[Older Man/Younger Woman] [Dark Gothic] [A Coming-of-Age Romance]
"Vines become a cage, slashing the nightingale's song to ribbons."
"Thorns become arrowheads, piercing the nightingale's wings."
"Blood-red roses bloom on the branches, like a lover's beating heart."
"They blossom in a crowded profusion, kissing the nightingale over and over, whispering a curse from which there is no escape."
"I love you."
Six-year-old Talia was offered up by her father as a sacrifice to a demon from the abyss.
In her despair, she made a wish: to have someone who would love her forever.
The abyss answered her wish.
From then on, the demon walked among humankind. Taking the name of her elder brother, he climbed step by step to the rank of duke, becoming a flawless noble in the eyes of the world.
But he had come to reap souls. Every moment of tenderness and affection was a silent bewitchment, luring Talia deeper into a beautiful dream.
Yet through their long years together, their feelings quietly changed.
As layer upon layer of lies was peeled away, the sins of the past came to light, and conspiracies were laid bare, the love Talia had held most firmly began to crack. A heart that was obsessive yet pure met with a shattering that left her broken beyond repair.
At last, she stopped submitting passively. With her own hands stained in blood, she brought down the self-deceiving fantasy.
The gods' commandments tottered, while human desire slowly awakened.
They were each other's salvation and each other's calamity, yet together they donned a crown of thorns soaked in blood and desire.
The lamb raised the butcher's knife.
You and I are bound together for all eternity.
(Warning: The characters in this story have moral flaws. This is not a traditional tale of good versus evil. Read with caution.)
Theme: Love yourself before loving someone else. Rather than placing your hopes in others, learn to love yourself.
