Chapter Text
Chapter 10:
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Norman could hardly breathe as he cradled Nellie’s lifeless body in his arms. The horror of what had just transpired was too much to bear. Her blood still stained his hands, her chest still warm against him, but there was no life left in her. Nothing.
He had lost her.
The curse that had consumed him, that had ruled his every step, had now cost him the one thing he cared about more than anything. Nellie. The one person who had brought meaning to his life, to his very existence, was gone, it was his fault.
The tears he had held back for so long finally began to spill, streaming down his face as he held her tight, rocking back and forth. His hands shook uncontrollably as he whispered her name over and over again, but there was no answer.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nellie.
And then, as if in answer to his prayers or perhaps his guilt, the air around them began to shift.
At first, it was nothing more than a subtle change, a warmth spreading around them, like the air was thickening. Norman stiffened, his senses alert, as a faint glow started to emanate from Nellie’s body. His heart hammered in his chest as the light grew brighter, more intense. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
The light wasn’t just from her body, it was something within her. Something deep. It pulsed and shimmered like an ethereal force, bathing them both in an unnatural, blinding glow. The world around him seemed to vanish, and the only thing that remained was that blinding, beautiful light, wrapping itself around her.
Nellie’s body shifted, her chest rising and falling in a subtle rhythm. The wound she had inflicted upon herself began to heal, not as if her body was simply repairing itself, but as though the life that had left her was being drawn back in. The blood on her skin faded, her complexion softening, as if her very essence was being renewed.
It was then that Norman understood.
The curse is gone.
The weight that had been in his chest for so long was lifting, dissolving, leaving behind a strange sense of peace. He no longer felt the pull, the suffocating grip of the magic that had controlled him. His veins no longer burned, his thoughts no longer clouded by the curse. It was gone.
But even as his own curse vanished, something else began to take shape, a figure slowly materializing from the light.
The silhouette of an old woman, tall and shrouded in a deep, flowing cloak, her face hidden in shadow. Norman’s breath caught as he instinctively pulled Nellie closer to him, trying to shield her from whatever this presence was.
The old woman stepped forward, her eyes glimmering with an otherworldly light. She didn’t speak at first, the air seemed to grow thicker with each step she took, the very atmosphere heavy with magic.
And then, finally, she spoke, her voice low and gravelly but filled with a strange warmth.
“Don’t be afraid, Norman,” she said, her voice carrying across the silence. “She’s not gone.”
His gaze shot up to her, his voice trembling as he spoke, barely able to form the words. “You're the old woman before.. What happened to her? What have you done?”
The old woman smiled sadly, stepping closer until she was standing just beside him, gazing down at Nellie’s body.
“I did nothing,” she replied softly. “She has done this herself. She has sacrificed herself for you.”
Norman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… she’s dead...”
“No, but she is changing. I have been watching, waiting, for the right moment to intervene. And now, that moment has come.”
He could barely comprehend her words.
“What do you mean?"
The old woman’s eyes looked down at Nellie. “I am a soul bound to this land, to this family. I was once Nellie’s great-grandmother. My name was Ethel. But long ago, I lost my own life. I was tied to the magic that runs in their veins. And so, I remained, unable to let go.”
Norman blinked, stunned. “Her great-grandmother? What does this have to do with her?”
“She was born with blood that binds her to strong ancient magic,”
Ethel continued, her voice heavy with sadness.
“But that bloodline is cursed, It’s broken. I did not want that for her. She was always destined to be something more than what the world had planned for her. And you, Norman, you were always the key.”
“The key?” Norman repeated, his brow furrowing.
“Nellie’s curse, her blood, has always been a burden. But your blood, your curse, your lineage, it is the cure. The only cure. Your curse, the one you’ve carried your whole life, is the antidote to hers.”
Norman’s mind raced. He shook his head, struggling to wrap his thoughts around her words.
“But how..? I don’t have magic. I’m just… human. How could I be the cure?”
“You are more than you think. Your bloodline, it carries with it something far more powerful than you can understand. It is the key to breaking the curse that binds her. And because you loved her, because you both chose each other, it is through your bond that she can be freed.”
Norman’s pulse quickened as the realization hit him.
“So… she’s human now?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper, as if afraid to believe it. “The curse is gone? She’s…”
“Yes,” Ethel said, nodding. “She will become human. The magic that runs through her veins will fade, and she will live as you do. She will be free.”
“But she’s not waking up.. How long will she be like this?”
“Long enough for the magic to fully fade,” Ethel explained. “She will wake, eventually. But it could take time. Weeks, months, maybe even years. I cannot say. But she will be human. No more bloodlines, no more curses.”
Norman felt a mixture of hope and despair crash over him.
“She’ll be human. But she’s in a coma...”
