Her Game

In the present -

“Miss me, ladies?”

Ragnar drawled, a cocky grin plastered across his face as he kicked open the heavy doors with a resounding crash, striding into the witches' coven with a swagger.

The room bathed in moonlight as the rain subsided.

The witches, cloaked in dark, flowing robes,sitting in the circle around the glass coffin.

Ragnar's voice sliced through the stunned silence.

Pandemonium erupted. “Intruder!” one of the witches shrieked, her eyes shot open wide in terror and rage.

“Protect the circle! Don’t let him near Selene!” The Witch Mother shouted, her voice a blend of fury and panic.

Ragnar’s gaze locked onto the glass coffin, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intent.

“Sorry to crash the party, but she’s leaving’ with me,” he announced, his voice dripping with arrogance.

The witches had to break their circle.

“Get him!”

Three of them commanded, her hands crackling with dark, malevolent energy. They attacked in unison, a tempest of spells and curses cascading towards Ragnar.

Ragnar’s smirk widened as he deflected the first wave of attacks with a casual sweep of his arm. “Is that the best you got?” he taunted, charging towards the coffin.

The air thickened with the acrid scent of burning incense and ozone as spells collided in the confined space.

The room descended into absolute chaos. One witch conjured a whirlwind of flames, but Ragnar ducked just in time, the heat singeing his hair. Another sent a barrage of ice shards towards him, but he smashed through them with sheer brute force, shards clinking off his body like deadly rain.

“You’re not taking her!” a witch screamed, lunging at Ragnar with claws extended as one by one the others fell from exhaustion at the interruption of the ritual and excessive use of their powers.

Ragnar caught her mid-air, flinging her across the room. She hit the wall with a sickening thud and crumpled to the floor, unconscious. "Anyone else wanna dance?" he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.The remaining witches hesitated, their confidence faltering. “You’re a dead man, Ragnar!” one of them spat, but her voice wavered with uncertainty.

Ignoring the diminishing resistance, Ragnar reached the glass coffin and, with a single, powerful strike, shattered it. Shards flew everywhere, catching the candlelight.

He lifted Selene’s body, cradling her amid the chaos. For a fleeting moment, his expression hardened.

His wife's words played at the back of his mind like a broken record.

“ All you ever cared for was yourself. You never truly loved me or even your children. You never cared about Selene or Aria. All you cared about was power. You had eternity, Ragnar!

You had forever! You had the world at your feet!

What else could you possibly want more?”

Then the smirk quickly returned.

“Later, witches,” he mocked, heading for the exit. The witches, now desperate, launched one final, combined assault. Bolts of energy in every color streaked towards Ragnar, hitting him square in the back. He staggered, feeling the searing pain of their magic tearing at his flesh. His body was already weak and reeling from pain.

“Argh!” he growled, nearly dropping Selene. But he steadied himself and, with one last defiant glance over his shoulder, bolted through the door. The coven behind him was a scene of utter devastation, witches strewn about, the circle in shambles.

***

Back in the past -

David diligently follows his mother's instructions as he makes his way towards the forbidden cave where Selene's lair was rumored to be. His steps were careful.

As he entered the wretched place, the air was thick with the scent of dark magic. The shadows seem to writhe, alive with an ancient malevolence.

In a far corner, he found her. She was huddled, small and vulnerable, whimpering as if in pain. David's heart stuttered in his chest as he recognized the face of his beloved Aria on Selene's form.

“Aria?" His voice was a broken whisper, disbelief battling with hope.

Selene looked up, her eyes wide with an innocence that cut him to the core. "David, it's me," she murmured, her voice a haunting echo of Aria's.

He took hesitant steps forward. "How... how can this be?"

"She hurt me," Selene said, her voice trembling, a perfect mimicry of Aria's tender tones as she played with the Moonstone in her hand. "But you can save me."

David's heart ached. He wanted to believe.

"I missed you so much," he confessed, his voice thick with emotion.

Selene stood up slowly, her movements fluid and graceful. She stepped closer, the air between them charged with a dangerous electricity.

"I'm here now," she whispered, her breath warm against his skin as she leaned in, her lips brushing his ear. "Hold me, David."

