Bound by Fate

Prologue: The Ancient Battle

The sky bled crimson over the battlefield, where the chaos of war had replaced the once-vibrant meadows. Dark clouds twisted unnaturally, swirling as if they were alive and angry. Thunder rolled ominously, a sound more foreboding than the clash of metal on metal, drowning out the cries of soldiers locked in mortal combat. The ground beneath their feet trembled as magic rippled through the air—an ancient and powerful magic that would decide the fate of kingdoms, of life itself.

At the heart of the battlefield stood three figures: two warriors, both bloodied but unbroken, and a woman bathed in radiant light. Her eyes gleamed like fire, hands raised, casting a protective barrier that shimmered around them, barely holding back the hordes of monstrous creatures that raged against the magical dome. She was Elara, the most potent sorceress the world had ever known.

Draven and Kael, the twin warriors who had fought by her side for decades, now faced the ultimate test of loyalty and love. Each had sworn an oath to protect her, to stand by her until their dying breath. Yet, deep within them, they knew the battle had long transcended mortal promises. They were not just warriors protecting a kingdom—they were bound to her in ways neither truly understood. It was fate that had drawn them together and fate that had torn them apart.

Elara's heart was heavy, the weight of an impossible choice. She had loved them both in different ways. With his calm and steady strength, Draven was the one who anchored her when the weight of her magic felt too much to bear. And Kael, with his fierce passion and fire, fueled her spirit, reminding her of the power she wielded and the emotions she could no longer suppress. But there was no time for such emotions now. War had consumed them all.

A sharp pain pierced Elara's heart as her magic strained to hold the barrier against the dark forces encroaching on them. The ground beneath them quaked again, but there was no tremor this time. Something deeper, darker, was stirring. She turned her gaze to Draven, her breath catching in her throat. His face was stoic, but she saw the flicker of something more—regret in his eyes.

Then she looked at Kael, and her heart broke.

"I trusted you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Both of you."

Kael’s face paled, but before he could speak, the barrier shattered, and the dark magic they held at bay surged forward like a tidal wave. Elara raised her arms to counter it, but something was wrong. Her power faltered. She gasped, looking down at her hands as the glowing magic dimmed, then flickered out. She stumbled, falling to her knees.

“Elara!” Draven shouted, rushing to her side.

Kael stood frozen, his eyes wide with horror as the dark force closed on them. “This… wasn’t supposed to happen,” he muttered, his voice breaking. “I didn’t mean for—”

The truth hit her like a blow, and Elara’s eyes widened in realization. “It was you,” she breathed. “You betrayed me.”

Kael’s face contorted in anguish, but there was no time to explain. The dark magic surged again, this time unrestrained. The sorceress, drained of her power, collapsed in Draven’s arms. The two warriors could only watch in horror as the darkness swirled around them, consuming everything in its path.

“Run,” Elara gasped, her voice faint but commanding. “You have to—”

“No,” Draven growled, his grip tightening around her. “We’ll fight.”

But it was too late. The curse had already begun.

As Elara lay dying in Draven’s arms, the ground beneath them trembled violently as if the very earth itself was rejecting the death of the sorceress. The air grew thick with magic, raw and untamed, and a dark voice echoed through the battlefield.

“For your betrayal, you are bound for eternity. Never to know peace, never to find release until she chooses.”

Draven’s heart pounded in his chest. He looked up, seeing the black mist rising around them, twisting and shaping into something tangible, malevolent.

“Elara, no!” Kael cried out, trying to reach her, but the force of the curse pushed him back.

She looked up at Draven, her eyes dulling, her breath shallow. “I curse you both,” she whispered, her voice shaking with fury and heartbreak. “For what you’ve done, for what you’ve taken from me. Neither of you will rest; neither of you will find peace until one of you dies.”

Her words, filled with raw magic, twisted around the warriors, binding them with an invisible chain.

“And until the day I return,” Elara whispered, her eyes closing, “you will be cursed to wait. To watch. To suffer.”

With that final breath, her body went still in Draven’s arms. The dark magic surged forward, pulling the warriors into its grip and consuming them in a storm of black energy. And in that moment, everything changed.

The battlefield fell silent.

Draven and Kael were left alone when the storm cleared, standing amidst the ruins of what had once been a thriving kingdom. Their bodies were untouched by time, their hearts heavy with the weight of eternity. But they knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning. The curse had sealed their fate—until the day their sorceress returned.

Centuries passed, but the memory of that battle never left Draven or Kael. They wandered the earth, searching for the one person who could end their suffering—the reincarnation of Elara. But with each passing year, the bitterness between the two brothers grew. They were bound by the same curse yet separated by the betrayal that had led to Elara’s death.

Draven, the warrior who had once fought with honor, grew cold and distant, his heart hardened by the centuries of waiting. He blamed Kael for what had happened, for the betrayal that had taken everything from them. And though he still loved his brother, that love was tainted by an unspoken hatred.

Once a man of passion and fire, Kael was consumed by guilt. He had made a grave, unforgivable mistake and was now paying the price. The weight of his betrayal crushed him daily, and he knew that only Elara’s return could grant him the absolution he so desperately craved.

But their search for Elara’s reincarnation was in vain. For centuries, they wandered, always just out of reach of the one person who could free them from their eternal torment.

Until now.

In a quiet corner of a modern city, far from the ancient battlefields and dark magic of the past, a young woman stood in front of a mirror, unaware of the storm about to descend upon her. Her name was Lily, and she had no idea that her destiny was already written—that she was the one who would bring an end to the ancient curse that had bound Draven and Kael for centuries.

But with her return came a choice. A choice that would decide the fate of both warriors. A choice that only she could make.

A strange feeling washed over her as Lily’s reflection stared back at her—a sense of déjà vu as if she had lived this life before. At that moment, the ancient magic stirred, awakening within her, signaling to the two warriors that their wait was finally over.

But with her return, the danger would begin anew. And this time, the stakes were higher than ever.

Thus, the prologue sets the stage for Bound by Fate, where Lily’s discovery of her past life as Elara will force her into an impossible decision, just as the two immortal brothers struggle to confront their ancient mistakes and the consequences of their undying bond.