He paused, looking down at Nellie’s still form, her once-foreboding presence now soft and peaceful.
“Will she remember the curse...?”
“No,” Ethel agreed. “She will not. She will live as a human, free from the burdens that plagued her life. But she will never know what she gave up to do so.”
Tears burned at the back of Norman’s eyes as he looked at Nellie, the woman he had loved, who had sacrificed everything for him. And now, she would live, a normal life. But it was bittersweet he would never get to share the world with her in the way he had dreamed. Not like this.
“Nellie...” he whispered, almost pleading.
Ethel placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “You’ve freed her. And now, you will wait for her to wake. You will be there when she does.”
Norman nodded slowly, his heart heavy but full of a strange, lingering hope. He had saved her.
But at what cost?
The old woman smiled one final time. “Love is a strange thing, isn’t it? It binds us, changes us. And it has saved both of you.”
With that, she began to fade, dissolving into the air like mist at dawn, her presence leaving a strange warmth in its wake.
Norman sat there in the garden, still holding Nellie’s lifeless body, now glowing with a soft, gentle light. She was human now. And though he didn’t know how long he would have to wait, he vowed to be there when she woke. Because he would never, ever leave her again.
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1 Years later,
(Norman's Pov)
The air in the room was thick with uncertainty. It had been an entire year since Nellie had fallen into a deep, unrelenting coma.
The mansion, once echoing with her presence, had become an unsettling silence. I had watched time crawl slowly, each day a weight upon my chest. The house, her home, had become a sanctuary of grief, an unwilling tomb for the woman I had loved and failed to protect.
Yet today was different.
I had been sitting beside her for hours, running my fingers along the fabric of her hand, as I had so many times before.
But today, there was a stirring. A slight movement. I froze, holding my breath, not daring to believe it at first. Then came another shift, faint but undeniable. Her chest rose and fell, her eyelashes fluttered.
And then her eyes opened.
My heart thundered in my chest, my pulse wild as I looked into those deep violet eyes. The world stopped. I could hear nothing but the rush of blood in my ears.
"Nellie," I whispered as I leaned closer, afraid I would wake up from this dream at any moment.
"Who… who are you?"
I felt the pain shoot through me like a blade.
It wasn’t the first time I had witnessed a moment like this, but it was the first time it was her. I had been so certain that she would remember me, our moments together, our past. But now, it was as though a veil had been pulled over everything we had shared.
I was lost for a moment, and I knew there was nothing I could do to change it. She didn’t remember me.
"It's me. Norman."
"Norman?"
I nodded, my throat tight. "Yes. I'm here."
She stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching, uncertain. Then, her gaze softened, almost like recognition was beginning to stir, but it was still distant, like a fading dream just beyond her reach.
“Are you... my friend?”
The simple question shattered my heart into pieces. Friend. That was all she could remember me as.
“For now, yes. But… I’ll be more than that. I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”
Her lips trembled slightly as if she wanted to say something, but the words didn’t come.
For the first time in what felt like eternity, I stood from the chair, my hands trembling as I cupped her face gently in my palms, pressing my forehead to hers.
"I swear to you, Nellie. I will never leave you."
There was silence for a long time as I kept my forehead against hers, and I could feel the warmth of her skin, the soft rhythm of her breath beneath my palms. My heart raced, but there was a sense of calm. She may not have remembered, but she was still here. Alive. And that was enough for me.
As I held her, I realized the truth I wasn’t just here for her as a friend. I had always been hers. My heart ached with the weight of my unspoken words, and yet I knew I had to wait. I had to let her remember, let her figure it out in her own time.
I had promised myself that when the time was right, I would take her to my home, where she could heal, where we could build new memories together, away from all this pain.
When the time came, I would take her to the place that could be our refuge, a place where I could promise her a life she deserved.
---
After two weeks of watching her wake slowly to the world again, it was clear she didn’t remember everything. But she trusted me. And that trust was enough. She didn’t need to remember.
There was something in her eyes that softened when I was near, something that warmed her when I held her hand. She was beginning to trust me in ways I couldn’t put into words.
And so, one night, under the dim light of the mansion’s grand chandelier, I spoke the words I had wanted to say for so long.
"ya vsegda budu lyubit' tebya, Nellie. ya tvoy."
(I will always love you, Nellie. I'm yours.)
My gaze never leaving hers. I had spoken to her in my native tongue, a language that had carried my ancestors' promises through centuries. Now, it was my turn to make that promise to her.
I leaned in, gently kissing her forehead. The kiss was soft, a promise in itself one I would keep, no matter what.
Her voice was barely a whisper, but I heard it.
"Norman… I don’t remember everything, but I feel like I know you. I feel like I can trust you."
I closed my eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace. It wasn’t the past I wanted her to remember. It was the future.
And that future, I knew, would always be ours.
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The End