Word Count: 1694

~Kezziah

For a moment I couldn't breathe.

Alden stares at me, no sense of humour or teasing on his expression. He would never joke about something this serious with me anyway. In that moment when I realise he is being truly serious, it felt as though my entire heart shattered. As if the world I had just been brought into is collapsing around me.

But there is only one question that dwells on my mind that I have to ask before I feel the true extent of grief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Alden swallows uncomfortably, looking down at his feet. I'm not angry at him, I'm just lost. The hope I had been filled with only moments ago has been taken away. Just like everything in my life. It gets taken and destroyed by someone in only a few moments as if it meant nothing.

I don't know what to do.

"There wasn't ever a right time," Alden explains, burying his hands in his hair. "And what am I meant to say? That there is a dormant sickness in my body that could trigger at any moment and kill me?"

Just hearing him say it made me wince. It doesn't feel real, but when he says it so callously, it makes the reality sink in. At least it's not affecting him right this second...But it could be any time now.

Alden seems to notice my expression. "I know it might seem bad, but it could affect me tomorrow, or years from now."

"How far away are you from a cure?"

"There are only a few components left, however, I've put my main efforts into finding a cure for your bond. We have found a mixture that works on the brandings, but it only works on select people, so that needs work too," Alden tells me. Like the true leader he is, he's putting his work and people before himself.

I stand up from the bed, walking forward to grab his shoulders between my hands. He might looks defeated, but love and affection still lingers in his eyes. It's enough for me to have hope that I can convince him.

"Promise me you'll put the cure before anything else. You need to save yourself. For your people and for...for me," I say, running the tips of my fingers over his face. His skin is so smooth and soft. I could lay kisses all over it.

I make a mental note to do that later.

Alden looks grim, but I can see my words have gotten through to him. "You are rather convincing, aren't you? You could batter those eyelashes and I would do anything for you. Fine, I'll let the lab know as soon as possible that I want to up concentration on finding the cure. But finding a way to get rid of this bond is important too."

I nod. The sooner the bond from Time is removed, the sooner there will be space for Alden and I's bond.

"You'll go back today. Make sure the lab knows as soon as possible," I tell him. Before he could protest I reach up on my tiptoes and kiss him gently on the lips. It might be flirting to distract him, but there is still a heavy weight on my heart. I pray they will be able to find the cure before the sickness starts to affect Alden.

"As much as I disagree with this," Alden says, twisting a piece of hair behind my ear. "That is the perfect way to be silenced.

I lean into his touch. "Make sure you come right back."

Alden's reluctance to go remained until he was about to leave. A few kisses later and it seemed as though he was finally ready to leave. He promised he would be back tomorrow morning, however, it still made me nervous being here. No one should find me, though.

"Don't leave the property if you can help it. You should have all the supplies to be comfortable tonight," Alden explains, giving me one last fleeting kiss on the cheek before he hops into his car.

I fold my arms over my chest. "Drive safe. Make sure those people working in the labs know it's imperative they find the cure."

"Of course."

I stay in the driveway until Alden disappears into the forest, leaving me alone in this place. Sighing deeply, I wander back inside, looking for something to keep me entertained. I decide on grabbing a few snacks and watching something on the television to keep my mind of the loneliness of being here.

It steals a few hours of the day away, but by the time late afternoon came around, I decided I need some air.

The garden outside is overgrown and unkempt. No one has put much effort in it for at least a couple of months. I'm going to work on it in hopes Alden will come back and want to stay here more. I nice garden for summer will do him some good. So would spending time at home, too.

Especially if I'm there too.

Shoving on some gloves I found in an old garden shed, I start pull away stray bramble that has grown in from the forest. Then, I clear a few weeds around the perimeter of the garden. Finally, it's starting to look a lot more tidy. At some point I should be able to plant some pretty flowers to brighten the place up.

Just as I was pulling the gloves off my hands, I catch sight of something in the forest. The moment I take one glance, it spooked, tucking behind the tree,

Narrowing my eyes, I ignore it.

In case the wild animal I had seen in the forest sneaks into the yard to rummage around, I lock the garden shed once I was done with it. Walking back to the house, I take one last fleeting glance at the forest.

Suddenly, I catch sight of a figure standing in the forest. The shadows cast upon them disallow me from seeing any features in them, but in one blink they had disappeared. Perhaps it's just a vision from watching a movie earlier, but I don't stick around to find out if it's real or not.

Quickly, I rush inside, turning around to lock the door. When I look through the window, I can't see anything.

"Apologies, I didn't think you'd see me."

I scream as the unfamiliar voice speaks from behind me. I whirl around to see a man I've never seen in my life backing up a few steps, holding his hands up. He looks concerned, but I don't trust it for a moment.

"Who the hell are you?" I grow. "And how did you get into this house?"

If this is the same person who was lurking outside in the forest, they must have used some kind of magic to get inside. Just from looking at them I can tell they are immortal. He has wispy silver irises that seem to have mist floating around them. It's unnerving to look at. Alden's spells clearly couldn't keep him out.

"Yes, I'm immortal, and no these eyes don't just mean I'm immortal, it just correlates to the kind of immortal I am," he comments slyly. "And yes, I did read your mind. And yes, I do look familiar."

It was only then that I realised he does, in fact, look familiar. His dark hair is wavy, twisting into the softest curls. It's more his face and the structure of it. Sharp cheekbones, full lips.

I balk. "Who are you?"

"I'm Thought. I used your head to get into here past the spell," he tells me, holding out his hand. I stare at it blankly. It's covered in silver rings. There is no way I'm about to touch him when I don't know his motive.

Noticing my hesitation, or perhaps reading my mind, he pulls his hand away, tucking it back behind his back. "Nevermind. I didn't mean to scare you. You weren't supposed to see me.

"What are you doing in here?" I demand, my back pressed against the window.

"I tried to warn you about my brother, however, it seems that didn't do much good," he tells me, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "So I decided I would come here and pass on some knowledge in person."

At that moment, I realised who he truly is. Thought, the powerful immortal who happens to share a relationship with Time as his twin brother. The moment I realised that, I make a dash for Alden's cabinet. Thought startles but doesn't follow me. I snatch an ornament out and brandish it over my head.

"Get out of here. I don't want you here."

Thought's eyes widen, but he doesn't move, nor looks worried I'm about to throw a vase at his head. "I'm not here because I like my brother-"

Not wanting to hear another word out of his mouth, I toss the vase. He tucks slightly as it flies over his head, shattering against the wall. He turns around to regard it silently before looking back at me. He doesn't even look bothered in the slightest.

"Kezziah, please listen-"

"How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you. I'm in your head," he says flatley, as if I'm stupid for not assuming that right away. "Anyway's would you listen?"

Knowing I don't stand a chance against him if I provoke violence, I quiet down, getting my breath back. If he wanted to kill me, he would have. If he wanted to take me to his brother, he would have. Instead he stands calmly in front of me.

"I'm here because I can help you," he informs me coolly. "I know get rid of Time's obsession with you."

💙••💙

If you guys want more of Alden, the rest of available now on Radish (:

💎••💎

Sinful's own story is up now on Radish! I wanted to make it apart of the Seven Sins series (which will have stories involving Cian and other characters you've seen before)

☃️••☃️

Instagram: Sophie_Midika

~Midika 💜🐼