chapter two: The weight of secrets

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# Cursed Heart

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The Crowhurst manor sat at the edge of the valley, its dark stone walls rising like a sentinel against the wilds of Ebonvale. Generations of Ash’s family had lived and died here, and the house carried their history in every creaking floorboard and draft that whispered down its halls.

Ash returned just before dawn. The sky had begun to pale, streaks of violet and rose cutting through the night, but his mind was still tangled in the shadows of the forest. He slipped through the great oak doors as quietly as he could, hoping no one had noticed his absence.

But Nyra was waiting.

His younger sister sat curled in the high-backed chair by the fire, her golden-brown hair spilling over her shoulder, a book lying forgotten in her lap. She had the sharp eyes of their mother, eyes that missed nothing, and when she looked at Ash now, he felt as though she could read the truth straight from his soul.

“You went into the forest again.” Her voice was soft, but edged with accusation.

Ash tried to steady his breath. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Nyra raised an eyebrow. “So you decided to wander Ebonvale in the middle of the night? Mother will—”

“Don’t tell her,” Ash interrupted sharply. His voice came out more desperate than intended. He ran a hand through his dark hair, the memory of violet eyes still burning in his mind. “Please, Nyra.”

Her gaze softened, though curiosity flickered beneath. “What did you see?”

He hesitated. To say it aloud felt dangerous, as though speaking her into words would bind her closer to him. And yet he couldn’t keep her to himself, not entirely. “A girl,” he admitted.

Nyra leaned forward. “A girl? In Ebonvale?”

“Yes. She knew my name.”

Silence fell between them, broken only by the crackle of the fire. Nyra’s lips parted, but no words came. Finally, she whispered, “Then it’s true.”

Ash’s brow furrowed. “What’s true?”

Before she could answer, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Both turned as Thalia Crowhurst entered, their mother a vision of stern grace. Her long black gown trailed against the stone floor, and her eyes—piercing gray, sharp as ice—fell instantly on Ash.

“You’ve been in the forest,” she said, not asking, but knowing.

Ash straightened, though the weight of her gaze was heavy. “I—”

“Do not lie to me.” Her voice cut through the room. She moved closer, her presence filling the space. “Ebonvale is not for wandering. It is not for you.”

Something in her words stirred unease in him. *Not for you.* Did she mean not for anyone—or not for him specifically?

“Mother,” Nyra ventured softly, “he saw—”

But Thalia silenced her with a look. Nyra fell quiet, lips pressed into a thin line.

Ash clenched his fists. “Why? Why can’t we go there? What are you hiding?”

For the briefest moment, his mother’s mask cracked. He saw it in her eyes—the flicker of fear, of grief. Then it was gone, shuttered away.

“Some curses,” she said coldly, “are better left undisturbed.”

She turned sharply, the folds of her gown sweeping after her, and left without another word.

Ash stood frozen, the fire’s warmth unable to reach the chill that settled into him. Nyra looked at him with wide, searching eyes, but he couldn’t meet them. His heart pounded with a single truth:

The girl in the forest wasn’t just a chance encounter.

His family knew something.

And the curse of Ebonvale was no longer just legend.

It was waiting for him.

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