Chapter 7
811words
In the adjacent bed, her mother slept peacefully.
"You're awake."
She turned to see Claude sitting beside her.
"My mother..."
"She's fine," Claude assured her. "She'll believe she had a routine procedure—she'll remember nothing."
Cathy exhaled in relief.
"Where's Alaric?"
"Gone," Claude rose from his chair. "When the scepter shattered, Seraphina suffered the magical backlash. She... didn't survive."
Cathy stared in shock.
"Dead?"
"Yes." Claude nodded grimly. "Alaric likely returned to handle the aftermath within his family."
Cathy felt hollow inside.
"Did... did he leave any message?"
Claude hesitated, then extracted an envelope from his pocket.
"He asked me to give you this."
Cathy took the envelope with trembling fingers and opened it.
Inside was a single line of elegant script.
"Thank you, my prophet. We shall meet again."
She stared at those words as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Cathy," Claude said softly, "this business is concluded, but I need one promise from you."
"What's that?"
"Stay away from the supernatural," Claude said gravely. "Stop writing those vampire stories. Cut all ties with that world. Live normally and care for your mother."
Cathy remained silent, clutching the letter as she closed her eyes.
Claude sighed heavily and turned to leave.
Once again, Cathy found herself alone.
She lay back against the pillows, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Suddenly, a mechanical, emotionless voice resonated in her mind.
"Main storyline completion detected. Dimensional barrier closing soon. Character 'Alaric Ashford' will return to original world in 24 hours."
Cathy bolted upright.
"What?"
"Host may choose: Option One, character returns to original world, host retains all memories. Option Two, character remains permanently but surrenders immortality to become human."
Cathy's heart pounded, not even questioning the voice in her head.
"Where is he?" she demanded.
"Character's current location detected: Host's residence."
Cathy leapt from the bed and bolted from the hospital room.
She flagged down a taxi and blurted out her address.
"Please hurry," she begged the driver.
"You got it."
The taxi weaved through traffic.
Cathy watched the city blur past, a single thought consuming her.
Don't go.
Don't leave.
Please, stay.
Twenty minutes later, she burst into her apartment.
Alaric stood by the window, his back to her.
"You came," he said without turning.
"You're leaving?" Cathy asked, breathless.
"Yes," Alaric replied. "Seraphina is dead. I must return to stabilize my family. It's my duty."
"Will you... come back?"
Alaric remained silent for a long moment.
"I don't know," he finally answered. "I may be bound to that world for decades. Ten years, twenty years... perhaps longer."
Cathy's throat constricted.
"So this is goodbye?"
"Yes."
Cathy bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"If..." she ventured, "if you could choose, would you stay?"
Alaric turned to face her fully.
"What do you mean?"
"There's some kind of system—maybe the source of my abilities—and it's offered me a choice," Cathy explained. "You can stay, but the cost is... your immortality."
Alaric stared at her, stunned.
"You mean..."
"You'd become mortal. You'd age and eventually..." Cathy's voice broke as tears fell. "You'd be like me, with only decades to live."
Alaric studied her, a storm of emotions playing across his features.
"Why tell me this?" he asked softly. "You know my duty calls me back."
"Because I needed to ask," Cathy choked out. "We've faced death together, and I've fallen in love with you. So if it were truly your choice, what would you want?"
Alaric stepped forward and gently wiped her tears away.
"In your story, I've lived for 328 years," he said softly. "I've witnessed countless sunrises and sunsets, endured wars and betrayals beyond measure. I believed I understood life's meaning."
He paused, his fingers lingering on her cheek.
"But these three days with you have shown me how wrong I was."
"What do you mean?"
"Life's meaning isn't measured in years," Alaric said. "It's measured by who shares those years with you."
Cathy stared up at him, speechless.
"So your choice is..."
"I choose to stay," Alaric smiled—a real, warm smile. "To be with you and discover all I've never known."
Cathy threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You idiot... you're giving up immortality..."
"What value has immortality?" Alaric held her tightly. "It's merely endless solitude."
He bent down and whispered in her ear.
"I'd rather discover what it means to grow old with you."
The room suddenly filled with brilliant light.
Alaric felt his supernatural power draining away.
Shadows no longer responded to his will; his enhanced senses faded.
But in their place came a warm sensation.
He felt his heart—truly felt it beating.
"Is this... what being human feels like?" he whispered in wonder.
"Yes," Cathy wiped away her tears and smiled up at him. "Welcome to humanity, Mr. Alaric."
Outside the window, the moon faded back to silver.