His resolve started wavering as he wrapped his arms around her, her body fitting against his with a familiarity that drove him mad.

The MoonStone was doing its job. The original game of manipulation had begun.

She turned her face to his, her lips seeking his in a kiss that tasted of desperation and longing.

“Make love to me," she pleaded softly, her fingers tracing patterns on his back, igniting every nerve ending.

David hesitated, his mind screaming warnings he could not heed.

He was lost in the memory of Aria's touch. Selene's hands are everywhere, her mouth a burning trail on his skin.

"I need you," she breathed, and the sound was enough to shatter his last defenses.

He lifted her, their bodies entwined, a perfect dance of forgotten desires and misplaced hope. Her whispers were spells, her touch an enchantment, and he was helpless to resist. The cave's darkness wrapped around them, a cocoon of forbidden passion and tragic delusion.

His hands traced her curves, familiar and yet foreign, every touch sending jolts of electricity through him. Selene moaned softly, a sound that echoed Aria's and ignited a fire deep within him.

He kissed her neck, trailing down to her collarbone, tasting the salt of her skin, each moment blurring the line between love and lust.

“David," she whispered, her breath hot against his ear, "I want you."

Her hands found their way under his shirt, nails scraping lightly, teasing, as she pulled him closer. His shirt was off in a heartbeat, her hands exploring, setting his skin ablaze.

He felt her fingers unbuttoning his pants, each movement deliberate, driving him further into the abyss of his longing.

She guided him to the ground, her body pressing against his, the heat between them almost unbearable. He moved with her, their bodies finding a rhythm, a desperate dance of need and lost memory. Her lips found his again, the kiss deepened and consuming, her tongue exploring his mouth, claiming him.

"Aria," he gasped, the name slipping from his lips unbidden, as if by speaking it he could bring her back.

"Yes," Selene purred, her voice like a siren's call, "it's me.” She let go of the MoonStone as it hung, radiating, suspended in the air.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, the intimacy of their connection overwhelming. He was lost in her, every touch, every kiss, a balm to his wounded soul. He moved within her, their bodies entwined, a symphony of desire and sorrow.

Time lost meaning as they came together, the cave around them a forgotten world. His heart raced, the intensity of their lovemaking building to a crescendo, each moment more fervent than the last. She cried out, a sound that echoed off the cave walls, a mixture of ecstasy and triumph.

As their movements slow, Selene's eyes glitter with triumph in the dim light. She stroked his hair, her lips curving into a smile that is not Aria's. David's breath caught a realization dawning too late.

"Aria..." he began but Selene placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh," she whispered, her voice once again laced with that dark, seductive magic.

"She’s gone, David. I am all you have now.I am your present, your future and your past.”

The cave seemed to close in on him, the weight of his actions crashing down. David's heart leaped out of his rib cage, a silent scream in the emptiness, as Selene's laughter echoed in the darkness.

Just at that moment, the shiny shimmer of the shell his mother had given him caught David's eye. It was a faint glimmer.

With a sudden burst of resolve, he lunged forward and grabbed the shell.

Selene, lost in her triumphant euphoria, was caught off guard.

David's arms encircled her in what appeared to be a lover's embrace, but his intentions were farthest from that.

With a swift, determined motion, he stabbed her in the back with the shell.

Selene's eyes widened in shock and betrayal,

as David wasted no moment clawing her neck and twisting it out from her body, throwing it in the corner.

The Moonstone fell with a thud and shattered into several pieces.

A scream tore from her lips as she began to dissolve into a blue mist. Her blood stained the white MoonStone pieces red. Absolutely red like rubies.

We all know where we saw them later.

Her form disintegrated, the magic that had bound her to the place unraveling.

David collapsed to the ground, panting, his body trembling with the aftershocks of the encounter.

All that was left were a few flickering candles,

those red stones and a few books with their pages soaking in Selene's blood as well.

David took a deep breath, the reality of what he had done settling in.

He thought he had lost Aria, and in his grief, he almost lost himself to Selene's deceit.

The strings of the past and the future were already tangled.