Prologo
The skies hung low and heavy, cloaked in gloom as the wind howled with a cold embrace. It was a dreaded day—one so mournful that even the heavens seemed to grieve.
Upon the veranda of the pavilion, a woman in a simple yet elegant Victorian dress leaned against a pillar. Her gaze lingered on the storm-darkened horizon, eyes carrying the quiet weight of sorrow and the resigned acceptance of the fate drawing near.
Softly, she hummed a familiar tune, a melody that once soothed her in gentler times. But though the notes trembled into the air, they could not banish the dread that coiled within her chest.
“Alexandria…” A baritone voice drifted from behind her.
She turned, and her sorrowful eyes softened with sudden light at the sight of him. The man—Killian—stood with arms outstretched, waiting.
“Killian…” she breathed.
Without hesitation, she crossed the distance and threw herself into his embrace. His arms closed around her, warm in their hold, yet the warmth carried no life.
A fragile smile curved her lips as she rested her head against his chest. Though no heartbeat stirred beneath the silence, she felt as though it beat only for her—if ever it had one at all.
She felt his fingers glide gently through her hair, his touch as light as breath. Killian pressed feather-soft kisses to the crown of her head, drawing from her a quiet, stifled giggle.
They lingered there, wrapped in one another’s embrace. No words, no sound—only the stillness, as though even the world had hushed to grant them this fleeting peace.
At last, she eased back, lifting her face to his with a tender smile.
“What brings you here? I thought you were too busy… you haven’t visited me in days.”
Killian’s smile softened as he cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly against her skin.
“Yes, I was...” he murmured.
“but how could I endure the days without seeing you? The weight of endless duty grows heavier with each hour… yet you—my Alexandria—you are my only rest.”
Her heart fluttered at his words. Instead of replying, she drew him back into her embrace. Killian chuckled softly, his fingers threading once more through her hair.
Silence fell again—long, lingering, almost eternal—until at last Killian’s voice broke it.
“Can you not do it?” he asked, low and heavy, his tone laced with quiet despair.
Her smile faltered, then faded entirely. She pulled back to face him and was met with his dreaded, pleading expression. It struck her chest like a blade.
Her lips parted, but no sound escaped. The words caught in her throat, strangled by sorrow. With a long, shuddering sigh, she lowered her gaze and shook her head, forcing a bitter smile that tasted of tears.
“Y-You know I can’t…” Her voice broke, the words catching as she fought to keep her tears at bay.
“Please, Alexandria… we can still escape this. You and I.” Killian’s tone was urgent, pleading, but she only shook her head.
Her gaze dropped, shoulders trembling, her chest rising and falling as though invisible hands were tightening around her heart.
“B-But if we do… it will be an even greater sin than we already bear.”
At last, she lifted her eyes to his, sorrow swimming in their depths. “…You and I would face a harsher, heavier fate if we go on hiding. It must end, Killian. We will face it… I must face it.”
Upon hearing her words, Killian’s eyes widened. He seized Alexandria’s shoulders, his cold fingers trembling against her warmth, his grip tight—desperate, yet afraid.
“N-No, Alexandria… we can still fix this. We—we can make them change their minds. Just give me more time and I’ll convince them. I’ll persuade them to take back their decision. I—I just need—”
“Killian…”
Her hand brushed over his, soft and steady, a soothing balm to his panic. Her eyes spoke of acceptance, though tears welled at their edges.
“It’s alright. I understand. Whatever happens… it will not be because of you, or because of what we share. I chose this. It’s either me… or you. And I would rather suffer than ever watch you fall.”
She reached up, cupping his cheek tenderly. Guiding him closer, she pressed her forehead to his.
“Life has always been dull and weary to me. Even the brightest days felt steeped in dread. But when you came… you painted colors into my greyness. You set wonders upon my weary world. For the first time, life was not empty.”
Her lips brushed near his—soft as a sigh, fragile as a farewell.
“But you, my love… you are the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me. And if I were to be born again and again, even if every path led only to ruin, even if every life was carved in sorrow… I would still choose you.”
Her words broke him, each syllable striking like a hammer against fragile glass. He felt his very being fracture, his existence splintering at the thought of what awaited her. He could not bear it—he never could.
All he ever wanted was her. Not riches. Not power. Nothing else—only her.
“So please, Killian… you’ve sacrificed so much for me. This time, let it be mine to bear. Let me do this—for you.”
The dread of the world weighed heavy, the sorrow of the skies draping over them like a mournful shroud—comforting and cruel, binding their aching hearts and breaking souls.
Minutes bled into hours, yet the two remained in each other’s arms, clinging to the fragile illusion that time could be stilled. They savored every fleeting heartbeat, uncertain if fate would ever grant them another.
Or perhaps… there would be no more at all.
And then—at last—the moment came.
“It’s time...” Alexandria whispered, her voice trembling, yet resolute. 
“...I must go now.”
Killian hesitated before finally releasing her, his hands trembling as his breaths came heavy and broken. Alexandria’s gaze lingered on him, drinking him in—committing every detail to memory.
His raven-black hair, so carefully kept. His enchanting onyx eyes, deep as midnight. The curve of his lips, red and achingly kissable.
She smiled faintly, then drew him to her. Their lips met. It wasn’t sudden to him, nor was it unexpected—yet it shattered him all the same.
