THE WITCHES CURSE

Lucian POV

I lounged upon my throne. The power of my muscular frame evident in the shadows cast by the moonlight. The sheen of my armour glistened from the candlelight. There was a nerve-wracking stillness filling the air its dense pressure weighing down on me.

My senses were on high alert, scanning for any potential intruders. But all I heard was an eerily peaceful hush, interrupted only by distant howling of wolves, a reminder of my primal nature as the Lycan King. I clenched my fists, my resolve unwavering. I had faced countless challenges, crushed those who dared to stand against me, and established my rule with absolute authority.

Despite the solitude, I carried myself with regality befitting my position as ruler. I continued to watch the shadows dance across the stone walls. My people’s voices echoes in my mind and I could feel their devotion to me. They relied on me to keep them safe, and I would do anything and everything to ensure their safety and prosperity. The weight of my responsibility is heavy, but I bear it with honour, for I am the Lycan King, ruler of my domain, feared and respected by all and I will continue that reign with unwavering strength, courage, and determination.

My senses suddenly sharpened. The aura of the room changed; I felt a dangerous presence in the room that had not been there before. My gaze shifted from the walls to the centre of the room, where a figure materialized before me. The candles flickered erratically, casting eerie shadows across the room as the figure took form. It was a cloaked figure, their face obscured by the darkness of their hood.

I rose from my throne in one swift motion, my piercing stare that is fixed on the stranger. Tension filled the air around us.

"You are trespassing” I snarled, my voice echoing throughout the grand hall, reverberating with raw power. "State your business, before I rip you to shreds."

The figure slowly raised its head, sending a chill down my spine. The light illuminated the face of a powerful witch, her eyes glowing with an eerie and unearthly magic. Her presence was so strong that I could almost taste it in the air; a dark power that seemed to encroach on every corner of the room. I searched my memories for any recognition of this woman and found none. My body primed itself for any sudden movements, every sense on high alert.

"I am Selene," she said without emotion, her voice piercing through the tension in the room. Her words hung heavily in the air as she continued, "I have come to deliver a punishment befitting your crimes, King Lucian."

Her words stoked the fires of my fury, and I growled viciously, my Lycan form clawing from the insides pulsing with rage eager to emerge. "Crimes? What are you talking about?"

Selene's words sliced through me like a serrated knife, unleashing a fiery storm of fury and hatred within my soul. Her voice dripped with venomous disdain as she hurled accusations at me, "You have abused your power, oppressed the weak, and spilled blood without mercy!"

The audacity of her charges fuelled a scorching rage within me, threatening to consume everything in its path. "Your words are like the whining of a dying animal to me, witch. You speak of judgment" I scoffed "You who have dabbled in the dark arts, twisting and perverting the natural order of things? Your existence is an affront to everything that is pure and right. You have no right to judge me" My eyes glinted with a dangerous intensity as I took a menacing step towards her, my claws extending and flexing. The air crackled with my fury as I glowered down at her, daring her to challenge me.

My rage simmered as I watched Selene's dark energy grow stronger by the moment, sensing her intention to attack. I knew I needed to be careful, for her powers were not to be underestimated. But I refused to show any sign of fear, even in the face of such malevolence. Instead, I bared my teeth in a feral snarl and let out a low growl that echoed throughout the room.

Selene's dark energy swirled around her in malevolent waves, crackling with ominous power that sent shivers down my spine. The very air grew thick with tension as the room darkened, foreboding sense of danger prickling at my every pore.

Her eyes narrowed and her piercing gaze bore into mine like a thousand needles stabbing at my skin, and her laughter was a taunting cackle that chilled my bones. "For your sins," she spat, venom dripping from every word, "I condemn you to the underworld! There you will be bound by laws and obligations, answering only to those who perform the magic ritual for your summoning. And forevermore will you be known as the Lycan King who preyed on innocent lives."

Her judgement slashed through the air like a whip. I could see disdain in the way she looked at me, the curl of her lip, and feel the power radiating off her body. Chains began to swirl around me like a serpent, binding me in place. The power that had been coursing through me felt like it was being reversed and sucked away. In that instant, my life felt meaningless, my accomplishments dust in the wind. A fire ignited within me, rage burning more brightly than any fire I had ever experienced before and I let out a feral scream with all the energy I had left, my claws slashing at the air as Selene's magic took hold.

The searing pain ripped through my body like molten lead, yet I fought back with every fibre of my being. No matter what I did, however, the chains only got tighter, their ethereal grasp draining me of all that I am until I felt completely powerless.

Selene's dark laughter filled the air like a death toll, her satisfaction with her victory palpable in her smirk that fuelled my hatred further. My fists clenched and my eyes burned with rage as I glared into the abyss of her soulless eyes.

"You may have won this battle," I looked up at her my gaze searing with hatred as I spat through clenched teeth, "but know this. One day I will get my revenge and rip out your still beating heart!"

Rather than being cowed by my words, Selene only laughed louder, and, in that moment, I could feel the walls of the room pressing in on me with a crushing weight. The darkness overwhelmed me as rage and humiliation coursed through my veins, boiling over into an insatiable thirst for vengeance. Selene would soon learn the price of crossing me; I swore a vow that I would never forget this humiliation or rest until she had paid for it.

I felt the ground beneath my feet give way revealing a deep dark void that pulled me in. I plummeted downwards with no end in sight, feeling like I was cascading into an eternity of despair. Strangled cries and pained shrieks echoed through my mind as I descended further, beckoning me to join them in their everlasting suffering. When I finally reached the bottom, I found myself shackled to the darkness, filled with dread and despair-but I clung to one thought. Revenge.