Chapter 8 Let the world burn
Dorian paced along the edge of the lake, his wand clutched tightly in his hand. The gnarled roots of ancient trees twisted up from the ground like the fingers of giants, reaching for the night sky. Shadows danced in the moonlight, and the wind whispered through the trees, carrying secrets the forest had kept for centuries. His heart pounded in his chest, matching the rhythm of the storm brewing within him.
He had always been different. Born into the prestigious Black family, he carried the weight of a name both revered and feared. Expectations had been heaped upon him from the moment he could hold a wand. He had been raised to believe in the power of blood, in the superiority of the pure. But there was a darkness within him that had never quite fit into the mold his family had tried to force him into. It simmered beneath the surface, a relentless hunger for something more, something that couldn't be defined by lineage or tradition.
She stood by a tall, ancient oak, her brown hair gleaming in the moonlight like strands of spun silk. Her vivid green eyes met his as he approached. Annabeth was a Nott, another pure-blood family with a long history intertwined with the Blacks. But she, too, was different. She understood him in ways no one else did, and saw the fire inside him that no one else acknowledged.
"Dorian," she whispered, her voice like the soft rustle of leaves in the wind. "God, you scared me” It had only been a year since they had been arranged, and they had some difficulties trying to make the relationship as comfortable as possible for both of them, sure Annabeth found him attractive, but she still found it difficult to love someone as quiet and cold as him, even though she knew that Dorian could be nice and friendly, she always saw him a bit odd, especially when it came to people he loved.
Dorian stopped in front of her, his gaze intense, searching. "My apologies…I…I didn’t mean to scare you.. ." Dorian’s voice trailed off, lingering in the space between them. He could see the flicker of hesitation in her eyes, that small distance that still remained, even though they had been tied together by tradition, by blood. His heart clenched. The storm inside him churned, a fierce tempest of emotions he barely knew how to control. He could feel it now more than ever—this burning within him, an insatiable hunger for something beyond what he had been given. A part of him wanted to let it consume everything, let it tear apart the very world they lived in.
Annabeth’s gaze softened, though, as she stepped closer. Her fingers brushed his arm lightly, a delicate tether to reality. "Dorian... you don't have to do this alone, you know."Dorian looked at her, truly looked at her, and for a moment, he could see the depth of her care, the quiet strength she held. It was that strength, the way she stood unwavering beside him despite everything, that both intrigued him and tore him apart. She had chosen to stay when others would have fled, when others would have let him drown in the darkness.
But could she ever understand? Could she ever see the chaos that raged within him and still stand by his side? The storm that wanted to rip apart the expectations, the chains, the life he had never asked for but had been forced into? He stepped away from her touch, his expression hardening. "You don’t understand, Annabeth. You never could," he said, his voice low and sharp. "There’s something inside of me... something that’s always been there. I’m not like the rest of them—my family, your family—I’m different. And no matter how much I try to bury it, no matter how much I pretend... it doesn’t go away."
Annabeth blinked, her brow furrowing slightly. "Then don’t bury it," she said simply, her voice steady. "Don’t pretend. You don’t have to be what they want you to be." Dorian let out a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. "And what am I supposed to be then? If I let this out, if I let this... thing inside me take over, the world will burn, Annabeth. You have no idea what it feels like—to have this fire inside of you, clawing to be free."
Her eyes flickered with something—maybe fear, maybe understanding, he couldn’t tell. But she didn’t back down. "Then let it burn," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. "If that’s what it takes for you to be free, then let it burn."The silence that followed was thick, suffocating, but Dorian could only stare at her in disbelief. Let it burn? Did she truly understand what she was saying? What that meant?
"You don’t know what you’re asking," he said finally, shaking his head. "The fire inside me isn’t just metaphorical, Annabeth. It’s... it’s dark magic. Powerful, dangerous magic that my family’s been trying to control for generations. If I let it out... if I let it consume me..." His voice faltered for the briefest moment. "I’m afraid of what I’ll become.Annabeth’s gaze never wavered. "You’re not afraid of what you’ll become, Dorian," she said softly, her voice like a gentle breeze. "You’re afraid of being alone when it happens. But you won’t be." Dorian’s heart pounded, the storm inside him intensifying with every word. He could feel the magic stirring beneath his skin, ready to explode, ready to consume. He had spent his entire life suppressing it, pretending to be the perfect heir, the dutiful son, the obedient pureblood. But the truth was, he had never wanted any of it. He wanted to be free of the weight, of the expectations, of the darkness that had been forced upon him.
But at what cost?"I don’t want to hurt you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Annabeth stepped closer, her hand reaching for his. "You won’t," she said. "Because I won’t let you."
For a moment, Dorian hesitated, staring at the hand she offered him. The fire inside him roared louder, begging to be released, begging to burn the world around him to ashes. But as he looked at her—this woman who had been forced into his life by circumstances neither of them had chosen—he realized something. She wasn’t afraid of the fire inside him. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness. She saw him for what he was, for who he was, and she was still here. Still standing by his side. Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to face this storm alone.
He took her hand, the warmth of her touch grounding him, calming the fire that threatened to consume him. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Dorian allowed himself to breathe. Annabeth smiled, a soft, almost sad smile, and for the first time, Dorian felt like he had found something worth fighting for—not out of obligation, not out of duty, but because he wanted it. Because in her eyes, he saw a future he could finally believe in.
And maybe, just maybe, they could survive the storm together.
