THE LAST BELL

The cursed Bond.

“Axel, please fight it!” Chloe cried, holding his arm tightly.

Axel stumbled, his body shaking. His eyes looked far away, as if he was listening to something no one else could hear. His breath came fast, his lips whispering broken words.

The whispers inside his head grew stronger. Command them… they are yours… make the dead bow to you.

“I can’t… I can’t stop it,” Axel gasped, clutching his arm where the black marks had spread. His fingers dug into his skin as if he wanted to tear the curse out.

“Don’t give in!” Chloe shouted, her eyes full of tears. She shook him harder, desperate. “You are not like Damian. You are not a monster!”

A deep, cruel laugh echoed in the chamber. Damian stepped forward, his eyes glowing red in the torchlight. “Not like me?” He smirked. “He is exactly like me. The whispers call him because he is chosen, just as I was.”

Chloe’s heart pounded. She pulled Axel closer, as if her presence could shield him from Damian’s words. “No! Axel is stronger than you. He doesn’t want this curse.”

But even as she spoke, the skeletons that had been advancing stopped. They turned slowly, their hollow eyes fixed on Axel. Their bones rattled, but they did not attack. They stood still, as if waiting.

Chloe froze. Her breath caught in her throat. “Axel… they’re listening to you.”

Axel blinked, his body trembling. “Listening… to me?”

Damian’s smirk fell, replaced by fury. “No… no, this cannot be. Only I was chosen. They are mine!” He pointed at Axel, rage burning in his face. “You are nothing but a thief!”

The skeletons did not move. They remained frozen, silent, as if Axel’s presence had calmed them.

Chloe’s eyes widened. Hope flickered inside her. “Axel, don’t you see? You have power over them. You can control them.”

Axel shook his head quickly. “No… I don’t want it. I don’t want to be like him.”

But Damian roared and lunged at Axel. His blade flashed in the dim light as he charged. Chloe screamed, trying to shield Axel, but before Damian could reach him, the skeletons moved.

Their bony hands shot out, grabbing Damian by his arms and legs. He thrashed wildly, screaming in rage. “No! Release me! I am your master!”

The skeletons ignored his commands. They dragged him across the stone floor, pulling him toward the shadows at the back of the chamber.

Damian’s screams filled the air as he was pulled deeper and deeper. “Axel! You will regret this! You will curse the day you were born!”

His voice grew weaker until only an echo remained, then silence.

Axel collapsed onto his knees, gasping for air. His whole body shook as if he had been ripped apart from the inside. He pressed his forehead to the cold stone floor. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to control them.”

Chloe knelt beside him quickly, wrapping her arms around him. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t choose this.” Her voice was soft but firm, filled with determination. “I won’t leave you, Axel. Whatever this curse is, we will face it together.”

Axel lifted his head slowly, his eyes meeting hers. In them, she saw both fear and strength. His lips parted, trembling. “Chloe… why do you stay? You should run. I’m dangerous.”

Her fingers touched his face gently, wiping away the sweat. “Because I love you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Even if the world calls you cursed, you are still the boy I love.”

Axel’s eyes widened. For a moment, the whispers in his head grew faint, silenced by her words. His chest tightened, not with fear, but with warmth. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to hold onto her voice, not the dark ones inside him.

But before he could answer, the chamber shook violently. The ground trembled, dust falling from the cracked ceiling. The skeletons that remained turned to dust, crumbling where they stood.

Chloe gasped and held onto Axel as the shaking grew stronger. A loud grinding sound echoed through the chamber. Slowly, a massive stone door at the far wall began to move.

With a heavy rumble, the door slid open, revealing a set of ancient stairs spiraling downward. A cold wind swept from below, carrying the smell of earth and something older, darker.

Chloe’s eyes widened in fear and wonder. “Stairs? Where do they lead? We’re already deep under the school.”

Axel forced himself to his feet, though his body still ached. He stared at the opening, his heart racing. “I don’t know… but something down there is calling me.”

Chloe grabbed his hand quickly. “No. Not again. Every time you listen to that voice, you suffer.”

Axel looked at her, torn between fear and curiosity. “But what if the answer is down there? What if the only way to end this curse is below?”

Chloe shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “Or what if it’s a trap? What if going down there destroys you?”

He squeezed her hand, his eyes softening. “Chloe… I’m scared too. But I can’t keep running. If I don’t face this, it will eat me alive. I can feel it.”

She looked into his eyes, her heart breaking. She wanted to protect him, to drag him away from all of it. But she also knew he was right. The curse would never stop unless he faced its source.

“Then I’m coming with you,” she said firmly. “If you go down, I go down. You’re not walking into that darkness alone.”

Axel’s chest tightened again, a strange mix of fear and love. He nodded slowly. “Together, then.”

The two of them stepped toward the stairs. The air grew colder with every step, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the silence.

As they reached the edge, Chloe hesitated. She gripped his hand tighter. “Axel… what if this is the end for us?”

He looked at her and tried to smile, though his heart pounded. “Then we face the end together.”

They began to descend, the chamber above fading into shadows. The whispers returned, louder now, almost eager. Come closer… claim your place… embrace the bond.

Chloe shivered, leaning closer to Axel. “They’re calling you again. Can you resist them?”

Axel’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know.”

The stairs twisted deeper, the air thicker with each step. At the bottom, a faint red glow shone, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Chloe swallowed hard. “Axel… what is that light?”

Axel’s eyes narrowed, his pulse quickening as the whispers grew louder. “I think… It’s the heart of the curse.”

They stopped, staring at the glow below. The heat of it touched their skin, and the whispers turned into a chant.

Chloe clutched his arm, her voice trembling. “If you touch it… will it save you, or will it destroy you?”

Axel looked down into the glowing abyss, his face pale. His lips parted, his voice low.

“I don’t know… but what if touching it changes everything?”