With trembling desperation, he cradled the back of her head and deepened the kiss, as if he could steal time itself through her lips. Their mouths lingered, clinging, while their hearts broke and bled in silence—gradually surrendering to the cruel truth of their fate.
They broke from their kiss, and Alexandria gave him one last, bittersweet smile before turning away. Her steps were slow, deliberate—each one dragging her farther from the only person she longed to stay with. She didn’t dare look back; she knew that if she did, she would run to him, abandon everything, and let the world burn for their love.
Her eyes were hollow as they roamed her surroundings, though her feet carried her forward with unyielding certainty—toward the place where her fate awaited.
The scent of roses thickened in the air, and soon the garden unfolded before her, its vibrant reds and lush greens mocking the lifeless ache within her chest. Every step across the soil felt heavy, as though the earth itself grieved with her.
Upon reaching the heart of the garden, she halted. Her trembling fingers rose to her neck, brushing aside her hair until they found the chain hidden there. Carefully, she unclasped the necklace and drew it free. For a moment, her eyes lingered on the locket—Killian’s gift, her most treasured keepsake, the emblem of their love.
Turning from the path, she walked toward the great oak tree that stood like a solemn witness at the edge of the garden. In its hollow she placed the necklace, tucking it away with the utmost care, ensuring no harm would ever touch it.
No—she could not bear to see it damaged. That token of him was worth more than her life.
Once it was secured, she straightened and lifted her gaze once more—toward the garden, toward her fate.
The place was breathtaking—so breathtaking it was almost cruel. At first glance, no one would think it a garden at all, but a vast plain of green, where roses bled their colors across the earth and trees stood as solemn witnesses. At the far end, near the cliff’s edge, the great greenhouse rose in silence, its glass walls glimmering faintly like a cathedral to nature.
It was beautiful. Tragically beautiful, for what was about to unfold.
At the fountain’s surface, her reflection stared back at her—clear, fragile, and crowned by the crimson mark of death.
08-10-XX | XX:XX **
Death
She smiled bitterly as she already know that what will come can't be escaped anymore. It's already right above her, she's now mark by the same thing that she always see at others. She's not invincible after all.
Such a gift bestowed to a mere mortal like her, who knew it would also be her curse.
Alexandria walked on, her steps hollow, her gaze unfocused. She might have continued forever in that emptiness—until the air shifted. A sudden weight pressed against her chest. The hairs at her nape rose.
And then she felt them. Presences—many of them—emerging from nowhere, surrounding her completely.
She halted in her tracks, shoulders steady, and without turning she spoke softly.
“Will you be starting now?”
No answer came. Only the faint shuffle of footsteps, light and deliberate, closing in behind her. Yet fear never touched her—only the hollow calm of inevitability.
“Alexandria Lydia Von Arschwen.” the voice intoned, deep and unyielding, as though the air itself carried the words. 
“You have broken the balance of life and death. You have crossed the line of the forbidden. For this, you will be punished.”
The verdict fell upon her like the weight of the heavens. The roses seemed to still, the air itself holding its breath. It was the end of her story now. There was nothing left to resist—only to embrace.
She felt two men grabbed her both arms and forcedly kneeled her by the grasses, she slightly winced when she suddenly dropped by her knees. 
She roamed her eyes around and there she saw multiple people--or what she thought is--wearing all black, their faces pale and lifeless just like Killian's. Her eyes continued wandering until it locked at the eyes who she wished she wouldn't see at such end.
Killian standing at the back, looking at her with sadness and mourning. She can tell that he wanted to run to her right now but he's refraining himself as she wished for him to not do anything from then on.
"In the punishment of your sins, death should be your end... from today onwards, the death of Alexandria Lydia Von Arschwen should be the mark of the consequences of breaking the taboo."
"HER DEATH SHALL BE THE END." They all stated in unison.
Seconds after, she saw a bulky man covered in black cloth from head to toe walk towards her, carrying a sword at his cloth covered hands. The man went behind her and she felt him positioned, as if preparing for what he'll do.
This is it, this is the end now. There's no more turning back.
Before everything could finally end, she gave a last glance at Killian and smiled so sweetly as her tears had finally fallen from her eyer. Before she turned away from him, she mouthed her last message for him.
"...find me in the next life... I love you."
She turned her attention back at the man in front of her when he spoke again.
"If you have any more last words to say, state it now."
Despite tears streaming from her eyes, she shook her head. The man turned to the person behind her and motioned to proceed.
The next thing she knew is the painful sensation of deadly pain, wretching her entirely.
From behind, the blade drove through her, piercing from her back to the center of her chest. The steel was cold, and with it came waves of numbing despair, searing at first, then drowning her in stillness.
It was horribly painful—yet strangely peaceful. A cruel, melancholic mercy. A befitting end… for a sinner who had dared to love him. A man she should never have loved, yet could never have resisted from the very beginning.
Her body collapsed at the ground as she vaguely hear the sounds around her, her sight started to go blurry yet it didn't leave Killian who's now broken down--collapsed by his knees, crying and begging at the sight of her.
It all ends now... their sins had finally been paid.
Her breathing had gone slow as her heart grew weaker and weaker each breath. Her eyes started to close, as she felt herself being pulled to the darkness. But before she could finally take her final breath. She muttered her very last words.
"... death has come."