The wind picked up around them, tugging at Annabeth’s hair as it swirled through the trees. The moon was half-hidden behind thick clouds, casting fleeting shadows over the lake. In the distance, the sound of the water lapping against the shore was drowned out by the pounding of Dorian’s heart. His grip tightened on Annabeth’s hand, as if she were the only thing anchoring him to this world—this world that seemed to be slipping further and further out of his grasp. Her words had sparked something inside him, something wild and fierce that had always lingered beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. And now, with her standing so close, her touch warm and reassuring, he felt the edges of that darkness creeping forward, yearning to consume everything.
He pulled her closer, his free hand cupping the side of her face. "You say that now," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "But you don’t know what you’re asking for. What if I’m too far gone, Annabeth? What if I can’t stop it?" Annabeth’s breath hitched as she felt the intensity of his gaze, the heat of his touch. But she didn’t flinch. Instead, she leaned into him, her forehead resting against his. "Then we’ll be destroyed together," she said softly, her voice steady despite the tremor in her heart. "I’m not afraid of your darkness, Dorian. If this is who you are, if this is what you’ve been hiding, then let it out. I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.We migth have been aranged into this marriage but that dose not mean i won’t be there to help you and support you, I’m your wife, and its my duty to be with you and take care of you, and if that implies getting destroyed alongside you, then i accept my fathe, like we said in our weeding vows, in sicknes and health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
Her words were a balm and a curse all at once. Dorian felt something inside him crack open, a surge of raw emotion that he had spent years trying to contain. He could feel the darkness writhing just beneath his skin, begging to be released, to consume, to destroy. And the worst part was—he wanted to let it. He wanted to let it tear everything apart.
"I don’t deserve this," he said, his voice rough as he clung to her. "I don’t deserve you." Annabeth closed her eyes, her hand sliding up to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. "Maybe none of us deserve what we’ve been given," she whispered. "But that doesn’t change the fact that we have it. I’m not leaving, Dorian. Not now, not ever."
Dorian’s breath came out in a ragged gasp, his fingers trembling as he held her. The fire inside him was raging, and for a moment, he wondered if she could feel it too—the heat, the desperation, the need to destroy and consume everything in its path. "I’ll hurt you," he warned, his voice thick with emotion. "I’ll destroy everything, including you. You don’t know what you’re saying, Annabeth. This isn’t love—it’s something darker, something dangerous."
Annabeth opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with a fierceness that surprised him. "I don’t care," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If it’s dark, then we’ll face it together. If it’s dangerous, then we’ll take the risk. But don’t push me away, Dorian. Don’t shut me out because you think you’re protecting me. I’ve already made my choice." Dorian’s chest tightened, and for a brief moment, he felt as though he were suffocating beneath the weight of it all—beneath the intensity of her words, beneath the fire that clawed at him from the inside. He had spent so long believing that he was destined for destruction, that he was a weapon waiting to be unleashed, that he didn’t know how to accept the possibility of something else. Something that wasn’t rooted in fear and pain.
"You should leave," he said, his voice thick. "You should walk away now before it’s too late."Annabeth shook her head, her hand gripping his tightly. "No. I’m not leaving. Not ever." The words settled between them, heavy and charged. Dorian’s heart pounded in his chest, the storm inside him swirling with a force that threatened to tear him apart. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw something that terrified him more than anything else: hope.
For so long, he had convinced himself that he was beyond redemption, that the darkness within him would always define him. But here, with Annabeth standing so close, her eyes blazing with determination and defiance, he felt something shift.
And yet, the fire inside him burned hotter, more fiercely than ever before. It wasn’t just love he felt for her—it was something far more consuming, far more dangerous. It was obsession, a need so deep and primal that it scared him. He wanted to possess her, to claim her as his own, to wrap her in his darkness and keep her there forever.
But that wasn’t love. Not really. "Annabeth," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to love you without destroying you."She smiled softly, her thumb brushing against his cheek. "Then destroy me," she said, her voice soft yet resolute. "I’ll let you. If that’s what it takes to be with you, then burn me down, Dorian. Because I’ll rebuild. We’ll rebuild."
Dorian’s breath caught in his throat as her words washed over him, sinking into his very soul. The fire inside him raged, but this time, it wasn’t the fire of destruction—it was the fire of something new, something raw and unbridled. It was the fire of obsession, of toxic need, of a love that was dangerous and consuming and all-encompassing.He pulled her closer, his lips crashing against hers in a desperate, bruising kiss. The world around them seemed to disappear, swallowed by the intensity of the moment. His magic surged through him, wild and uncontrollable, but Annabeth didn’t flinch. She pressed closer, her hands clutching at him like a lifeline.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless, their foreheads pressed together as they clung to each other."I’ll let the world burn,I’ll let it burn for you my dea…r" Dorian whispered, his voice low and fierce. "But I’ll never let you go… You’re mine, Annabeth. Forever."
She smiled against his lips, her own voice a soft whisper. "Then let it burn, Dorian. Let it all burn."
And as they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the fire inside Dorian roared louder than ever before. But this time, it wasn’t just a fire of destruction. It was a fire of obsession, of toxic love, of something dark and dangerous that they both knew could never be tamed.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe, in the end, the world had to burn for them to find their way through the darkness.
Months passed, their wedding was one out of a fairytale, and their honeymoon? It looked like one out of royalty, Annabeth looked like a literal queen , she wore a beautiful and expensive gown with some embroidery details and a long veil, Dorian also looked beautiful, he was wearing an expensive dark blue Court dress.