Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 288: The Third Lifetime, Adele. (14)

Chapter 288: The Third Lifetime, Adele. (14)

Thirheria.

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Theodore walked through the bustling marketplace, his thoughts consumed by the upcoming wedding. Tomorrow, he would be married to Adele, the woman who had occupied his heart for as long as he could remember. He moved between stalls, his eyes scanning the various wares for a gift that would express the depth of his feelings. The air was filled with the mingling scents of freshly baked bread, fragrant spices, and the warm, sunlit dust that clung to everything. Vendors called out their wares, and children darted between the stalls, laughter ringing through the air. But despite the liveliness around him, Theodore felt a peculiar unease.

He found himself drawn to a particular vendor selling intricate jewelry. He was just reaching out to inspect a delicate pendant when suddenly, the world around him began to blur. The vibrant colors of the marketplace dulled, and the sounds faded into a muffled hum. Theodore blinked, trying to steady himself, but before he could react, he was no longer standing in the marketplace.

He was somewhere else entirely.

Theodore found himself in a strange, ethereal place. The ground beneath his feet was soft, like desert sand, but it was cool to the touch. All around him, a whirlwind of sand spiraled upwards, creating walls of swirling grains that formed a vast, endless hurricane. Yet, despite the chaotic motion, the space within the vortex was calm, almost eerily so. There were no buildings, no signs of life—just sand as far as the eye could see, stretching into a horizonless void.

He spun around, trying to make sense of this strange environment, his heart pounding in his chest. The air was warm, carrying a scent that was both familiar and foreign, a mix of memories he couldn’t quite place. Theodore’s senses were on high alert, his every instinct screaming at him to be ready for whatever was to come.

Then, cutting through the silence like a blade, a voice spoke—a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Theodore."

The sound of his name sent a chill down his spine, freezing him in place. The voice was deep, resonant, and carried an otherworldly weight that made his breath catch. It was a voice he had heard before, though only in moments of great significance, moments that had transcended the ordinary.

Theodore’s eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice. "Who is there?" he called out, his voice steady but laced with tension. He waited, his muscles tensed, prepared for anything.

"You remember me," the voice continued, ignoring his question. It was a statement, not a query, as if the speaker already knew the answer.

Theodore swallowed, his throat dry. "I do," he replied, his voice a mere whisper in the vast emptiness. "I thought you would not come... It has been three lifetimes."

There was a pause, a heavy silence that pressed down on him, before the voice spoke again, this time with a tone of enigmatic finality. "I have a deal for you, Theodore. A chance to live the life you have always desired, a life where you can cherish your harvests."

Theodore’s brows knitted in confusion. "I do not understand," he said, trying to grasp the meaning behind the words.

What harvests? What life was this voice offering him?

The sandstorm around him began to slow, the spirals of sand losing their momentum, until they hovered in place, suspended in the air like a million golden grains frozen in time. The ground beneath him seemed to shift, growing warmer, as if the very earth was responding to the presence of this unseen entity.

"Humans live four lives, you see, lucky humans that is" the voice intoned, each word heavy with ancient knowledge. "You and your lover have one more try at it."

Theodore’s heart skipped a beat, his mind racing. One more life? But why? Everything was finally falling into place in this life. He had found Adele, and they were to be married tomorrow.

Why would they need another life?

The silence that followed the voice’s words was suffocating, each passing second amplifying Theodore’s unease. The sand around him had stopped moving entirely now, hanging in the air like stars frozen in a night sky. Theodore’s vision began to blur, a wave of dizziness washing over him as he struggled to keep his focus.

Then, the voice spoke again, the words both cryptic and foreboding. "However, this existence will be quite different from the ones you have lived so far. History will and will not repeat itself accordingly. It is all in your decisions. Nature will intervene, and may her grace be with you."

Theodore’s head spun as he tried to process the meaning behind the voice’s message. Different? How different? What did it mean that history would and would not repeat itself? And who was this "nature" that was supposed to intervene?

Before Theodore could form another question, the voice continued, its tone shifting to something more poetic, more elusive. "The Wishkeeper... a well of it, your way. Only the righteous see, give, and keep."

Theodore’s confusion deepened. "What does that mean?" he demanded, his voice rising in frustration. "Why should we need the ’Wishkeeper’? And why another life, if this one is going so smoothly?"

But the voice did not answer. Instead, the sandstorm that had surrounded him began to dissolve, the golden grains falling away like rain. The warmth in the air dissipated, replaced by a cold, biting wind. The ground beneath him shifted, the solid earth turning to dust. Theodore blinked rapidly, trying to keep his bearings, but the world around him was fading fast, the strange desert melting away into nothingness.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

Theodore found himself back in the marketplace, standing in front of the jewelry vendor. The vibrant colors of the market returned in a rush, the sounds of the vendors and townsfolk filling his ears once more. But something was different. Something had changed.

He looked down at his hand, and there, resting in his palm, was a small amulet, one he had seen through every lifetime. White, glassy and almost transperant. The Wishkeeper.

His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the amulet, the weight of the voice’s words pressing down on him. Why would they need another life? Why would fate or some unknown force intervene now, just as everything was finally falling into place?

As the realization of the voice’s warning sank in, Theodore’s gaze darkened with a fear he hadn’t felt in years. He had fought for this life, had done everything in his power to ensure that this time, things would be different. But now, with the Wishkeeper in hand, he couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that something beyond his control was about to change everything.

Without another word, Theodore clenched the amulet tightly in his fist, the sharp edges digging into his skin as he made his way out of the marketplace. Tomorrow, he will marry Adele. Tomorrow, he would begin the life he had always dreamed of. But now, a shadow hung over his heart, a fear that this life, this happiness, might slip through his fingers once more.

He needed to protect what he had, to ensure that this life would not end like the others. But as he walked back toward the castle, the weight of the amulet in his hand reminded him that the future was uncertain, and that some battles could not be won with mere determination.

Theodore’s gaze grew resolute as he entered the castle grounds. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he would face them. He had to—for Adele, for their love, and for the life they had fought so hard to build. But deep down, in the quiet corners of his mind, the fear lingered, whispering doubts that he could not yet silence.

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