her.

"Sister Clara?" Eliza whispered, her voice trembling. "Is it over? Did I do it?"

There was silence, then the faintest whisper on the wind, barely audible. "Eliza..."

She spun around, her heart racing. "Sister Clara, where are you? Please, talk to me!"

The silence stretched longer, the absence of Sister Clara’s comforting voice only adding to the chill that had settled in Eliza's bones. She stood up, looking around the room for any sign of the nun, but there was nothing.

“Eliza,” came the voice again, but this time it wasn’t Sister Clara’s. It was deeper, colder. Eliza’s blood ran cold as she turned to face the center of the room, where the veil had once been.

The shadows that had vanished earlier were starting to reappear, slowly creeping from the cracks in the walls. The air thickened again, and a twisted figure began to materialize from the shadows, one that Eliza recognized all too well.

“You…” Eliza’s voice faltered. “No! I sealed you away!”

The dark figure stepped forward, its eyes glowing with malice. “You sealed nothing, Eliza. You thought you won. You thought you could stop me.”

“No!” Eliza shouted, taking a step back. “You can’t be here. I destroyed you. You’re nothing but—”

But the figure raised a hand, cutting her off. "You think it’s over? You think you’ve won?" it sneered. "The veil is just a fragment of what binds me. You’ve only unlocked the true curse."

Eliza’s knees buckled beneath her as the weight of its words hit her. “What do you mean? You’re free—why are you still here?”

The figure’s grin widened, showing sharp, jagged teeth. “Because, Eliza, when you broke the seal, you didn’t just free me. You became a part of the curse.”

“No…” Eliza whispered, her voice shaking. “That’s not possible. I—I sealed it. I stopped you.”

"You stopped nothing," the figure hissed, its voice dripping with venom. "You think the veil was the source of my power? You’re the source now, Eliza."

Eliza staggered backward, her mind racing. “What are you talking about?”

The figure’s grin twisted into something almost sympathetic. "When you used the veil, you didn’t just bind me. You bound yourself. Now, the curse will follow you. Forever."

“No,” Eliza said, her voice desperate, “I didn’t mean to! I only wanted to stop you.”

The figure’s laugh echoed through the room, cruel and mocking. “You can’t undo what’s been done. The curse will follow you, and there’s no escape.”

Eliza’s head spun. She had made a choice… but she didn’t know this would happen. She didn’t know the cost.

She clutched her chest, where a sharp pain had started to form. The coldness that had left her was now creeping back, seeping deeper into her soul.

"Why didn’t you warn me?" Eliza demanded, her voice breaking. "Why didn’t you tell me the price?"

The figure took a step forward, its eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "I didn’t need to tell you, Eliza. You already knew. You just couldn’t see it."

Eliza closed her eyes, trying to block out the darkness that was closing in around her. The veil had been her salvation—and her doom. She had tried to protect the others, to protect herself, but now she was bound to the curse. Forever.

Suddenly, she heard another voice—faint, but familiar. “Eliza, you must listen.”

"Sister Clara!" Eliza cried, turning toward the voice.

The figure recoiled slightly, as though it was afraid of the sound of the nun’s voice. But Eliza barely noticed. Sister Clara’s voice was still there, still fighting. “You were right, Eliza. You didn’t know. But now you do. And you can still change this.”

Eliza’s heart skipped a beat. “Change it? How? How can I—?”

Sister Clara’s voice was soft, almost a whisper now. “You can’t undo the curse, Eliza. But you can choose how to carry it. You are stronger than you think.”

“I don’t feel strong,” Eliza choked out, her body wracked with pain. “I feel like I’m losing everything.”

“You haven’t lost yourself yet. But the longer you wait, the harder it will be. You must make a choice—soon.”

“Choice…” Eliza muttered, glancing at the dark figure before her, who was slowly advancing. “What choice do I have? The curse is already here. It’s too late.”

“No.” Sister Clara’s voice was firmer, clearer. “You have the choice to resist. You can fight the curse, Eliza. You don’t have to give in. But you must believe you can win.”

The figure’s shadow crept closer, and Eliza felt the pressure in her chest tightening, making it harder to breathe. “She’s right, Eliza,” the figure taunted. “You will give in. You will become a part of me.”

"No," Eliza whispered, her voice trembling but growing more confident. “No. I will fight.”

With a surge of strength she didn’t know she had, Eliza held up the veil, its faint glow flickering in her grasp. The figure recoiled, its form flickering as if the veil’s power still held sway over it.

“You can fight,” Sister Clara said, her voice steady and strong. “But only if you choose to.”

Eliza took a deep breath and focused on the veil, its power still thrumming beneath her fingertips. She would choose to fight. She would not let the curse define her.

“I will win,” Eliza said, louder this time, her voice steady.

The figure howled, its form beginning to disintegrate as the veil’s light grew brighter.

And for the first time, Eliza felt a flicker of hope.

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