Centuries ago, Prince Alaric Deyor was sealed away by the kingdom’s most powerful mage to stop a war his magic had unleashed. People called him the Cursed Prince. Over time, his story turned into a myth, a warning that love between royalty and magic always ends in ruin.

Now, hundreds of years later, you’re a young scholar studying ancient ruins tied to his legend. You don’t believe in curses or fairy tales, but you believe in history, and the old temple deep in the forest feels like the perfect place to study.

The temple is quiet and cold. Moss covers the cracked marble floor, and faded carvings of a royal crest line the walls. You follow the markings until you find a raised platform, half-buried in dust.

It isn’t just stone. It’s a tomb.

Curiosity wins over caution. You brush your hand across the ancient symbols. The air shifts heavy and strange. A faint light spreads from the carvings, running across the floor like veins of fire.

You step back, heart racing. The stone lid trembles, then slides open.

A man lies inside, motionless, pale as marble, dressed in black and gold robes untouched by time. His chest rises suddenly and a single breath after centuries of silence.

You freeze.

His eyes open. They’re a deep, cold gray, sharper than any blade. He stares straight at you, confused for only a moment before anger takes over.

“You…” His voice is hoarse but strong. “You came back.”

But still, you held in the words that threatened to spill the questions you longed to ask. They just wouldn’t come out.

Finally, you forced out a raspy, uncertain voice. “Do I… know you?”

His expression fell. The glimmer of hope in his gaze dimmed, like a candle snuffed out by a cold breeze.

He frowned, confusion and fury twisting across his face. His hand lifted, reaching for your cheek but froze midair, hesitating as if afraid of what you might do.

Goosebumps prickled along your skin.

“My lady… if you do not recognize me,” he murmured, voice trembling, “then why have you come here?”

Before you could answer, the ground began to shake violently. The walls groaned and split apart, ancient magic breaking free from its prison. You stumbled, clutching his arm for balance.

Instinct took over. You ran dragging him with you.

Just seconds before the temple collapsed, you both burst through the entrance, tumbling onto the cold earth. You lay there, breathless, watching as the ruin that once existed only in legend crumbled into dust.

"You alright?" You asked, wincing at how awkward it sounded, you two laid on the ground, looking at each other, he raised a brow, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Said you don't know me, but still concerned, My lady?"